Chapter 941 — The Weight of Wanting
The Hollow woke beneath a pale gold sky, its early light spilling through the leaves like silk. Steam rose from the forges, merchants called across the stone bridges, and the sound of life drifted faintly through Eris's open window.
She sat on the sill, barefoot and quiet, watching. The faint hum of chaos energy that once defined her had dulled into something softer—like a second heartbeat that wasn't entirely hers. The dream from the night before still clung to her mind like dew that refused to dry.
Kael and Lyria. The laughter. The light.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw it. And every time, that strange ache returned.
When the morning grew too loud for her restless thoughts, she rose and left her quarters, her bare feet silent against the wooden floor. The gardens were calm this early—few dared to walk the council terrace before Kael began his rounds.
Eris found Lyria sitting by the reflecting pool, the surface of the water mirroring the soft blue of the sky. The elven woman looked serene, her silver hair catching the light like woven frost.
"Good morning," Lyria said without looking up, her voice warm and knowing. "I thought you'd come find me."
Eris hesitated. "Did Kael tell you?"
A small smile curved Lyria's lips. "No. I just know you. You wear your thoughts too openly now."
Eris stepped closer, hands folded in front of her. "I… had a dream."
Lyria turned her gaze up, her eyes gentle. "Tell me."
Eris recounted it all—Kael, the courtyard, the laughter, the warmth she'd felt, and the sudden ache that followed. Her words came slow, careful, as though she were afraid the act of speaking might break something fragile inside her.
When she finished, Lyria was quiet for a long time.
"So," Lyria said at last, "you saw him happy. And that happiness made you feel something new."
"Yes." Eris stared at her own reflection in the water. "It hurt. But it wasn't unpleasant. I don't understand it."
Lyria nodded slowly. "That's longing. The human heart's way of reminding us what we value most."
Eris's gaze flicked to her. "And if what I value… is him?"
The words hung between them like glass on the verge of breaking.
Lyria didn't look surprised. Her eyes softened instead, touched with something that wasn't jealousy—more like quiet understanding. "You love him."
Eris blinked, as though the word itself was too heavy. "Love?"
Lyria tilted her head. "You think of him when he's not near. You want his approval, his peace. His presence steadies you, doesn't it?"
Eris nodded slowly. "It does. When he's close, I feel… calm. Balanced. When he speaks, I want to listen. When he hurts, I…" Her voice faltered. "I wish it would be me instead."
"That," Lyria said softly, "is love, Eris. Or the beginning of it."
Eris turned her gaze back to the water, her voice barely a whisper. "And if it's wrong?"
Lyria smiled faintly. "It isn't wrong to love. Only what we do with it can make it so."
Eris frowned, uncertainty flickering across her face. "But you love him. He loves you. How can I—how should I—?" She stopped, pressing a hand to her chest. "When these feelings come, they are… overwhelming. Heat under my skin. My heart—" she hesitated, cheeks faintly pink, "—races when he looks at me. Is that… affection? Or something else?"
Lyria's laughter was soft, not mocking but full of tenderness. "That's attraction, Eris. Desire. The part of love that burns instead of warms."
Eris looked down at her hands, fascinated. "And what did you do," she asked quietly, "when you felt that for him?"
Lyria's eyes drifted toward the horizon. "I tried to ignore it," she admitted. "For a long time. Love doesn't always come when it should—or when it's convenient. It comes when we least expect it, and sometimes when we least want it."
She looked back at Eris then, her expression kind. "But when I stopped running from it, I realized it made me stronger. Loving him didn't diminish me—it made me more than I was before."
Eris was silent for a while, absorbing every word. Then, almost hesitantly, she asked, "And if I told him… what I feel?"
Lyria smiled sadly. "Then you must be prepared for whatever answer he gives you. Love is brave, Eris, but it's not always easy."
Eris turned her eyes to the water again. Her reflection stared back—a woman's face now, but still touched by something otherworldly. She didn't quite know who she was yet.
But she knew one thing: for the first time since her creation, her purpose wasn't just to serve Kael.
It was to understand him. To understand herself.
"Thank you," Eris said softly, standing.
Lyria nodded. "Anytime, my friend."
Eris walked away then, her footsteps light but her heart heavier than ever. As she left the gardens behind, she whispered to herself, tasting the word like a secret prayer.
"Love."
And somewhere deep within, the chaos that made her heart beat seemed to stir—wild, bright, and alive.