Kaia’s fingers twitch at her sides, but she doesn’t interrupt.
“The seers from the eastern realms foresaw it,” I continue, shifting my stance. “That one day, the last Valkyrie would return, and when she did, she would either restore balance—or unravel it completely.”
Kaia exhales slowly. “And you believe it’s me.”
“I know it’s you.”
She lets out a breath that isn’t quite a laugh, shaking her head. “Right. Because fate has already decided for me, hasn’t it?”
I don’t respond.
Because I don’t know what to say.
I’ve spent centuries waiting for her. But I’ve also spent centuries convincing myself that this was inevitable. That I was inevitable.
She takes a slow step toward me, tilting her head slightly. “You’re telling me this like it’s just a history lesson.”
I hold her gaze. “It is history.”
Her lips press together. I can see her working through her thoughts, sifting through my words, picking apart what I won’t say.
But I won’t give her more than this.
I can’t.
She turns back toward the mountains, shadows still moving restlessly around her, as if they too are unsatisfied with my answer.
The wind shifts, carrying the scent of coming rain.
She speaks without looking at me. “And the berserkers?”
I exhale slowly, my jaw tightening. “They disappeared with your people.”
She stiffens, her fingers tightening around the stone railing.
I step beside her, staring out at the same distant storm. “The Nightwraiths overwhelmed them,” I say, my voice quieter now, but no less steady. “The Valkyries didn’t just fall—they became something else. Something worse. And the berserkers… they were warriors, but they weren’t prepared for the scale of it. No one was.”
Kaia’s breathing is slow, controlled. But I can see it, the tension in her shoulders, the way her nails dig into her palms.
I should stop.
But I don’t.
“They vanished fighting what your people became,” I continue. “And when the last of them was gone, the realms finally understood, true extinction isn’t just about loss. It’s about consequences.”
She turns to me then, her expression unreadable. “And now what?”
I meet her gaze. “Now we make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
She studies me for a long moment, but I can’t tell what she’s looking for.
Finally, she nods once and steps back.
Her shadows follow her.
She’s closing off.
And I let her.
