“The Order requires total devotion,” he said, each word a rehearsed blade. “You knew this when you took your vows.”

“You called it a nightmare.” She closed the distance. Now they were inches apart, her free hand pressed flat against his chest. His heartbeat thundered under her palm—fast, human, traitorous . “I remember. We were lying in the hayloft after the Solace Massacre. You said… you said you’d never let duty turn you into a monster.”

“Mira,” he said. Not a plea. Not a command. Just her name, spoken like a prayer he’d forgotten he believed in.