Mae's smile lit something in Riven, something deep and rare. And the fact that she didn't flinch, didn't pull away, that she smiled at him after their first kiss? That was everything. He didn't wait this time. Riven leaned in again, this time slower, deeper, his hands gently cupping her face as he kissed her like he'd been holding that need back for years instead of days. The kind of kiss that wasn't rushed, but meant. Mae didn't hesitate.
Her breath hitched softly as she leaned into him, her hands rising to grip his arms, pulling him closer. She could feel the warmth of his skin through the sleeves of his shirt, the strength in the way he held her, but not tightly, not possessively. Safely. Intimately. Like she mattered. There was something different in this second kiss.
Something deeper than heat. Something ancient. Like a thread had been pulled taut between them, and was now twining. Mae felt it in her chest, a soft pulling sensation, not painful, but not mild, either. A connection blooming beneath her ribs, like something inside her was slowly opening to him.
Riven pulled back just slightly, eyes searching hers. "Did you feel that?" he whispered.
Mae nodded. She didn't trust her voice not to shake. Riven exhaled like he'd been holding his breath forever. He rested his forehead to hers, hands still gently at her jaw.
"This doesn't change what we're up against," he said softly. "But it changes me."
Mae swallowed. Her voice, when it came, was small, but sure. "Me too." They stood there in the soft light, wrapped in the stillness of something fragile but growing.
And for the first time, the bond between them didn't feel like a mistake. It felt like hope. The walk back to the castle was quiet, but not awkward. Mae's hand stayed in Riven's, their fingers gently laced. No more tension. No more guessing. Just the shared pulse of something real between them. By the time the spires of Ashar's ancestral home came into view, dusk had melted into twilight. The air was cooler now, laced with something faintly sweet from the night-blooming plants that hadn't existed in this land before Mae touched it.
They reached the base of the main stairway when Mae slowed her steps. "Hey," she said softly, glancing up at the deepening sky. "Do you think we could, just lay outside? Watch the stars together? They look so different from here, I don't think I have seen them so bright before." Riven looked at her, brow raised. "That's all you want to do with me under the stars?" Mae smirked. "That and talk." He gave a theatrical sigh. "Fine. But only because you're cute, and because of our bond" Riven winked t mae, then she shoved his arm lightly, and he grinned. "I'll grab some blankets and pillows," Riven offered, already peeling off toward one of the side doors. "Meet you on the east overlook. That's where they're brightest."
Mae nodded and walked slowly toward the overlook, the castle quietly adjusting to her presence, walls shifting to open paths, light warming subtly with every step. It never stopped surprisng her, how alive everything felt here. How seen. She reached the overlook. And paused. The sky above was a breathtaking tapestry of unfamiliar constellations. Stars bigger and brighter than any she'd seen on Earth, scattered across a dark canvas that shimmered faintly like it was layered, multiple galaxies stretching behind each other.
Some pulsed softly, like heartbeats. "It's beautiful," she whispered to herself. "Right?" Riven's voice returned, soft and smiling as he stepped beside her with an armful of softness. "It's not Earth. But sometimes I think, just maybe, that's the point." He laid the blankets out with the ease of someone who had seduced people under alien skies before, then threw himself down and patted the space beside him. Mae laid down, head nestled into the curve of one pillow, body angled slightly toward him. They said nothing for a long time. Just watched the stars.
Listened to the world breathe. For the first time, the sky didn't feel like it was rushing past them. It felt like it was waiting. And somehow, that felt like a promise. The stars kept shining, quiet and constant. Riven had drifted off first, arms folded behind his head, the barest smile still resting on his face. Mae followed not long after, her body warm beside him, breath slow and even. For a while, everything was still. Then, Mae jerked violently, her whole body lurching forward with a scream caught halfway between breath and terror.
"No, no, no, stop!" Her voice echoed across the open stone of the overlook. Her eyes were wide, wild, filled with something deeper than fear, something primal. Riven sat up in an instant, hand grabbing her shoulder, grounding her. "Mae. Mae! Hey! It's me. You're okay. You're safe." She was trembling. Shaking. Breath hitched, body hunched forward, like she was trying to crawl out of her own skin. "I. I saw it." she gasped. "I did it. I killed you, I killed everyone, I burned everything, Ashar, you, me."
"Mae"
"No, you don't understand," she whispered, eyes glassy, terrified. "It was me. Not some twisted version, not possessed, not corrupted. Me. I looked them in the eye, and I chose it." Riven's hand slid gently from her shoulder to the side of her face, turning her toward him.