Night fell over the shelter with a deceptive softness.
Valeria, sitting by the broken window, stared at the forest cloaked in shadows, but her mind was miles away.
She didn't know what triggered it. Maybe it was the whisper of the wind, or the silent echo of her own loneliness.
Gael.
His name crossed her mind like a painful heartbeat, dragging with it images she thought she had buried.
She remembered the first time she saw him.
It hadn't been like with the others. There were no promises, no sweet words. Just a look. A brutal electricity that shot through her skin and reached her bones.
He was chaos wrapped in calm.
She remembered him leaning against an old motorcycle, a crooked smile on his lips, as if he already knew he was going to break her.
And Valeria… Valeria didn't resist. She never could.
Gael hadn't asked for permission to enter her life. He slipped in like a fire in an abandoned house.
There were nights when they talked until they fell asleep, weaving dreams they would never fulfill.
There were days when he disappeared without explanation, leaving her biting her lips in anxious hope.
Loving him was like hugging a storm: you knew it would destroy you, but you did it anyway, because nothing else in life had ever felt so intense.
She remembered how she searched for him everywhere, how every vibration of her phone made her heart race with hope.
She remembered the emptiness when he didn't show up.
She remembered that, despite all the love, it was never enough to make him stay.
A solitary tear slid down her cheek before she could stop it.
Gael was the one she had felt the most for.
And also, the one who let her fall the hardest.
Valeria closed her eyes, resting her forehead against the cold glass.
Maybe they had never been something real.
Maybe it had only been an illusion they fed each other… until they destroyed themselves.
But a part of her —one that still ached— kept wondering if, in another life, they would have found the right moment.
The wind blew harder, as if trying to tear her away from that memory.
And this time, Valeria let it.
She stood up.
She shook Gael's weight off her shoulders.
There was still a path ahead to walk.
And this time, she wasn't going to walk it looking back.
The memory of Gael still weighed heavily on her chest, but Valeria knew she had to keep moving.
The wind among the trees seemed to carry away the last sighs of that unfinished love.
Valeria walked deeper into the woods, the key still pressing against her chest like a stubborn heartbeat. Every step grew more uncertain, colder.
Until she saw him.
Standing by an ancient oak, there was a man who didn't belong to this place.
He was tall, with tousled dark hair and an expression impossible to read. Yet his eyes caught the fading light in a way that felt dangerous, like they held secrets capable of breaking entire worlds.
Cassian.
She didn't need to ask his name. She knew it the moment their eyes met.
He smiled slightly, a crooked grin that wasn't fully kind… nor fully hostile.
—Looking for something? —he asked, his voice deep and vibrant.
Valeria felt the ground sway beneath her—not from fear this time, but from something older, wilder.
There was something in him she recognized… and she couldn't tell if it was good or bad.
—Maybe —she replied, lifting her chin.
Cassian stepped away from the tree, closing the distance between them. The space was small, but the danger—and the promise—in the air was immense.
—Then stay close —he murmured, a warning disguised as an invitation—. Around here, things tend to get lost… very easily.
Before Valeria could answer, Cassian extended his hand.
A choice was unfolding before her, and this time, she wouldn't have the luxury of looking back.
Valeria hesitated for a second.
Part of her screamed not to trust this stranger, but another part —more visceral, more reckless— pulled her forward.
She took his hand.
The contact was immediate, almost electric. It wasn't the kind of touch that comforted; it was the kind that promised chaos, that ignited silent fires beneath the skin.
Cassian intertwined their fingers without asking, as if he already knew her, as if he had been waiting for her all his life.
—You're looking for answers —he said, not as a question, but as a certainty.
Valeria nodded, her voice caught in her throat.
Cassian pulled her gently, leading her toward a hidden path behind the oak tree. Every step they took pulled Valeria further away from what she knew… and closer to an unknown place where danger and desire wove together in every shadow.
—I'm no savior —Cassian warned, glancing sideways at her—. Sometimes, monsters know exactly how to offer what you want the most.
Valeria didn't answer. Her heart was pounding too hard, as if it already knew the price of following him… and still chose to pay it.
They walked into the darkness, where the real game was only just beginning.
The path beneath their feet was barely visible, covered in roots and damp leaves. Cassian moved as if he knew every crack, every curve, while Valeria struggled to keep up, her senses sharpened and her heart pounding in her temples.
The forest seemed to close in around them.
Suddenly, Cassian stopped so abruptly that Valeria almost collided with his back.
—What is it? —she whispered.
Cassian lifted a hand, signaling for silence, and pointed ahead.
Through the trees, barely lit by the pale light of the moon, stood an ancient structure: a stone tower, covered in ivy and forgotten by time.
But what truly captured Valeria's attention was the door.
Carved into the wood, like open scars, were symbols that seemed to shift slightly under her gaze, pulsing with a life of their own.
—What is this? —Valeria asked, a shiver running down her spine.
—A forbidden memory —Cassian said softly—. A place where what you've forgotten comes looking for you.
Before she could ask more, a sound came from inside the tower: a broken whisper, as if something… or someone… was calling her by name.
Cassian turned to her then, his gaze so intense it stole the breath from her lungs.
—Are you ready to face it? —he asked.
And even though every part of her screamed no, Valeria stepped toward the door.
Because there was something in those whispers… something that carried Gael's voice.
Something Valeria couldn't ignore.
The door creaked as Valeria pushed it open, releasing a whisper of cold air that prickled her skin.
Cassian remained at the entrance, watching her but not following.
Inside, the darkness was thick, almost liquid.
A faint blue glow radiated from the stone walls, illuminating old markings on the floor.
Valeria stepped forward, each footfall echoing like a heartbeat in the silence.
Then, she saw him.
In the center of the tower, sitting on the ground with his knees drawn up, was Gael.
Or at least, the memory of him—just as she remembered: his dark, messy hair, that wounded smile that always seemed to beg her to stay a little longer.
—Valeria… —he whispered, lifting his gaze.
The sound of his voice cut through her like a blade.
It wasn't a dream. It wasn't an empty illusion. It was a piece of her heart still bleeding.
—What are you doing here? —she asked, her voice trembling.
Gael reached out a hand to her, but he couldn't touch her. His fingers passed through the air like smoke.
—You never said goodbye —he said, with a sadness so deep it hurt to look at him.
Tears burned in Valeria's eyes.
She remembered all the times she had wanted to say goodbye. All the times she had wanted to close that wound.
But she never found the courage. She just ran away.
—I tried —she whispered—. I really tried.
Gael smiled, but it was a broken smile.
—Sometimes… love isn't enough to save someone. —His figure began to fade slowly, as if the wind were reclaiming him.
Valeria stepped forward, desperate, but it was already too late.
Only his voice remained, floating in the air:
—Don't look back, Valeria. Keep moving… even if it hurts.
And when the silence settled again, Valeria realized that something inside her had finally shattered… so it could begin to heal.
She wiped her tears, straightened her back, and returned to the doorway where Cassian was waiting.
This time, her steps didn't falter.
Cassian waited, leaning against the doorframe, as if he knew she would need a moment before speaking.
When Valeria stepped out of the tower, her eyes still shimmered with tears she hadn't fully allowed herself to shed.
Cassian didn't ask. He didn't say a word.
He simply extended his hand toward her, open, silent, offering a refuge.
Valeria looked at him, hesitating for a heartbeat.
She wasn't used to receiving without asking.
She wasn't used to tenderness without conditions.
But something in Cassian's eyes —something strong and yet infinitely human— pulled her closer.
When her fingers brushed his, a warm current ran through her skin, so subtle and powerful it stole her breath.
Cassian laced his fingers with hers, sealing the gesture with a protective firmness.
—You're here —he murmured, as if that simple truth carried more weight than anything else.
Valeria nodded, unable to speak.
Cassian gently pulled her toward his chest.
It wasn't a possessive embrace, nor a trap.
It was a silent promise that she wouldn't have to carry her ghosts alone anymore.
Valeria closed her eyes and, for the first time in a long while, allowed her heart to beat alongside another's without fear.
The wind stirred around them, lifting dry leaves from the trees, carrying away the last of the unsaid words.
It was a new beginning, even if neither of them knew it yet.
Valeria and Cassian walked silently down the narrow path that cut through the thick woods.
The atmosphere felt different.
It wasn't just the fresh air or the soft crunch of leaves beneath their boots.
It was a different kind of calm —thick, almost watchful, as if the forest itself were observing them.
Cassian kept his hand wrapped around Valeria's, like an anchor.
She wasn't sure if it was to protect him, or to keep herself from drifting away.
—Where are we going? —she whispered, finally breaking the silence.
Cassian turned slightly, offering her a small, crooked smile.
—Where you were always meant to go —he answered.
Before she could ask more, a sound cut through the quiet.
A whisper that didn't belong to the wind.
Valeria stiffened. So did Cassian.
From between the trees, figures began to emerge, clad in dark clothing, faces hidden behind worn metal masks.
They weren't hostile.
Not yet.
One of the figures stepped forward.
A woman —tall, with long braided hair that fell over her back like a shadowed veil.
Her presence was imposing, but her eyes gleamed with a strange mixture of curiosity and respect.
She stopped a few steps away, tilting her head slightly.
—So you're the one —she said, her voice ancient and echoing—. The one who survived the three trials of the heart.
Valeria swallowed hard. She didn't know if she should feel proud or terrified.
The woman extended a hand toward her.
—My name is Seraphine.
And now… the real story begins.
Seraphine disappeared into the shadows along with the others.
Only Valeria and Cassian remained, surrounded by the thick woods and a silence heavier than the night itself.
Cassian let go of her hand, but his fingers brushed hers one last time, as if reluctant to leave.
—Take a moment —he murmured—. You're going to need it.
Valeria nodded without speaking, stepping away.
She sat on a thick root that jutted out from the earth and let her mind drift.
And like a sharp blow, the memory of Gael surged back.
It wasn't just his crooked smile or the way his eyes promised entire worlds.
It was the way he looked at her —as if he understood her— only to tear her apart without warning.
She remembered the nights they would talk until dawn threatened the sky.
The unspoken promises.
The sudden absences.
The way he always seemed just one step out of reach.
Gael hadn't just been a broken story.
He had been the wound that never fully healed.
She wondered if, somewhere in the world, he thought of her too.
If he ever remembered the words they never dared to speak aloud.
Valeria closed her eyes, letting the pain rise and fall like a tide.
But this time, when she opened them, something new gleamed within.
Determination.
She couldn't keep building on ruins.
She couldn't keep looking back.
She stood up.
Cassian waited a few steps ahead, his figure bathed in a sliver of moonlight piercing through the trees.
Valeria took a deep breath.
It was time to move on.
Without looking back.