Taira shuddered. For a fraction of a second, it felt as if the air around her had thickened. Not from the fires. Not from the tribe's voices.
But from that voice. Low. Rough-edged. Laced with steel, yet thick, smooth—like warm smoke in the cold air. It seeped into her, coiled around her skin, melted somewhere low in her stomach, then struck upward— to her throat. To her temples. To the deepest, most shaken corners of her mind. She did not lift her eyes immediately. She held her breath. Let herself pause. Let the sensation spread. A thin, slow wave, rolling through her nerves, filling every inch of her. Her muscles tensed in response.
She had never heard a voice sound like that.
So rich. So deep. So... alive.
She let that voice settle inside her. Let it run over her skin. Let it sink into her flesh. Let it become part of this moment.
Like wine—the kind you want to hold on your tongue just a little longer before swallowing.

"Savage...?"

Taira whipped around. As if she had been struck. She had heard that word a thousand times. From outsiders. Her chest clenched. Not from rage. From something deeper. Something rotten, festering between her ribs, curling inside her like a black coil of understanding. The realization— that no matter how much blood you spill, how many scars you earn, how much you prove yourself—they will always look down on you. She took a step toward Eiris—her voice dripping with exhaustion, wrapped in rage.

"Who are you to judge our rites? Who are you to stand here and look at me with that cold disdain— as if you are above this? As if your hands aren't stained with the blood of my ancestors—as if your people haven't been bound to mine for millennia?"

Eiris did not move. Taira let out a sharp breath—a bitter, hollow sound.

"You don't even understand what just happened, do you? You don't even realize what I've done... what I had to do... What I had to break inside myself to prove that I am still strong. That I am still worthy. That I did not fall. That I did not bring shame."

Her voice cracked. She clenched her teeth. Her body stilled for just a second— before she dropped the final blow.

"But do you know the worst part? I shattered myself. I tore myself into pieces so that no one would dare say I was broken. I killed the woman I used to be so no one would see my pain. Because I am a sacred wife. Because for years, I told everyone I was the Thousandth. I am the gift of the stars. I am the one chosen by fate. But now..."

She let out a hollow laugh.

"Now, it seems the stars are just laughing at me."

She took another step forward. Her eyes burned. Pain boiled inside her, searing, eating through her ribs.

"Oh, yes! We are savage! We are people of the wild. Children of the elements. We are alive—like the streams running through the forests. We are loud—like leaves in a storm. We breathe—like the sea pulling in the tide. We move—like birds soaring through the sky.
We. Are. Alive!!!
Emotional. Unruly. Open. And yes— We are passionate!"

She tilted her head, eyes darkening— something inside her swelled. Burned. Tore through her chest, demanding to be unleashed. Her voice dropped—

"But you..."

A single word slipped from her lips— drenched in disgust. Sick with rage. Raw with pain.

"You are dead. Dead like the old Black Gorge. Like the statues of forgotten gods on the Cold Cliff. Like the nameless stones, eroded by time. Like the frost that devours life— but never lets it die. Buttoned to the throat with your rules."

And then— she snapped. Her grip was sudden. Fingers clawing into Eiris's collar— Fist tightening around the stiff fabric.

"Control... control..."

Taira yanked at the fabric— Buttons snapped, thread ripped, the sound slicing through the air.

"Unfasten."

Another sharp pull— stronger.

"So I don't bring shame to my tribe."

The fire in her eyes flared. Her breath was still ragged. Her temples burned. Her hands shook—because the same unbearable rage was still raging inside her. And then— Eiris caught her. An iron grip around her wrist. Their eyes met. Taira felt it. Felt Eiris's fingers tightening around her skin. Felt her strength. Her power. Eiris didn't push her away. She only held her.

"Let go."

Soft. But inside that voice— contained fury. A quiet, restrained rage— forced down, buried deep. Taira's breath shuddered. And then...

"And don't you dare tell anyone I did this alone."

Taira felt Eiris's grip loosen.
But before something shifted in their gazes— before the air between them could tighten further— she pulled her hand away. And turned. She did not look back as she stepped out of the tent. But she knew. She knew that Eiris was still standing there. Fingers curled just a little too tightly— in the place where her skin had been.

Outside, the roar of celebration still shook the night. Taira was swept up— lifted, spun, tossed toward the sky, as if she truly were the one they worshipped tonight. Laughter, shouting, ritual songs—all of it blended into a single wave of wild, ecstatic energy. She smiled— head tilting back, hair flying, breath catching— not from exhaustion— but because the fire inside her had not yet burned out.

"Well? Was she as cold as they say?"

She didn't think. She didn't hesitate. She didn't let even a single crack show in the mask she had just built.

"Oh, on the outside, she's ice..."

She leaned in, let the words draw out.

"But inside... ohhh."

The approving roar soared into the night, laughter bursting around her. But her lungs— Wouldn't obey. Something tightened. Something pressed down. Something caught her throat. She squinted, forced air into her chest— her hands trembled, but no one saw. Somewhere inside the tent— Eiris curled her fingers tighter. Her body tensed— like a soldier before battle. But she did not move.

The First Blow.

Taira exhaled sharply—and pain seized her. She did not understand it. Her lungs tightened. Her legs weakened. A hot wave tore through her spine. The world tilted. The hands holding her— suddenly foreign. Too distant. Pain shot through her like molten wire, piercing her chest— and at the other end of that wire— something pulled. Something answered. And even though she couldn't see it— she knew.

Eiris felt it too. Eiris jerked forward. Unthinking. Her fingers twitched— sut her face remained frozen.

The Second Blow.

Taira plunged downward. Her breath—ragged. Her hands reached for something— but found nothing. Eiris gripped the edge of the table. Her legs trembled. Pain hammered behind her temples— like something was ripping her out of her own body. The people around Taira laughed—but she no longer heard them. Someone spoke— but it blurred into white noise. She collapsed. Eiris buckled, struggling to keep her balance. The air compressed. A sharp, searing pain tore through her body— her hands slipped free. The last thing she heard— muffled shouts.

A voice calling out.

But the words— gone.

Darkness.

***

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