The silver-blue moon hung over the Mythic Base like a silent guardian. Crystalline lights glimmered from the tower spires, shimmering across the stone walls laced with sigils of defense and power. The corridors were quieter tonight, subdued, as if the very air held its breath in reflection of the battles fought earlier that day.
Arslan pushed open the heavy door to his room and entered with slow, tired steps. The scent of old scrolls, iron, and faint incense lingered in the air—comforting, familiar. The faint hum of magical wards buzzed low in the walls. He closed the door behind him, letting his body sag with a sigh as he slumped into the chair near the window. Outside, the twilight sky blushed with orange embers fading into violet night. His black hoodie was streaked with blood—none of it his—but the ache in his arms and limbs was real.
He stared at the glowing lamps on the wall, barely blinking.
Thud. Thud.
A knock came—sharp, firm, familiar.
Before he could answer, the door cracked open and Nirela stepped in, her moonlight-colored hair catching the soft glow of the wall lamps. Her boots tapped against the stone floor as she entered without waiting for permission, closing the door gently behind her.
Arslan raised an eyebrow. "You look… a little angry."
She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she strode across the room and sat cross-legged on the edge of his bed, her arms crossed beneath her cloak. Her narrowed silver-blue eyes didn't blink.
Arslan sat up. "What happened?"
Nirela tilted her head. "You want to know what happened?" she asked coolly.
He looked confused.
She pouted slightly. "Why did you tell Queen Maria: 'I will come for your pleasure'?"
His face went blank for a second—then horror bloomed.
"Oh gods," he groaned, dragging a hand across his face. "You were there?!"
She gave a sharp nod. "Heard it. Whole thing."
"I just replied to her, okay?" he defended. "You mad woman!"
Her mouth dropped slightly in mock offense. "Oooh, now I'm a mad woman?"
She stood up dramatically, walking toward the window and spinning around with a dramatic sigh.
"I accept she's beautiful. But—did you see how she looked at you?" Nirela accused, pointing a finger toward him.
Arslan blinked. Then smiled faintly. "There's a smell."
She narrowed her eyes. "Smell?"
He leaned back smugly. "Smells like… someone's burning with jealousy."
A slow, twitching smile formed on her lips. She walked up close, just a foot away from him, and placed her hands on her hips.
"Yes," she said plainly. "I'm jealous. Because you are only mine. I never want anyone to look at you like that. Ever."
His smile faded into something gentler—his dark eyes softened. "O sweetheart," he said quietly. "You are the first girl I have loved. So I am yours."
That melted her composure. Her face flushed a shade of red as her lips quivered just a bit. "I just… wanted to hear that," she whispered.
They stared at each other, the silence filled only by the hum of magic in the walls and the slow beating of two hearts tangled in strange fate.
Arslan stood, now face-to-face with her, and reached out to tuck a loose strand of her silver hair behind her ear. "You're more dangerous than the demons," he murmured.
She laughed softly and leaned her head against his chest for a moment, then pulled away with a teasing smile. "I'll let that be a compliment."
Their words dissolved into quieter murmurs—jokes about the day's mission, smiles exchanged like silent songs, hands brushing gently. But as always, duty loomed like a shadow, and soon Nirela stood up again.
"I should go," she said. "Before Caelis or Yuna come searching for me like I vanished."
"Let them," Arslan said, smirking.
She grinned. "Tempting. But next time…"
She leaned forward and kissed his cheek lightly, then headed for the door. Just before she stepped out, she turned back.
"Don't make any more queens fall for you."
"No promises," he replied with a wink.
Then the door closed softly behind her.
For a few moments, silence returned. Then—
"You've got a way with words."
A second voice echoed from behind.
Arslan didn't flinch. He leaned back in the chair again, arms folded.
From the shadows of the room, fire shimmered into form as Kar'Thæl emerged—half-formed, spectral, a blazing silhouette of horns, red eyes, and curling dark flames. His presence was always intense, like standing beside a furnace.
"I hope you and Nirela always live happily," Kar'Thæl said, pacing slowly along the wall. "But I think… Queen Maria seemed a little impressed with you after that dragon bowed."
Arslan let out a groan. "Don't go there. Maria was just confused. Her dragon never bowed to anyone. It wasn't me—it was something else."
Kar'Thæl leaned against the wall with a grin. "Something else? Or someone else?"
Arslan ignored him, rubbing his shoulder. "Don't you have some demonic realm to haunt?"
Kar'Thæl chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes."
A pause followed. Then his voice turned lower, serious.
"One thing more… the demons inside the sites we cleared today—farmland, lumberyard, coastline—they were stronger than the ones we fought before."
Arslan nodded. "I think the same. Their cores were more stable. They didn't collapse when struck. And their claws… sharper."
Kar'Thæl's eyes flickered. "There's evolution happening in the Abyss. They're adapting."
"Then we'll be stronger," Arslan said simply. "Stronger than we are now."
A silence passed, firm and unshaken between them.
Kar'Thæl stepped forward and placed one blazing hand on Arslan's shoulder.
"From tomorrow, we train harder. I'll push you past even your own thresholds."
Arslan smirked tiredly. "Yeah, sounds like fun."
"You look tired," Kar'Thæl added, scanning him.
"I feel it," Arslan admitted, rolling his stiff arms. "Pain in limbs, back, everything. I need rest."
"Then sleep. You'll need strength for what's coming."
Arslan nodded. "Right."
Kar'Thæl faded back into the flames, disappearing into nothingness like smoke scattering into air.
The room darkened once more, just the twilight glow peeking through the small window.
Arslan moved slowly toward his bed and lay down, the sheets cool against his skin, the soft embers from the wall lamps casting golden glints across his pale face.
Outside, the wind howled gently through the barrier wards. The sky shimmered, and the stars blinked like ancient eyes watching him.
His eyes fluttered closed.
And the shadows fell silent.