Chapter 986 – The Shape of Wanting
The Hollow basked beneath the false dawn of the Stellar Engine's hum, its slow pulse coloring the air in gentle golds and silvers. It was quiet here—peaceful in the way that made even the smallest sounds feel sacred.
Eris and Lyria walked side by side through the garden terraces behind Kael's keep, the air thick with the scent of moss and mineral from the nearby waterfalls. Dew gathered on Eris's bare feet, cold and electric. She liked the sensation—it grounded her in this strange, vibrant world.
Lyria was talking, something about the defensive drills she'd been organizing for the recruits, but Eris wasn't really listening. She was watching instead—the sway of Lyria's hair, the warmth of her laughter, the small, easy gestures that made her seem so alive.
It was maddening, how much Eris wanted to understand that life.
Lyria paused mid-step, glancing back. "You're quiet again," she said, tilting her head, strands of pale hair catching the light. "That usually means you're overthinking something."
Eris blinked, her voice soft and deliberate. "I am… feeling."
That stopped Lyria. Her blue eyes softened. "And what are you feeling?"
Eris hesitated, her gaze falling to the ground. "When you smile… it feels as though something inside me stirs. When you laugh, my chest tightens. I do not dislike it, but I do not understand it."
Lyria took a half-step closer. "That's attraction, Eris."
Eris's breath hitched. "Attraction," she echoed, tasting the word. "Then I wish to explore it. With you."
There was no hesitation in her tone—just the same calm, logical cadence she used when dissecting battle strategies or magical constructs. But her eyes betrayed her; the faint violet glow pulsed brighter, trembling slightly.
Lyria's lips parted in surprise, her cheeks coloring. "Eris…"
"I know you and Kael are bound," Eris said softly. "But I… do not wish to replace you. Or him. I only wish to share this… closeness. This connection. Whatever it is that makes my heart feel like it will break from warmth."
For a moment, Lyria didn't speak. The only sound was the slow dripping of water and the distant hum of the engine core.
Then, gently, she reached up and brushed a stray lock of hair from Eris's face. The spirit didn't flinch this time. She leaned into the touch, eyes fluttering closed.
"You're learning what it means to want," Lyria murmured. "That's more dangerous than any magic."
"I am not afraid," Eris whispered. "Not if it is with you."
Lyria's thumb lingered against her jaw, tracing the line of her cheek. Their faces were close now—so close that Eris could feel Lyria's breath against her skin, warm and trembling.
For a suspended second, it felt like the world narrowed to that space between them. Eris didn't think—she only felt.
Their lips hovered just a breath apart when Lyria hesitated, her eyes searching Eris's. "Are you sure you understand what you're asking for?"
"I am sure that I want you," Eris replied simply.
Something in that honesty broke Lyria's composure. Her hand slid from Eris's cheek to the back of her neck, fingers tangling in the spirit's dark hair. Eris mirrored the motion instinctively, her own hands trembling as they brushed the fabric at Lyria's waist.
And then—she froze.
A pulse of chaotic emotion rushed through her body, too powerful, too sudden. Her heart thundered. A strange, dizzying heat bloomed in her chest, and for a moment she thought she might collapse. She stumbled back a step, eyes wide, breathing uneven.
"Eris?" Lyria asked softly, concern overtaking desire.
Eris pressed a hand to her chest. "I… wanted to kiss you. I wanted to feel it. But I—" she looked up, conflicted, "…I also want to feel this with Kael."
Lyria blinked, then exhaled, a faint, almost rueful smile forming. "Of course you do," she said quietly. "He's the first person who ever made you feel alive."
Eris nodded slowly, her eyes glistening faintly. "I do not know how to love just one. I think… I want to love both of you."
For a long, heavy silence, Lyria just studied her. Then she stepped forward again and took Eris's hand, squeezing it gently. "Then maybe that's something we'll have to figure out together."
Eris looked down at their joined hands, warmth spreading through her again—but this time she didn't pull away. Her fingers tightened around Lyria's.
"I would like that," she said softly.
As the two stood there beneath the rising glow of the Stellar Engine's light, the Hollow seemed to breathe with them—alive, content, suspended in the fragile stillness between emotion and understanding.
And somewhere, in the back of Eris's mind, she could almost hear Kael's voice through their link—steady, calm, unknowingly tethered to both of them now.
She didn't know where this would lead, but for the first time, she wasn't afraid of wanting.