Chapter 980 – Confessions in Starlight
The Hollow slept beneath a velvet sky, the Stellar Engine's gentle pulse washing the terraces in soft, amber light. The sound of night insects mixed with the faint hum of the wind through crystal. It was peaceful—too peaceful for the weight in Eris's chest.
She walked beside Lyria along the garden path overlooking the Hollow's inner lights. Their footsteps were slow, almost synchronized, each motion deliberate as if the air between them had become fragile.
Lyria had noticed the change in her—how the sharp edges of Eris's voice had softened, how her once-measured steps carried hesitation. The daemon born of chaos and logic was now something else, something uncertain, but achingly alive.
"You've been quieter lately," Lyria said finally, eyes glancing toward the stars. "Not like you to stay silent during our walks."
Eris's fingers brushed against the petals of a nightbloom flower, watching the way it closed around her touch. "I have been… thinking."
"That usually means something's about to trouble Kael," Lyria teased lightly.
Eris gave a small, distant smile. "Perhaps. Or perhaps it will trouble only me."
Lyria slowed, turning to face her. "What's going on, Eris?"
The crystalline glow in Eris's eyes flickered, her voice softer than usual. "I have learned much from you. About emotion. Connection. And the power of vulnerability. But I have also discovered that there is more to it than I expected."
Lyria folded her arms loosely, cautious but curious. "More?"
Eris nodded once, gathering courage. "I feel something… new. When I am near you, when you smile, or when you correct me, or when we spar and you laugh. My chest grows tight, and I feel as though I am unraveling and forming all at once."
The words hung heavy between them.
Lyria's lips parted slightly, unsure whether to interrupt or let her continue.
Eris took a breath—an unnecessary human gesture, but one she had learned made her words feel steadier. "I believe I wish to be romantic with you, Lyria."
Lyria froze, eyes widening just a little.
Eris's tone remained even, but her hands trembled faintly at her sides. "Before I tell Kael what I feel for him… I want to know if you will accept this side of me. Because you are the one who taught me to understand my emotions. You are the one who taught me how to feel."
For a long moment, the only sound was the gentle rhythm of the Stellar Engine's pulse, far below them.
Lyria blinked, words failing her at first. She took a small step forward, searching Eris's eyes—the faint swirl of chaos-light and human softness.
"Eris," she said quietly, "do you understand what you're asking?"
"I do not know if I understand it the way you do," Eris admitted. "But I know that when I look at you, something in me… softens. And it is pleasant. It feels like I am alive in a way I was not meant to be."
Lyria's breath caught, and she reached up, placing a hand on Eris's cheek. The skin was warm now, not the cool glass it had once been. "You really have changed," she whispered.
Eris leaned slightly into her touch without meaning to. "Then you do not reject me?"
Lyria hesitated, the weight of Kael between them—his name, his love, his presence always lingering like gravity. She lowered her hand but did not step back.
"I won't lie," Lyria said finally. "You've become… dear to me. Closer than I expected. But Kael and I—our lives are bound in ways that can't be untangled easily."
Eris looked down, her voice small. "Then you would rather I not tell him."
Lyria shook her head. "No. You should tell him, when you're ready. He deserves to know. But as for me—" She smiled faintly, brushing a strand of silver hair from her face. "If you want to explore what you feel, then start here. Slowly. Carefully. With me."
Eris blinked in surprise, her crystalline eyes widening as her systems fluttered like a heartbeat. "You… accept?"
"I do," Lyria said softly. "But not as competition. As discovery."
The words struck something deep inside Eris—a soundless, electric pulse that ran through her like the surge of a storm. She didn't know what to do, only that she wanted to feel more of it.
Without thinking, she reached out and took Lyria's hand. The contact was gentle, trembling, almost reverent. "Then show me," she whispered. "Show me how to feel this right."
Lyria squeezed her hand back, smiling with a warmth that reached her eyes. "We'll start with trust again," she said. "That's where everything real begins."
As they stood there beneath the Hollow's quiet starlight, neither woman noticed Kael watching from the balcony above. His expression was unreadable—part amusement, part curiosity, part something deeper.
He turned away silently, letting them have the moment, unaware of just how deeply it would ripple through all three of their lives.
And below, the Stellar Engine pulsed once more—bright, steady, alive—like the heartbeat of something vast that had only just begun to stir.