The moon hung high in the sky, casting a silver glow over the palace gardens. A gentle wind stirred the trees, but the air around the fountain where Lila stood remained still. Her hand hovered just above the water's surface, and her heart beat fast in her chest.
She had never attempted to use her power deliberately before. The time in the cave with the fire had been instinct—raw and untrained. But now… now she wanted to try. Not just to see if she could control it, but because she felt something—an urge, a whisper, pulling her toward the water.
Cassian stood a few feet away, arms folded, his posture stiff. He hadn't said much since Isolde had brought him here to meet her under the guise of a "healing session." He didn't believe in any of this. Not magic, not spirits. Not her.
"I don't see how this is supposed to help," he said, voice cold but not cruel.
"You don't have to believe," Lila replied softly, lowering her fingers into the water. "Just... trust me for a moment."
Cassian didn't respond. But he didn't leave either.
The water was cool to the touch, but as soon as her fingertips met the surface, something surged through her. It wasn't just temperature. It was energy—alive, restless, whispering. She could feel it moving through her veins, responding to her emotions, her thoughts. The pool shimmered faintly with a glow only she could see.
She closed her eyes, breathing slowly. Focus. Don't force it. Listen.
The water pulsed in response. Not chaotic like fire, but steady, rhythmic—like a heartbeat. Lila focused on Cassian, letting the image of him fill her thoughts. His face. His eyes. The strange curse that clouded his vision. And the fear in him—buried deep—of becoming something else entirely.
As she let those thoughts guide her, the water shifted. It rose slightly, tendrils of liquid lifting into the air like delicate ribbons. Cassian watched, startled but silent.
Then, she moved toward him.
"I'm going to try something," she said, her voice low, calm. "I think… I can see the curse. But I need to be close."
Cassian tensed. "It's not something you can just see. It's inside me. It's been there for years."
"I know," she said, standing before him. The water hovered between them, like a veil of light. "But maybe I can see it in a way others can't."
He didn't move as she reached up and lightly touched the edge of his temple with a single, water-wreathed fingertip. At that moment, the world shifted.
Lila gasped.
Darkness.
It wasn't just shadows—it was a mass of twisted, thorned energy, wrapped around Cassian's eyes like chains forged from living poison. And pulsing at its core was a symbol—a rune she didn't recognize, but instinctively knew was ancient and malevolent.
The water reacted to it, glowing brighter, repelled but curious, pressing against the edges of the curse. The dark tendrils hissed at the contact, recoiling slightly, as if the water's purity was burning them.
Cassian flinched. "What are you doing? It feels like… something's crawling under my skin."
"I can see it," Lila whispered, her voice thick with awe and horror. "The curse—it's not just magic. It's alive."
His breath caught. "What?"
"It's not just blinding you," she said, pulling back slightly but keeping her hand raised. "It's feeding on your spirit. Slowly. It's trying to hollow you out."
He looked away, jaw clenched. "That would explain a lot."
"I can't remove it yet," Lila said, water falling from her hand back into the pool with a soft splash. "But I think I've learned how to fight it. Water reveals things that are hidden. If I train more… maybe I can undo it."
Cassian didn't speak for a long moment. Then, quietly, he asked, "Why are you doing this?"
She blinked, surprised. "Because I want to help you."
"You don't even know me," he said bitterly. "You're not from this world. Why risk anything for someone who's already broken?"
Lila took a breath, steadying herself. "Maybe I don't know everything about you. But I've seen the way people look at you. With fear. With expectation. Like you're something to use, or control. No one deserves to carry that alone."
Cassian looked down at her hand, still damp with shimmering water. His face was unreadable, but something in his stance softened.
"Just… don't get too close," he said quietly. "The last person who tried got hurt."
"I'm not afraid," she said simply.
And in that moment, a quiet understanding passed between them. Not trust, not yet—but a thread, fragile and new, weaving a connection that hadn't existed before.
The moonlight shifted. The garden fell silent.
Lila knew this was only the beginning. But for the first time, she felt like she wasn't walking into the dark alone.
End of Chapter 9