The forest was still. Moonlight spilled through the branches like poured silver, draping the clearing where two figures lay entangled in the afterglow of something fierce and forbidden. His cloak covered them, but the heat of what they'd shared lingered, radiant and unspoken.
Lucien lay on his back, one arm behind his head, eyes half-lidded beneath the stars. Selene rested beside him, her fingers tracing the firm lines of his chest. Not in lust—but in reverence. Her touch wandered until it halted over a mark just above his heart. Faint, circular, and pulsing softly. Old magic. Ancient pain.
"You never told me what this is," she whispered.
Lucien didn't answer right away. "Because no one has touched it in a very long time."
Selene propped herself up, brushing strands of silver hair from her face. Her fingers remained on the mark, sensing the faint hum beneath his skin.
"It feels like a seal… but not just magic. It feels personal."
"It is."
Her eyes met his. "Is it connected to the ones who sealed you?"
Lucien inhaled deeply. "Yes. And to them."
"…Them?"
Lucien sat up, slowly wrapping his cloak around his waist. The light in his golden eyes dimmed, as if shadowed by memories. "Clarity. And Moriah."
Selene stilled, the names unfamiliar but heavy with meaning.
Lucien spoke quietly, like each word was carved from something brittle inside him.
"I once ruled the Eastern Reaches. Alone, undefeated, and feared. But not unjust. I believed in legacy—not tyranny. My father, Damon, always taught me that power is only sacred when it protects something greater than pride."
He stood slowly, facing the trees as though the night could absolve him.
"Clarity appeared in my life unexpectedly. I met her in the Elven Forest. We both sought the same relic—a wood essence said to restore even the soul. I needed it to save my commander, Luz Hano. She never said who it was for."
Selene rose behind him, silent and listening.
"She was... unearthly. A mermaid with dual affinities—fire and water. Impossible. She challenged me for the relic, and lost. I spared her. She followed me after that."
"Did you love her?" Selene asked, her voice steady.
Lucien turned, expression unreadable. "No. She mistook power for passion. Obsession for love. I refused her again and again."
He stepped closer to the fire, his eyes reflecting orange sparks. "Then there was Moriah. A scholar from the North. Daughter of Lord Horma. Brilliant, composed, gifted in ancient seals. Our families arranged a political engagement, but it meant nothing to me. I never called her mine. Never touched her."
Selene's breath caught. "Then why did she help seal you?"
Lucien's gaze darkened.
"I don't know," he said slowly. "She said nothing during the Tower's judgment. Just stood there, silent as they named me a threat to the balance. Clarity wept. Lied. Claimed I consumed bloodlines. That I would devour the realms."
He looked down at the seal on his chest. "Moriah said nothing. And that silence cursed me more than Clarity's screams."
Selene stepped forward, hesitating just inches from him. "You never found out why?"
Lucien shook his head. "Not once. I've spent centuries wondering. Were they afraid? Jealous? Or… did someone turn them against me?"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"I trusted both."
Selene's brows drew slightly. "And you suspect someone else might've manipulated them?"
Lucien exhaled, uncertain. "I don't know. I never saw it coming. Clarity was always wild, but I thought I understood her. Moriah… she was quiet. Brilliant. I believed she saw me."
He stared at the sigil once more. "But both chose to betray me. That's all I know."
Selene lowered her gaze, heart aching for the storm behind his calm.
"Whoever did this," she said quietly, "they were afraid of you. Afraid of what you'd become."
Lucien's voice was a thread of smoke. "Then they should be afraid now."
She stepped closer, resting her hand gently over the mark.
"It's gone now," she whispered. "Because of me?"
He met her eyes, something soft breaking through the steel.
"When I tasted your magic," he murmured, "the seal shattered."
Their foreheads touched, breath mingling. The night seemed to hold its breath with them.
"I didn't think I'd feel anything again, Selene. Not rage. Not want. Not this."
Selene smiled faintly. "And now?"
Lucien's lips brushed against her temple. "Now I want to burn the heavens if they try to take you from me."
She closed her eyes, whispering, "Then let's burn them together."