The wind outside the ruins of Tashi Temple howled softly, carrying with it the scent of ash and rain. The battle had ended Days ago, yet the tension between Alaric and Selene burned brighter than any flame left behind.

They sat by a cracked stone wall, the night sky bleeding with scattered stars. The air was cold, but not as cold as the silence between them.

Selene's silver hair shimmered faintly under the moonlight as she turned to her brother. Her voice, soft but firm, broke the stillness.

"Alaric… perhaps we could trust them. About us."

Alaric's eyes flickered that old, deep shade of crimson that once terrified armies. His jaw tightened as he leaned back, glaring at the fading embers nearby.

"Sis… you know what happened the last time we trusted those righteous bastards."

Selene didn't flinch. She clasped her hands together, looking down at the dirt. "But those people who took advantage of us weren't righteous at all. They wore the title, yes — but their hearts were already rotten."

Alaric clenched his fist. The faint crackle of Shinrei energy sparked around his arm the air itself seemed to recoil.

"Still!!" he shouted, the echo bouncing against the empty stones.

Selene looked up sharply, eyes wide for a heartbeat then soft again, understandingly. She saw the pain behind his anger, the tremor in his voice he tried to hide.

"You're still scared, aren't you, Alaric?" she said gently.

He froze. "Scared?"

"Of being betrayed again. Of losing someone else." Selene's tone carried no accusation only truth. "But if we keep everyone away, we'll just become the same monsters they said we were."

Alaric turned to her slowly, his gaze trembling between rage and sorrow. "You think they'd ever forgive what we did? What I did?"

Selene stood and stepped closer, kneeling so her eyes met his. Her voice was soft but steady.

"Redemption doesn't start with forgiveness from others… it starts with us believing we deserve to try."

The words lingered between them like warmth in winter.

Alaric's eyes lowered. His breathing slowed, and for the first time since the war ended, the storm in his chest eased if only slightly.

He whispered, almost to himself,

"…You sound like Father again."

Selene smiled faintly. "Then maybe that's a good thing."

A quiet moment passed before Alaric exhaled and nodded once. "Fine. We'll see if they can be trusted. But the moment they try anything—"

"I know." Selene finished, her expression softening. "You'll protect me again. Like always."

Alaric smirked, shaking his head. "You make it sound like you need protecting."

She laughed quietly. "Maybe I just like hearing you say it."

Above them, the night deepened and for the first time in a long time, the siblings allowed themselves to breathe.

Then Khael stepped out from the shadows.

The light of the half-moon caught on his robe's faint runes, each glowing like whispers of an ancient language. The scales on his forearms glimmered not like armor, but like a living thing breathing beneath his skin.

Alaric's head turned first, his instincts sharp. In a heartbeat, his hand brushed the hilt of his blade.

"Who's there?"

Khael raised both hands slightly, a calm smile crossing his face, that same disarming smile that never quite reached his storm-carved eyes.

"Easy. I'm not here to fight."

Selene stepped forward, her posture guarded but curious.

Dragon Knight….Khael Corzedar."

Khael chuckled softly, scratching the back of his neck.

"That's what they call me, though I never asked for the title." His voice was calm, warm but beneath it was weight. The kind of weight carried by someone who had seen too much, too young.

Alaric didn't lower his hand. "State your reason for being here."

Khael's smile faded, replaced by quiet resolve. "Because I saw your figures." He glanced at the cracked earth, still smoldering from their earlier training. "And because Master Vince asked me to check on you two. He worries, you know."

Selene exchanged a look with Alaric. Her tone softened, cautious.

"We're not exactly… trusted, you know."

Khael nodded, stepping closer until the silver glow of Selene's shinrei met the green shimmer of his runes. "Trust isn't given in this world. It's earned — sometimes through pain, sometimes through scars. I've got plenty of both."

Alaric scoffed. "You talk like someone who knows redemption."

A brief silence followed. The night breeze stirred the hem of Khael's robe. His smile returned faint, bittersweet.

"Redemption?" he murmured. "No. I just know what it's like to walk in the dark and still look for the dawn."

The words hung there heavy yet freeing.

Selene's eyes softened, the faintest hint of light reflecting in them. "what is your relationship to Master Vince."

Khael gave a small ponder and said. "He saved me once. Not by strength… but by believing."

Alaric looked away, his jaw tightening again. "Belief doesn't erase the blood we spilled."

"No," Khael said quietly. "But it can stop the next one."

For a long moment, none of them spoke. Only the soft hum of Khael's dragon shinrei filled the space wild, ancient, and calm all at once.

Finally, Khael stepped past them, looking toward the ruins. "We're doing something tomorrow. You two should come. The others… might not say it, but they want you there."

Selene tilted her head. "And you?"

Khael smiled again faint, genuine.

"Me? I just want to see if the so-called monsters can learn to smile again."

As he walked away, the moonlight flickered against his back the faint green glow of his runes fading into the dark.

Selene watched him go, her lips curving into a small, thoughtful smile. "He's strange, isn't he?"

Alaric's gaze lingered on the retreating figure. "Strange… but honest."

The night settled again quieter this time.

For the first time in years, Alaric and Selene didn't feel like outcasts.

They felt seen.

As Khael walked along the quiet dirt path, the cool night air brushed past his hair, carrying with it the faint scent of pine and ash from the village's torches.

Khael slowed his steps.

The training yard was quiet now, painted in the faint gold of dusk. Smoke from the village forges curled in the air, and between the drifting light, he saw her — Ceyla Nox.

She was kneeling beside a little girl from the Tashi village, her wild hair catching the wind like strands of midnight. The girl giggled as Ceyla ruffled her hair, and for a moment, the lightning-born fighter looked almost gentle.

Ceyla smiled not her usual smug, reckless grin, but something softer, almost fragile.

Khael stopped walking. His heart skipped once, then twice.

(Her smile is really pretty...)

The thought came before he could stop it. His face warmed slightly, his chest tightening in a way battles never caused.

He blinked hard and shook his head.

(What are you saying, Khael Corzedar…? Get a grip.)

But the thought refused to leave. It lingered like the aftertaste of lightning in the air.

Ceyla turned then, catching his gaze. For a heartbeat, her gray-black eyes met his sharp and stormy, like a sky that never knew calm.

She raised a brow, half-grinning. "What, Dragon Boy? You planning to stare all day?"

Khael froze, scratching the back of his neck with awkward composure. "Just… checking if you're not electrocuting anyone this time."

Ceyla laughed a real one, quick and bright. "Relax. I'm nice to kids, you know. You can't punch everything you meet."

Khael smirked faintly. "Could've fooled me."

The little girl tugged at Ceyla's robe. "Miss Ceyla, who's that?"

Ceyla glanced at Khael, lips curving slyly. "That's Khael. He's kind of like a big brother around here quiet, serious, a little awkward."

Khael frowned. "I'm standing right here."

"Yeah, I know. That's what makes it fun."

The girl giggled again, hiding behind Ceyla's robe.

Khael sighed softly but couldn't hide the small grin tugging at his lips. Watching Ceyla tease, laugh, and glow like that, it stirred something unfamiliar in him. Something neither battle nor duty could explain.

Ceyla caught him staring again and tilted her head. "You okay, Dragon Boy? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Khael blinked, his composure snapping back. "Nothing. Just… making sure you're not starting trouble."

She smirked, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Too late. I already am."

And as she turned back to the girl, lightning flickered faintly around her fingers not wild this time, but calm, controlled, like it danced in harmony with her heartbeat.

Khael watched her walk away, her robe fluttering like the storm's edge.

(Yeah… you're definitely trouble, Ceyla Nox.)

But even as he thought it,

he couldn't help the small smile that stayed long after she was gone

To be continue

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