Chapter 129: The Lake.

Kaelis saw the heartbreak in Ezra’s eyes, clear as day, and for once, he didn’t make a joke out of it.

So, as unorthodox as it was, he carried Lior in his arms.

Almost immediately, Lior clung to him, his small hands gripping tightly onto his clothes, burying his face against him like he didn’t want to see anything else.

’Poor kid. He’s really shaken.’

Kaelis adjusted his hold slightly, careful not to jostle him too much.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Ezra move. Not toward them, but away.

Ezra forced himself to walk past, disappearing deeper into the trees, likely to hide behind one of the larger trunks.

Kaelis didn’t call out to him.

He understood.

“He’s gone,” Kaelis whispered softly, one hand coming up to rest gently against Lior’s back. “Do you want to go look at the lake for a bit before we head back?”

Lior didn’t answer out loud.

But Kaelis felt the small nod against him.

“That’s a yes then,” Kaelis murmured, shifting slightly before turning toward the direction of the lake.

He walked slowly, making sure his steps were steady. The last thing he wanted was to make Lior feel worse.

The night air was cold, brushing against his face as his hair moved with the breeze. It was quiet now, the kind of quiet that felt heavy after everything that had just happened.

When they reached the lake, Kaelis lowered himself to the ground near the water.

“Do you want to keep hugging me,” he asked gently, “or do you want to sit next to me?”

Lior stayed quiet again.

For a moment, Kaelis thought he wouldn’t answer.

“On the side,” Lior whispered.

“On the side it is then.”

Kaelis carefully placed him beside him, making sure he was steady before letting go.

Lior immediately turned his attention to the lake.

Kaelis followed his gaze, letting out a quiet breath.

“You know,” he said after a moment, his voice softer now, “I love lakes.”

Lior let out a small hum, glancing at him. “…Kakay loves lakes?”

“Yes,” Kaelis said with a small smile. “I do.”

“Why…?” Lior asked, his voice still weak, but there was curiosity there now.

Kaelis lifted a hand and pointed toward the water.

“I like them at night,” he said. “Look… it’s like there are two moons.”

The surface of the lake reflected the sky clearly, the moon resting in the water like it belonged there.

“And the stars,” Kaelis continued, his finger shifting slightly, “they look closer here. Like you could reach out and touch them if you tried hard enough.”

The reflection made the sky feel near, almost within reach.

“It’s like the lake makes everything look a little more beautiful.”

Lior stared at it for a second longer before mumbling, “That’s weird…”

Kaelis let out a quiet chuckle.

’He can still be cheeky after all that.’

“It is a bit weird,” Kaelis admitted. “But my mother used to say that.”

’He’s tougher than he looks.’

He let his hand fall back to his lap.

“You see, she loved stars. A lot. She was even named after a constellation.”

“What’s her name?” Lior asked.

“Lyra,” Kaelis answered quietly. “My mother’s name was Lyra.”

“It’s pretty,” Lior said.

“It is,” Kaelis replied, his gaze returning to the water. “She was very beautiful too.”

To him, she had always been the most beautiful person in the world.

Others said he looked like her.

He never disagreed. He loved to have any part of his mother with him.

Silence settled between them.

Not uncomfortable.

Just quiet.

Both of them stared at the lake, the reflection of the sky rippling slightly with the breeze.

Then, after a moment—

“What happened to your Mama, Kakay?”

Kaelis blinked, turning his head toward Lior in surprise.

“How did you know she was gone?”

“Ma–Master told me,” Lior said, looking down at his hands. “If someone says ’was

’ about a people… then they’re gone.”

Kaelis let out a small breath.

“You’re really sharp,” he said. “You picked up on that?”

“Uh huh.”

Kaelis smiled faintly, then looked back at the lake.

“Well,” he said after a moment, “my mama got sick. Very sick. Around the time I was your age.”

“Oh…” Lior’s voice softened. “That’s sad…”

“It was,” Kaelis admitted. “It really was.”

He rested his arms loosely over his knees.

“But instead of being angry… she tried to make the world feel a little better.”

“What did she do for the world?”

“She took me everywhere,” Kaelis said. “We traveled a lot. She gave me anything I wanted, even things I didn’t ask for. She stayed with me all the time.”

He glanced at Lior, who was visibly confused.

“I was her world,” he added quietly.

“Oh…”

Lior lowered his gaze.

Kaelis smiled at him, just a little, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. It was softer than his usual smile, quieter.

’How is he only four years old?’

There was something about the way Lior spoke, the way he noticed things, the way he held himself even now, that didn’t quite match his age.

Kaelis leaned back slightly, letting out a slow breath before speaking again.

“Since I answered your question,” he said, glancing at Lior, “I think it’s fair that I get one too.”

Lior made a small sound. “Hm.”

“What happened?” Kaelis asked, keeping his voice gentle, careful not to push too hard. “Did they hurt you?”

Lior’s shoulders tensed a little.

“Rico did,” he mumbled, his gaze dropping.

“Rico?” Kaelis repeated, then paused. “Oh… Ricardo.”

Rico. That was funny.

“That’s what I said,” Lior muttered, huffing slightly as if annoyed.

Kaelis almost smiled at that, but it faded quickly.

’No wonder Ezra killed him.’

At first, he had thought Ezra had gone too far.

He understood.

“Did… the other men come for you?” Kaelis asked after a moment.

Lior nodded.

Kaelis watched him carefully.

“What happened to them?”

Lior shook his head almost immediately.

“Don’t wanna talk about it,” he mumbled, his voice smaller this time.

Kaelis let out a quiet sigh.

“Alright,” he said, nodding once. “We don’t have to talk about that.”

He paused, choosing his next words more carefully.

“Then can we talk about Ezra—”

“No!”

The response came fast.

Sharp.

Kaelis blinked slightly, taken aback by how quickly Lior cut him off.

“Why not, Lior?” he asked, still keeping his tone calm. “He came all this way for you.”

Lior’s hands clenched slightly on his lap.

“He’s a monster,” he said, his voice tight, his words carrying more force than before.

Kaelis frowned, his brows drawing together.

“A monster?”

He leaned forward just a bit, trying to meet Lior’s gaze.

“Why would you think that?”

Lior looked down again.

“Rico is dead,” he said quietly. “He killed him.”

Kaelis watched him for a moment before slowly reaching out and placing a hand on top of his head, gentle, careful.

Lior didn’t pull away, but he didn’t lean into it either.

“Lior,” Kaelis said softly, “there’s something you need to understand.”

He paused, knowing this wouldn’t be easy.

“But I don’t think you will unless I explain it properly.”

Lior glanced at him.

“…How?”

Kaelis let out a small breath.

“I’ll tell you a story,” he said.

“A story?”

“Yes,” Kaelis nodded. “A story.”

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