[Their silence is not wholly unwelcome. The longer she keeps her mouth shut, the less likely it feels that they'll run their mouth, say something stupid. He has opened himself up in his moment, flayed skin and peeled back ribs to expose a part of him that's been scarred again and again. He's vulnerable, and in a way he doesn't know he can trust Kiera to deal with properly.

By some miracle, what they do eventually find in themselves to say... isn't too far off how Luca feels. He knows they don't mean it in that regard, which makes him almost scoff. So close to the truth, but missing it entirely. It isn't like them, but how could they be expected to understand the full gravity of Luca's own situation.]

You're right. [He says it with a strange finality, one that runs counter to the broken chords of his voice just a few seconds prior.] I could not have known. It was not my fault.

[His hand settles above his chest. His fingers clamp down, nails digging through the fabric. If not for the second band over his chest, he might have even broken the skin.]

The Phoenix could have deigned to tell the truth years ago. It could have saved him. Instead, it sat idly in my mind until it was forced to act. [He shakes his head.] It doesn't care. Not for its scions. Not for its people. All it wants is pawns to act in its stead.

No more. I'll rip it out if I have to. And then I can finally rest.