Chapter 35: People Who are Alive.

“…”

“…”

“…”

’WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO SAY TO THAT?’

Ezra’s face stayed calm. Or at least, he hoped it did.

He had been calm this entire time. He had done so well holding it together, breathing evenly, thinking rationally.

And then Helios went and said that.

His heart was pounding far too fast, loud enough that Ezra was half convinced Helios could hear it.

Heat crept up his neck, threatening to betray him, and suddenly he felt thirteen again instead of a grown man who had survived wars and raised a child.

He hated it.

He hated feeling like this.

And yet, he couldn’t fully blame himself, because this was Helios’s fault. Helios, with his terrible habit of saying things without realizing what they did to people.

Helios, who never seemed to notice when his words landed a little too deep.

Or maybe he did notice.

“You were a big part of the Sunward Sentinels,” Helios continued, his voice steady. “So big that Friendrinn and Leomord left within the first year after you were gone. They thought you wouldn’t come back.”

Ezra’s breath hitched.

“I don’t blame you,” Helios said quietly. “And I don’t blame them either. Or most of the knights who left.” He paused, then added, “Because you…”

Helios looked down, fingers curling slightly against the arm of his chair.

“As much as you love giving me all the credit, Ezra, you were the one who built that group,” Helios said. “You made it what it was. You gave it a name, even without a title. You made a title of your own.”

He let out a small, almost amused breath. “You might think you were the one relying on me.”

“I was relying on you,” Ezra said quickly, finally managing to speak.

Helios shook his head.

“When you left, I was lost,” he admitted. “I know part of why Friendrinn and the others left wasn’t just because you were gone. It was because I couldn’t lead them the way you did.” His voice softened. “And no one else could.”

Ezra stared at him.

’Does he really think this highly of me?’ Ezra thought, something unsettled twisting in his chest.

This was new.

This version of Helios.

Not confident, not untouchable, not shining with certainty.

Just… honest.

And that was somehow more terrifying.

To hear Helios speak as if Ezra had been the stronger one. As if Ezra had been the pillar holding everything together.

’That’s impossible,’ Ezra thought, almost defensively.

“I was so used to you being there,” Helios said quietly. “By my side. I couldn’t lead the new sentinels properly without you, no matter how hard I tried.”

He let out a small laugh, but it lacked humor. “We weren’t failures. Not exactly. Kaelis stepped up more than anyone expected. And Aurien…”

His gaze softened a little. “Especially Aurien. He’s been actively fighting Dark Ones. Winning battles I never thought he could.”

Ezra blinked.

’Aurien?’ he thought. ’So the rumors were true? Seriously? How?’

Aurien had mentioned improving, but Ezra hadn’t imagined this kind of growth. And Kaelis too.

’Has Kaelis finally stopped flirting long enough to become competent?’ Ezra thought dryly, the absurdity of it almost grounding him.

“But even then,” Helios continued, his tone sharpening, “there are problems they cannot solve. And I knew there was only one person who could.”

His finger lifted, pointing directly at Ezra.

“My captain. The only captain of the Sunward Sentinels.”

Ezra’s chest tightened.

“And you know that’s you,” Helios went on. “With the mass kidnappings of children. Alphas using unnaturally strong pheromones to subdue omegas, even without triggering their own ruts. Forced domination.”

His jaw clenched. “And the rise of more Dark Ones.”

Ezra felt cold settle into his bones.

’I wondered about that ever since his letter,’ he thought.

“What do you mean by ’rise of more Dark Ones’?” Ezra asked, frowning. “They’ve always existed. They’ve plagued the kingdom for as long as I can remember.”

Helios exhaled slowly. “Yes. And we believed we understood them.” His golden eyes darkened. “When a person dies filled with regret, grief, or rage, they become a Dark One. That’s what we knew.”

Ezra nodded. That much was familiar. That much made sense.

“But recently,” Helios said, voice lower now, “it hasn’t only been the dead.”

Ezra stiffened.

“…You don’t mean,” he began.

Helios met his gaze. “I do.”

Ezra’s breath caught.

“Anyone,” Helios continued, “alive or dead. As long as they feel something deep enough. Anger. Grief. Despair. Any overwhelming negative emotion.”

“They turn,” Helios finished quietly. “Into Dark Ones.”

Ezra stared at him.

“How is that even possible?” he whispered.

“That’s what we don’t know,” Helios said. “All we know is that emotions every human experiences are now enough to trigger it. People are afraid to grieve. Afraid to get angry. Afraid to feel any form of emotion.”

Ezra felt sick.

If that was true, then the battlefield had changed entirely.

Because…

“Wouldn’t that mean…” Ezra said slowly, his voice barely above a whisper. “…that we wouldn’t just be killing the dead anymore?”

He swallowed.

“But people,” he finished. “People who are still alive. Who just… turned.”

Helios didn’t hesitate.

“Yes,” he said quietly. “That’s exactly why it’s become harder for the knights.”

He looked away for a moment, jaw tight. “Every Dark One we face now carries the possibility of having been alive just moments before. Someone with a family. Someone with fear in their eyes.”

Ezra felt something hollow open in his chest.

“That’s…” His voice failed him. He swallowed and tried again. “That’s horrifying.”

It wasn’t fear for himself. It was the thought of raising a blade against someone who might still be thinking, still feeling. Someone who hadn’t chosen this.

’I don’t know if I could do it,’ Ezra admitted to himself. ’Not without hesitation.’

“And yet they keep appearing,” Helios continued. “More than before. Stronger too. We can’t ignore them. We can’t leave the kingdom to rot just because the truth is ugly.”

Ezra looked at him then. Really looked.

Helios wasn’t speaking like a prince right now. He was speaking like someone carrying too much on his shoulders.

“We’ll figure it out,” Helios said, softer now. “We always do. Together.” He paused, then added, “My father trusts me to solve this. To find the source. To stop it before it gets worse.”

’Is that the favor he mentioned?’ Ezra wondered. ’Or is this something else entirely?’

The thought lingered, uneasy, but Helios didn’t give him time to dwell on it.

“For now,” Helios said suddenly, straightening, “I don’t want to talk about all of that anymore.”

Ezra blinked. “What?”

Helios turned back to him, expression lighter, though something unreadable still flickered beneath it. “I didn’t bring you here just to bury you in problems.”

Ezra frowned slightly. “What…?”

Instead of answering, Helios stood.

The chair scraped softly against the stone as he moved closer, steps unhurried.

Slowly.

Ezra watches confused, and curious as Helios stops just in front of him.

Looking down at him with a serious look still on his face.

And again, slowly, Helios leans down to Ezra, making Ezra’s eyes widen.

“H-Helios?”

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