Chapter 128: Vulnerability

Hera's tears subsided, leaving behind a raw vulnerability that had never been on display for Davien. Her eyes, now red-rimmed and glistening, met his with a newfound depth, as if the dam of her past had finally breached.

"The one I swore to protect," she whispered, her voice trembling. "My best friend, Lyra, fell because I… I hesitated."

A shard of ice pierced Davien's heart. The weight of her guilt, palpable across the distance, echoed in his own experiences. He knew the sting of that self-recrimination, the burden of the "what ifs" that could cripple even the strongest warrior.

"Hera," he murmured, pulling her closer, "you cannot blame yourself for the actions of others. Every battle carries its own chaos, its own choices. Yours was to survive, to fight another day."

His words hung in the air, a delicate offering of comfort. Hera, however, shook her head, her body wracked by silent sobs.

"But there was more," she choked out, tears tracing fresh tracks down her cheeks. "I made a prom