Chapter five
The scent of spice-roasted almonds, burning lantern oil, and glowing blossom petals filled the crowded streets of Aetherra's lower lands. Selene moved through the chaos with bare feet and a lopsided smile, dodging dancers and spell-flame jugglers, clutching a stolen moonfruit she hadn't paid for.
Tonight was hers. And the world had never felt so alive.
She ducked into a shadowed alleyway to catch her breath, laughing to herself.
"I should do this more often," she whispered, brushing silver strands out from under her hood.
Then a flicker just for a moment.
Something stirred.
It wasn't fear. It was… like the air changed. Like something important had stepped into the rhythm of the night.
She turned and paused.
Two men stood at the far end of the alley, just where the crowd faded into quiet. One was lean and sharp-eyed, wearing a dark cloak with blades strapped across his back. The other…
Her breath caught.
Tall. Impossibly tall.
A warrior's build wrapped in regal darkness. He stood motionless, arms folded, face partly shadowed by the faint glow of a nearby lantern.
But she could see his eyes.
Pale, like stormlight over still water. Midnight -black hair brushed the edge of his jawline, and his features were too perfect, sculpted like marble by a god who favored silence.
He looked completely out of place.
And yet, she couldn't look away.
Caelum had not expected the lower realm to be this loud.
He stood beside Thorne, his personal guard, scanning the chaos of the Aetherran festival. Children chased floating spells. Old women danced with enchanted scarves. Music collided from every direction. He hated it.
"Remind me," Thorne muttered, "why are we here again?"
Caelum's voice was low, cold. "Rhaziel ordered me to investigate the possible gate rift beneath the city. Said it was flickering again."
"You're the protector of humanity, not their errand boy."
Caelum didn't respond. He had dreamt of the flames again last night. Of her again. Always just out of reach. Always the glint of silver hair, never a full face.
A sound pulled him back.
Footsteps. Light, fast. Bare feet.
And then,her.
Selene didn't know what came over her.
Something about him made her chest twist and burn, like she'd been holding her breath her whole life and didn't realize it until now. So naturally, her response was to do the most Selene thing imaginable.
She walked straight up to him.
"Wow," she said, tilting her head. "Do you always look like you're about to smite someone, or is it a special occasion?"
Thorne bristled instantly, stepping forward. "Watch your tone…"
Caelum raised a hand. Silent. Calm.
Thorne froze.
Selene arched a brow. "Oh. So you talk to statues with your eyes and he talks with hand signals. Are you a royal mime troupe?"
Caelum just stared at her.
And Selene grinned wider.
"You're not from around here. You don't have the dirt on your boots. No magic ribbons on your wrist. And no one carries themselves like they own the air unless they're either royal or really, really arrogant."
Still nothing.
"Or maybe you're both," she added, eyes gleaming.
Caelum studied her closer now. Her silver hair had escaped the hood and shimmered under the lantern light like moonlit frost. Her eyes were bright, defiant. Her voice rang like bells annoying, clever bells.
There was something about her.
Something wrong.
Or was it familiar?
He didn't speak. He just let her go on.
Thorne looked like he might combust.
"She's mocking you," he hissed. "Let me…"
"No," Caelum murmured, finally speaking.
One word.
Selene blinked.
His voice sounded like it came from somewhere deep. Not cruel. Not cold. But old. Worn like stone beneath water. It struck something in her chest she couldn't name.
She frowned and crossed her arms.
"You're not very fun, are you?"
"I'm not here for fun," he said simply.
"Pity," she muttered.
For a moment, neither moved.
And then…
"Selene!"
Mara's voice cracked through the night air like thunder.
She flinched.
"Uh oh."
Drian appeared beside the maid, eyes wide with fury. "We've searched everywhere! Do you have any idea what are you who are they?"
"Just… tourists?" Selene said innocently.
"Now," Mara snapped, grabbing her arm.
Selene hesitated.
She looked back at Caelum, something tightening in her throat.
"I'm Selene," she said quickly. "You know. In case we ever meet again."
He didn't reply.
He just watched her go.
But her name echoed through his mind like a curse he almost remembered.
Selene…
As she was dragged back toward the palace, Selene glanced over her shoulder once more.
But the alley was empty.
No trace of the quiet, silver-eyed stranger.
She'd never felt anything like that before.
And deep down, she knew.
Neither had he.