Three months passed in a blur of shifting void and quiet intensity. The Citadel, now fully adapted to the presence of both Lucien and Selene, had become a place where time seemed to fold differently. Days were measured not by sun or moon, but by the cadence of their conversations, shared training, and the subtle pulse of inevitability that radiated from Lucien's presence.
Selene moved through the halls with ease, her aura radiating authority yet tempered with warmth. Lucien, as ever, was the solitary center of the Citadel, yet his presence bent the very air around them, almost as if the void itself leaned in to listen to their discussions.
"You need to understand," Lucien said one evening, standing atop a terrace of fractured light, "the outergod realms are not like the multiverse you know. Each is layered, and most of the entities that dwell there are beyond what conventional power can comprehend. Even you, Selene, would feel the weight if exposed to their raw form too early."
Selene's eyes shimmered faintly. "I know. But you've handled these realms before. I need to know… for Arios. For the balance of Aetherion. You'll not shield me entirely—teach me."
Lucien nodded, turning slightly to gaze at her profile. "Very well. The Outer Gods… they are beings whose existence predates universes. They bend law and entropy as they see fit. Mortals, even powerful mortals like the Revenants or the Mirrored Six, are insignificant in comparison. Yet…" His gaze softened faintly, "it is not raw power alone that defines them. It is intention, cunning, and inevitability. Even I… must plan."
Selene listened intently, absorbing every detail. They spoke for hours—of battles that stretched across dimensions, of the thin threads binding universes, and of the countless entities that existed just beyond perception.
The three months were not only about knowledge. Lucien and Selene trained together, shared moments of quiet domesticity, and allowed themselves to explore the rare peace the Citadel offered.
At times, Lucien would demonstrate combat flows, blending void energy with mirrored essence, while Selene moved fluidly beside him, her mirrored skills different, more graceful, precise, yet utterly devastating when needed.
"You move too rigidly at times," Selene commented one day, dodging an energy strike that fractured the void. "Flow with inevitability, not against it."
Lucien's lips twitched in amusement. "You lecture me about flow?"
She smiled faintly, defiance in her eyes. "Even the Sole Exception can learn, sometimes."
And in the quiet, the bond deepened, subtle hints of life stirring within Selene, unknown even to her at first—a faint pulse, a hidden promise of growth and continuation.
The days turned into weeks, and by the end of the third month, Selene felt the first undeniable confirmation of her pregnancy—a new life, destined to be unique, not a direct replication of Lucien's or her own power.