Lore

Lore realized she was still holding Castor’s wrist, but was too afraid to let him go.

Don’t fall, she thought.

I won’t, his gaze promised.

And as long as he wouldn’t, neither would Lore.

“You must learn not to fear pain, or else it will shackle you and strip your courage. Fear is the greatest enemy.”

in the darkest moments of her life, that resilience alone had saved her.

I love you more with every sunrise.

His life had played out exactly as it was meant to, without her there to interrupt it.

And he had never come to find her. Not even when she’d needed him most.

The pain was good. It kept her focused.

old gods must die to allow the new to rise.

“Lore.” He kept that same soft tone. “I was born knowing how to do three things—how to breathe, how to dream, and how to love you.”

When we can’t change the past, the only thing left is to move forward.