Chapter 982 – Sparks and Shadows
The first light of dawn spilled over the Hollow like molten gold, reflecting off the crystalline domes and spilling color into every corner of the city. The council chamber was quiet for once, the chaos of planning and preparation for the hero trials momentarily paused. Kael had left Selina and the others to finalize the last minute details, giving the day a rare sense of calm.
On the training grounds, Eris and Lyria moved side by side, their swords slicing through the air in perfect harmony. It was a rhythm built on trust, on understanding, and something neither of them had fully named yet. Each strike and parry built more than skill—it built connection.
Eris stopped suddenly, stepping back and letting her sword drop. Her blue eyes, unnervingly human now, softened as she studied Lyria. "I… think I understand something now," she said quietly. "This… this warmth, the closeness when we spar, it is different than anything I've felt before. I want more of it. I want to feel… us."
Lyria blinked, caught mid-breath. The words hung in the air between them, fragile and electric. She realized in that moment how her own heart raced when Eris was near, how her chest tightened with longing she hadn't fully acknowledged. "Eris…" she whispered, stepping closer, unsure herself.
Without another word, Eris reached out. This time, not with magic, not with steel, but with her hand. Tentatively, she took Lyria's. The warmth that surged through the touch was foreign and electric, and Lyria found herself holding the hand back, letting the connection settle like sunlight warming frozen stone.
"I—" Lyria began, and then faltered, her throat tight. "I didn't realize… how much… I feel for you." The words slipped out unbidden, honest and unguarded.
Eris tilted her head, her gaze softening further. "I think… I feel it too. Attraction. Affection. A desire to be close." Her thumb brushed along Lyria's hand, hesitating, careful. "I do not understand everything yet, but I know this feeling is… important."
And then, in a moment that surprised them both, Lyria closed the gap. She leaned forward, pressing her forehead gently against Eris's, a laugh breaking free, soft and warm. "You have no idea how happy this makes me," she said. "I've never… never felt something like this before."
Eris's lips curved slightly, a mixture of uncertainty and joy. "Then I shall learn with you," she whispered. "Step by step."
They lingered there, hands intertwined, foreheads together, a quiet bubble of warmth and trust amidst the bustle of the Hollow preparing for its next great chapter. And for the first time, Lyria realized just how much she wanted Eris in her life—not just as Kael's friend, not just as the Witch of Chaos—but as someone she could hold close, someone who could understand her in ways no one else ever had.
Later, Kael returned from his walk through the council chambers, checking reports from scouts and updates on the preparations for the hero trials. He paused at the overlook, noticing Lyria and Eris standing together, hands entwined, laughing softly, faces close.
A small, almost imperceptible smile tugged at his lips. So it begins, he thought. Not the hero trials—something just as powerful was blossoming right here, in the Hollow he had built.
Even Eris, standing there, caught the tiniest flicker of awareness from their shared telepathic bond with Kael, a new understanding stirring inside her. Love, affection, trust—they were learning together, in ways that were shaping not just hearts, but the future of the Hollow itself.