The fire had burned low by the time night fully settled over the forest.
Snow drifted past the tall windows of the manor, the trees outside little more than dark silhouettes against the pale winter sky.
Lux sat on the couch near the fireplace, a book open in his lap that he had not actually been reading for the past ten minutes.
Across the room, Kael stood near the hearth.
He had been quiet most of the evening.
Not in an uncomfortable way—Kael simply seemed to exist in silence, like the forest outside the house. Still. Observant.
Lux turned a page in the book, then glanced up again.
Kael hadn't moved.
"You know," Lux said lazily, "normal house guests eventually sit down."
Kael didn't respond immediately.
Lux lowered the book slightly.
Something about the way Kael was standing seemed… wrong.
His shoulders were tense.
One hand gripped the edge of the stone mantle as if he needed the support.
"Kael?"
Kael inhaled sharply.
The sound wasn't loud, but it cut through the quiet room.
Lux sat up.
"You okay?"
Kael didn't answer.
Instead, his grip on the stone tightened.
And then Lux felt it.
The warmth.
It spread through the room like a slow wave.
At first it was subtle—like the fire had suddenly grown stronger.
But within seconds it intensified.
The air felt heavier.
Warmer.
Lux blinked.
"What the—"
The sensation washed over him again.
Heat settled beneath his skin, not unpleasant but strangely overwhelming.
His pulse quickened.
The room seemed softer somehow, the edges of things slightly blurred.
Lux shifted on the couch.
"Kael," he said again, slower this time.
Kael's breathing had changed.
It was uneven now.
Controlled—but only barely.
"I apologize," Kael said quietly.
His voice sounded strained.
Then he stepped away from the fireplace.
The movement was quick, deliberate.
He crossed the room to the chair where his coat rested and reached into the pocket.
Lux watched, trying to steady the strange feeling building in his chest.
"What's going on?"
Kael pulled something from the pocket.
Black gloves.
He slid them on with practiced efficiency.
The moment the fabric covered his hands, he exhaled slowly, as if forcing himself back under control.
Lux stared at him.
"Why do you have emergency gloves?"
Kael flexed his fingers once.
"To limit physical influence."
Lux frowned.
"That sounds ominous."
Kael didn't smile.
The warmth in the room was still there.
Not as intense as before—but still stronger than usual.
Lux rubbed the back of his neck.
"I feel… weird."
Kael's eyes flicked toward him immediately.
"Are you dizzy?"
"A little."
Kael's expression tightened slightly.
"I should have anticipated this sooner."
"Anticipated what?"
Kael hesitated.
Then he spoke carefully.
"I occasionally experience energy surges."
Lux blinked.
"Energy surges."
"Yes."
"That sounds like a polite way to describe whatever this is."
Kael remained calm, though the tension in his posture hadn't fully disappeared.
"My kind generates a form of supernatural influence. Under normal circumstances it remains controlled."
Lux leaned forward slightly.
"And right now?"
"Right now," Kael said quietly, "my control briefly weakened."
Lux let out a slow breath.
That explained… something.
Maybe.
The warmth pulsed again through the room.
Lux's thoughts felt oddly scattered.
Not panicked.
Just distracted.
Every time he looked at Kael, his focus slipped.
Like trying to hold onto a thought while standing too close to a fire.
"You should probably sit down," Lux said.
Kael hesitated.
Then he did.
The chair opposite the couch creaked softly under his weight.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
The fire crackled between them.
Lux tried to slow his breathing.
"Okay," he said eventually. "So you're having some kind of supernatural power spike."
"Yes."
"And the gloves help?"
"They limit direct influence."
Lux tilted his head slightly.
"You mean touching someone makes it worse?"
Kael didn't answer right away.
That was answer enough.
Lux let out a quiet laugh.
"Good to know my reflex test earlier was a bad idea."
Kael's gaze shifted to the fire.
"You were not aware of the risk."
"Still not, honestly."
The warmth pulsed again.
Lux rubbed his face.
"Okay. Hypothetically—what am I supposed to do here?"
"Nothing," Kael said immediately.
"That's reassuring."
"It will pass."
Lux studied him for a moment.
Kael looked calm on the surface, but Lux could see the strain in the tight line of his shoulders.
"You look like you're trying to hold back a migraine."
"It is… similar."
Lux leaned back against the couch.
"Well," he said quietly, "if you're going to have supernatural episodes in my living room, you might as well not do it standing alone."
Kael glanced at him.
Lux gestured toward the chair.
"Sit. Breathe. Do your demon meditation thing."
A faint hint of amusement flickered through Kael's expression.
"I will attempt to."
The warmth slowly began to stabilize.
Lux noticed the change gradually.
His pulse settled.
His thoughts became clearer again.
But something else lingered.
A strange awareness of Kael's presence.
Of the quiet gravity he seemed to carry with him.
Lux cleared his throat.
"So… energy surges," he said casually.
"Yes."
"You get those often?"
"Not usually this strong."
"Good to know."
The fire cracked loudly.
Outside, the wind shifted through the trees.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Lux said quietly:
"You know, you could've told me you were basically a supernatural radiator."
Kael looked at him.
"You are not alarmed."
Lux shrugged.
"I bought a mystery demon hybrid off a trafficking app."
He gestured vaguely around the manor.
"At this point I feel like weird power spikes were part of the package."
Kael studied him for a long moment.
Then he said softly:
"You are handling this unusually well."
Lux smiled faintly.
"Give it time."
The warmth finally began to fade.
Not completely.
Just enough that the room felt normal again.
Kael's shoulders relaxed slightly.
Lux noticed.
"You good?"
"Yes."
Lux nodded once.
Then he leaned back into the couch again.
"Well," he said.
"That was the weirdest houseguest icebreaker I've ever had."
Kael looked at the fire again.
But this time, the tension had eased.
And neither of them mentioned how close the moment had felt to something else.
Something neither of them quite understood yet.