CHAPTER NO 4
The Realm of Nigh
Selene awoke to the sound of bells. Not gentle ones deep, ancient chimes that rolled through the palace like thunder. She sat up quickly. The room around her shimmered with pale red light. Curtains the color of dusk swayed in a wind that shouldn't have been there.
She wasn't dreaming. The realm was alive.
Outside her balcony stretched Noctyra, the land beneath twin moons. Rivers gleamed silver, and mountains glowed faintly with veins of crystal. Strange winged creatures circled towers carved from black marble. Everything pulsed as if the world had a heartbeat.
Maelin entered quietly, carrying a tray of dark fruit and rosewater. "Eat something," she said. "You'll need strength."
"For what?" Selene asked.
"For surviving the Realm of Night."
When Maelin left, Selene explored. Every corridor hummed with faint whispers, portraits that seemed to watch her pass. Servants bowed but avoided her eyes. It wasn't fear—it was reverence mixed with superstition. They thought she was part of some prophecy, a sign that the veil between life and death was thinning.
Near sunset, a messenger came. "Her Highness requests your presence in the training hall."
Selene hesitated but followed.
The hall was enormous, lit by torches that burned blue. Nyra was already there, sword flashing in the air like a streak of light. Her armour caught every flame, her movements sharp and precise.
When she noticed Selene, she stopped mid-swing. "You're late," Nyra said.
"I wasn't told there was a time."
"That's not an excuse here."
Selene crossed her arms. "Then next time, tell me sooner."
For a moment, silence. Then unexpectedly Nyra laughed. It wasn't soft; it was rough, like a sound she'd forgotten how to make. "You're brave for someone who doesn't belong."
"I've been unwanted all my life," Selene said quietly. "Fear doesn't change much."
The princess's smile faded. "Then perhaps you'll survive longer than most." She tossed Selene a wooden practice blade. "Show me if the prophecy chose a warrior or a ghost."
Their spar began awkwardly. Selene swung with all she had, missing more than she hit. Nyra corrected her stance with curt words and unexpected patience. When she stepped closer to adjust Selene's grip, the world seemed to still. Nyra's gloved hand closed over hers; cold metal against warm skin.
For a heartbeat, the air between them felt charged neither battle nor peace, something in between.
Nyra stepped back. "Again."
They trained until the moons rose, silver and crimson overlapping like twin eyes. When at last Selene dropped the sword, breathless, Nyra said softly, "Enough. You learn quickly."
Selene met her gaze. "Or maybe you teach kindly."
Nyra turned away. "Kindness has no place in Noctyra."
Yet her tone betrayed her.
Later that night, Selene wandered to the balcony outside her room. Below, the courtyard glimmered with fireflies that weren't insects at all tiny souls of light drifting through the air.
She thought of Elias, of the home she'd lost. "Am I still human?" she whispered to the moons.
"Do you want to be?"
The voice came from behind her. Nyra leaned against the doorway, arms folded, shadows playing across her face.
Selene didn't answer. She couldn't.
The princess stepped closer, the faint scent of rain and metal surrounding her. "You carry light that doesn't belong to this world," Nyra said. "It hurts to look at it… yet I can't turn away."
For a moment, words died. Only the sound of their breaths filled the space between them.
Then Nyra reached out, brushing a strand of pink-white hair from Selene's cheek. Her fingers lingered a second too long. "Sleep, Selene. Tomorrow the court will want answers, and I can't protect you from all of them."
Selene whispered, "Then why try?"
"Because," Nyra said, voice low, "I don't know what I'd become if I didn't."
The princess left before dawn. But the echo of her words stayed, circling Selene's heart like the faint trace of a promise she couldn't yet name.