Chapter 974 – Whispers of Affection
The Hollow had gone quiet after sunset, its lights burning low and warm against the obsidian walls. Faint wisps of mist drifted between the towers, soft and pale like memory, and the distant hum of the Stellar Engine provided a heartbeat to the night.
Kael had retreated to his chambers, buried under a mountain of reports and requests. He'd promised Lyria that once this latest batch of administrative headaches was gone, he'd rest — though they both knew "rest" for Kael usually meant staring at maps and data until he forgot to blink.
That left the courtyard empty, except for two figures bathed in the pale blue light of the moon.
Lyria sat on the low stone wall by the garden, legs swinging idly, the scent of moonlilies brushing the air. Beside her, Eris stood — hands clasped behind her back, her silver eyes tracing the reflection of starlight in the pond below.
For a long while, neither spoke. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence — more a thoughtful one, like two minds orbiting the same question but waiting for the right moment to meet.
Finally, Lyria broke it.
"You've been quiet lately, Eris. Even quieter than usual."
Eris tilted her head, her hair catching the moonlight in a silvery cascade. "I have been… processing."
"Processing?" Lyria echoed, amused. "You make it sound like your brain's a machine."
Eris gave her a side glance, lips twitching in faint humor. "It often feels that way. Especially when emotions are involved."
Lyria leaned back, crossing her arms. "Alright. What are you processing?"
Eris turned toward her, eyes soft but steady. "I wish to experience the next emotional connection — the next step. I wish to feel attraction. And… affection."
The honesty in her voice struck something deep in Lyria — not pity, not jealousy, but a tender understanding.
"Those are… big words," Lyria said quietly. "You're sure that's what you want?"
Eris nodded once. "When I see you with Kael, I feel something stir. It is not envy. It is… curiosity. And yearning. When you laugh, something within me warms. When Kael smiles at you, I… want to understand why that simple act feels so profound."
Lyria studied her carefully — the faint glow of Eris's eyes, the nervous way she shifted her hands. There was no artifice here, no manipulation. Just the raw, hesitant vulnerability of someone discovering the boundaries of her own heart.
"So," Lyria said gently, "you want to learn what it means to want someone. To care for them. Maybe even to love them."
"Yes," Eris replied simply. "I want to understand what drives mortals to seek closeness, to reach for each other even when it brings pain. I want to know why Kael holds you the way he does when he thinks no one sees. Why your laughter soothes him. Why his voice can calm you. I wish to feel that, Lyria. To experience it… truthfully."
Lyria's chest tightened, torn between admiration and unease.
Eris's voice softened, careful, almost fragile. "But I do not wish to hurt you. You are… dear to me, Lyria. You have shown me patience and warmth when I did not deserve either. If my pursuit of affection offends or wounds you, I will abandon it."
Lyria blinked, stunned by the sincerity. She expected calculation — maybe confusion — but not this quiet humility.
"Eris," she said after a moment, "you wouldn't hurt me by wanting to feel. You're learning — that's all. What you're describing… attraction, affection… those are powerful things, yes, but they're also part of being alive. And you are alive now. You deserve to understand what that means."
Eris's brows knit slightly. "Then… you do not mind?"
Lyria hesitated, then smiled faintly. "Mind? No. Conflicted? Maybe a little. Kael and I… we've built something steady together. But he's also a man who gives freely — his time, his compassion, his strength. I knew, the day you appeared, that you'd find a place beside him too. You already have."
Eris looked down, visibly flustered for the first time. "I do not wish to replace you."
"You couldn't if you tried," Lyria said with a teasing grin. "Besides, love isn't a pie — there's not a fixed amount to share. You'll find your own kind of closeness with him, in your own way. Just… don't rush it. Let it bloom."
"Bloom," Eris repeated softly, testing the word on her tongue. "Like a flower."
"Exactly," Lyria said, leaning forward. "But before attraction or affection, you have to build trust. Real trust. Between you and Kael… and maybe even between us."
Eris's silver eyes lingered on Lyria's blue ones — searching, questioning, but no longer afraid. "Then… will you teach me? To trust? To reach out without fear?"
Lyria smiled, resting a hand gently over Eris's. "Of course I will. We'll figure it out together."
For the first time, Eris's lips curved into something that wasn't a calculated mimicry of emotion — but something real, something alive.
"Thank you," she whispered.
As the night deepened, the two women stayed there — one mortal, one born of chaos — speaking quietly about emotions, memories, and the strange, terrifying beauty of connection.
From a distant balcony above, Kael watched for a brief moment, the faintest of smiles ghosting his lips. He didn't need to hear the words to understand. The balance he'd once feared might break was instead finding harmony.
And though he didn't know what the future held, he knew this much:
The Hollow was not just surviving anymore.
It was living.