Chapter 955 — The Blade and the Mind
The night in the Hollow hummed with quiet energy. Lanterns flickered along the marble corridors of the stronghold, the soft glow of the stellar engine pulsing from the heart of the city like a heartbeat. In the training yard below, soldiers sparred under moonlight — their laughter and the clatter of steel faint, almost musical.
Eris stood at one of the balcony overlooks, the breeze teasing through her pale hair. Her expression was unreadable at first, but her eyes were restless — gold rings shifting like molten metal beneath the soft light.
Lyria found her there, arms folded, her usual calm warmth tempered with quiet concern. "You've been standing here for nearly an hour," she said softly, stepping beside her. "Thinking about him again?"
Eris didn't answer immediately. Her voice came after a long pause — even, quiet, yet uncertain.
"I spoke with Kael… after the council meeting."
Lyria tilted her head. "And?"
Eris's gaze remained distant, fixed on the city below. "He's excited. That hero — the one the world calls the Lightbringer — he stirs something in Kael. I felt it. Through our bond."
There was a tremor in her voice — not fear, but confusion, frustration at her own inability to understand.
"He wants to fight him, Lyria," she whispered. "He's… drawn to it. The thrill, the challenge, the danger. It's like his soul hums for it. He hides it from everyone else, but I felt it. It's not duty, or strategy — it's something primal. He wants to test himself."
Lyria's expression softened, her lips forming a small, knowing smile. "That sounds like Kael."
Eris turned to her sharply. "You're not… worried?"
Lyria shook her head slowly. "Of course I am. But Kael's always been that way. He's a fighter — through and through. He loves to push himself, to test his strength, to understand the world through battle." She looked out over the city, the light from below reflecting in her eyes. "But he's not a fool. Kael's mind is a much sharper blade than his sword. If he goes after that hero, it won't be without reason — or warning."
Eris frowned, her voice lowering. "I don't like it. He hides his pain too well. I see the excitement in him… but I also feel the weight. The exhaustion. What if this fight… breaks him?"
Lyria placed a gentle hand on Eris's shoulder, grounding her. "Kael's not so easily broken. He's made of the same chaos that reshaped this world, remember? But…" — her tone softened — "he also has us. That's what he didn't have before."
Eris looked down at the hand resting on her shoulder. She didn't move away, but her eyes shimmered faintly — confusion and something deeper flickering there.
"I'd rather fight this hero myself," she admitted, voice trembling slightly. "If it would keep Kael safe… I'd do it without hesitation."
Lyria's brows lifted slightly — surprised not by the words, but by the emotion behind them. "That's a dangerous thing to say, Eris. And very… human of you."
Eris's throat worked as she tried to find the words. "He's important. To this place. To you. To me. If he falls, the Hollow falls. It's only logical to—"
"—protect him because you care," Lyria finished gently. "Not because it's logical."
Eris blinked, caught mid-sentence, her mouth slightly open as if she wanted to argue but couldn't find the data to back her protest. "Care…" she murmured, the word feeling strange on her tongue. "Is that what this is?"
"Yes," Lyria said softly. "That ache you feel when you imagine him hurt? The worry that sits behind your logic? That's caring. And if you ever find yourself wanting to fight in his place, that's love in disguise."
Eris's gaze lowered to the courtyard, where Kael had once trained her to wield her chaotic power. The spotlights still burned, and the soldiers trained beneath them, carrying his teachings forward.
Her voice was almost a whisper. "I think I'm learning what that feels like."
Lyria smiled faintly, though there was a twinge of something bittersweet in her tone. "Then you're becoming more human than you realize."
Eris turned to her then — for once, unsure, her golden eyes softer than before. "Lyria… if he does decide to fight that hero… what will you do?"
Lyria took a deep breath, her eyes tracing the horizon. "The same thing I always do. I'll stand beside him. But if he refuses to take me with him…" — she gave a wry little smile — "then I'll trust that the man I love knows when to swing his sword… and when to sheath it."
Eris's expression softened — admiration, perhaps even affection flickering there. "You trust him that much."
"With my life," Lyria replied simply. "And soon, you will too."
For a long time, they stood there together, the wind cool and silent around them. The Hollow was peaceful tonight, but the tension of something greater lingered beneath the surface — a coming storm neither could yet see.
And as the moon rose higher, Eris whispered quietly, almost to herself,
"I'll protect him… even if it means standing in his way."
Lyria heard her, but said nothing. She only smiled faintly — not mockery, not doubt, but quiet understanding.
Because she, too, knew what it meant to love a man who carried chaos in his veins.