The sun had set over Sylaphu, but the city was brighter than it had been at noon.
Tonight was the Festival of Rebirth, Every luminescent flower in the city had been coaxed open by the lingering energy of the Second Shackle's release. Floating lanterns made of buoyant silk drifted between the branches of the World Tree, casting a soft, warm glow over the bridges and plazas.
In the Guest Branch, the mood was frantic.
"I cannot wear this," Briar declared, standing behind a screen of woven vines. "It has no armor plating. If an assassin stabs me, I'll die looking like a flower arrangement."
"Statistically," Lyra's voice floated out from the other side of the room, calm but laced with nervousness, "no one attacks the Savior of the Tree at his own party. Besides... the structural integrity of this bodice is impressive. It defies gravity."
Nyx sat on the balcony railing, looking out at the gathering crowds below. He was already dressed. The Elven tailors, zealous in their gratitude, had outfitted him in formal robes of deep, twilight velvet. The fabric shifted color as he moved, mimicking the night sky. The silver circlet Gaia had given him rested on his brow, marking him not just as a guest, but as royalty.
He felt... exposed. Not physically, but socially. He knew how to kill monsters. He knew how to eat stars. He did not know how to attend a party.
"Are you two finished?" Nyx called out. "The drums started ten minutes ago."
"We're coming!" Briar shouted. "Don't rush perfection!"
A moment later, the screens were pushed aside.
Nyx turned. And for the second time in two days, he forgot how to breathe.
Briar stepped out. The Elves had taken her "Fire" moniker literally. Her dress was a masterpiece of crimson silk that seemed to flicker like flames around her ankles. It was backless, showcasing the muscles she had earned through years of sword drills. Her red hair was swept up in an intricate braid woven with Fire-Rubies, leaving her neck bare. She looked fierce, regal, and undeniably dangerous.
Lyra followed. If Briar was fire, Lyra was the starlight that guided sailors home. Her gown was a pale, shimmering blue that matched her eyes. It was encrusted with tiny crystals that caught the lantern light, making her sparkle with every breath. She wore the Whisper-Crystals Aerion had given her, the teardrop gems swaying gently against her neck. She wasn't hiding behind her grimoire tonight. She stood tall, radiant and ethereal.
Nyx hopped off the railing. He walked toward them, his golden eyes wide.
"Well?" Briar challenged, though her hands were fidgeting with her skirt. "Do we pass inspection?"
"You look..." Nyx paused. He remembered the feeling of the First Shackle, the limit on his power. Looking at them now, he felt a different kind of limit breaking. "You look like the reason wars are fought."
Briar flushed, turning a shade that matched her dress. "Okay, smooth talker. Save it for the diplomats."
Lyra smiled, a small, pleased thing. "You look quite dashing yourself, Nyx. The circlet suits you."
"It feels heavy," Nyx admitted, touching the silver vines.
"Crowns always do," Briar said softly. She offered her arm. "Come on. Let's go show the Elves what humans can do when we clean up."
The Grand Plaza at the base of the Throne Room was a sea of beauty.
Thousands of Elves moved in a fluid, synchronized dance. The music was hauntingly beautiful, harps made of wind, drums made of hollow wood, and voices that harmonized with the rustling leaves.
When Nyx, Briar, and Lyra descended the water-stairs, the music didn't stop, but the crowd parted like the Red Sea.
Hundreds of eyes turned to them. Whispers rippled through the air.
King Aerion stood at the head of the banquet table, holding a goblet of nectar. Beside him sat Gaia. The ancient woman looked radiant, her mahogany skin glowing with health.
"Mother," Aerion said, bowing his head to Gaia before turning to the trio. "Our heroes have arrived."
Nyx nodded respectfully. "King Aerion. Lady Gaia."
"Come," Gaia beckoned them. "Sit with us. Drink. Tonight, we celebrate life."
They took their seats at the high table. The food was exquisite, dishes made of ingredients that had been extinct for centuries, regrown by Nyx's power.
But peace was never simple.
As the night went on, Nyx realized something.
The "Charm" he used to emit, the magical compulsion, was gone. But in its place was something far more potent, Legend.
He was the man who healed the World Tree. He was tall, mysterious, and possessed a raw, masculine power that was rare among the graceful, androgynous Elves.
And the Elven women had noticed.
"Great One," a soft voice purred.
Nyx looked up from his plate. Standing before him was an Elf woman of breathtaking beauty. Her hair was like spun gold, her eyes the color of amethysts. She wore a dress made of sheer spider-silk that left very little to the imagination.
"I am Elaria" she said, sinking into a curtsy that displayed an impressive amount of cleavage. "Daughter of the High Botanist. I wished to thank you personally for saving my family's orchards."
She stepped closer, invading his personal space. She smelled of lilacs and expensive perfume.
"If you are weary," Elaria whispered, her hand brushing Nyx's shoulder, "my estate has the finest hot springs in the city. Private. Secluded."
Nyx blinked. "I have already bathed, thank you."
Elaria giggled. "Oh, Great One. I wasn't suggesting a bath for hygiene"
Beside him, a fork bent in half.
Nyx glanced to his left. Briar was gripping her silverware so hard her knuckles were white. Her red eyes were narrowed into slits, fixed on Elaria's hand on Nyx's shoulder.
"He's busy," Briar said, her voice dripping with ice.
Elaria looked at Briar, her smile not faltering. "Oh? The human warrior. I didn't see you there. You blend in so well with the... furniture."
"Listen here, you overgrown houseplant-" Briar started to rise.
"Lady Elaria," Lyra cut in. Her voice was calm, but her blue eyes were calculating, dissecting the Elf woman like a biology specimen. "According to Elven etiquette section 4, paragraph 2, it is considered rude to solicit a guest of the King before the third course. You are statistically... desperate."
Elaria's smile twitched. "I was merely offering hospitality. Something you humans clearly lack."
She turned back to Nyx, ignoring the girls. "Dance with me, Great One? The Moon-Waltz is starting."
She extended her hand.
Nyx looked at her hand. Then he looked at Briar, who looked ready to commit arson. He looked at Lyra, who was gripping her wine glass tightly.
He didn't know much about social cues. But he knew about loyalty.
"I cannot," Nyx said politely.
"Why not?" Elaria pouted.
"Because," Nyx said, standing up. "I promised the first dance to my companions."
He turned away from the stunned Elf beauty and held out his hand to Briar.
"Briar?"
Briar blinked. The anger vanished from her face, replaced by surprise. She looked at his hand, then at Elaria's shocked expression. A smug grin spread across her face.
"Thought you'd never ask," Briar said.
She took his hand.
They walked onto the dance floor. The music shifted to a slow, rhythmic beat.
Nyx placed one hand on Briar's waist. She placed hers on his shoulder.
"I don't know how to dance," Nyx admitted quietly.
"Just follow my lead," Briar whispered, stepping closer. "And don't step on my feet."
They moved.
It wasn't perfect. Nyx was stiff at first, his movements too precise, too calculated. But Briar guided him with a firm, warm touch. She was surprisingly graceful, her warrior's balance translating perfectly to the dance.
"You enjoyed that," Nyx noted, seeing the smirk on her face.
"Seeing Lady Perfect get rejected?" Briar laughed. "Best moment of my life. You have good instincts, Void Boy."
"She smelled like chemicals," Nyx said. "You smell like fire."
Briar missed a step. She looked up at him. "Is that a compliment?"
"Yes," Nyx said. "Fire is warm. Chemicals are fake."
Briar leaned her head against his chest. "You're ruining me, Nyx. How am I supposed to go back to killing monsters after this?"
"We kill monsters tomorrow," Nyx said, resting his chin on her head. "Tonight, we dance."
After the song ended, Nyx didn't leave the floor. He turned to the table where Lyra was watching, looking a little lonely.
He walked over and extended his hand.
"Lyra?"
Lyra's eyes went wide. "Me? I... I can't dance. I don't have the coordination. I'll trip."
"I will catch you," Nyx promised.
Lyra hesitated, then took his hand.
Dancing with Lyra was different. She was light, floating in his arms like a feather. She was nervous, counting the steps under her breath ("One, two, turn, three..."), but Nyx tightened his hold, grounding her.
"Stop counting," Nyx whispered. "Just feel the rhythm."
Lyra looked up at him. "It's irrational. Movement should be calculated."
"Not everything is math," Nyx smiled. He spun her around. Lyra gasped, laughing as her dress flared out like a blue bell.
"You're right," Lyra beamed, breathless. "This is... exhilarating."
From the sidelines, Lady Elaria and a group of other noblewomen watched with envy.
"He prefers humans?" one Elf whispered. "Why? They are short-lived. Violent."
"Perhaps," another mused. "Or perhaps they are the only ones brave enough to hold a storm."
Later in the night, the party moved to the upper canopy for the Star-Viewing.
Nyx, Briar, and Lyra stood on a secluded bridge, away from the crowds. They held cups of sweet nectar-wine.
"That was..." Briar sighed happily. "The best night of my life."
"Agreed," Lyra nodded, her cheeks flushed. "I danced. In public. And I didn't fall."
Nyx looked at them. He looked at the way the moonlight caught their hair. He felt a swell of protectiveness so strong it almost hurt.
"You realize," Nyx said soberly, "that the world gets harder from here. The Tournament you mentioned... the Rot...This might be the last peace we see for a long time."
"We know," Briar said. She turned to him, her expression serious. "But that's why tonight matters. We have something to lose now, Nyx."
She reached out and took his hand with a faint blush spreading on her face.
"Before you... I was just fighting to survive my father. Now? I'm fighting for this."
Lyra took his other hand. "We are with you, Nyx. To the end of the world."
Nyx squeezed their hands.
"To the end of the world," he vowed.
"Though we're gonna have to get stronger first" Briar laid her head on his shoulder gently.
"Yeah...we have to get stronger to keep up with you Nyx, you're getting stronger fast.....way too fast" Lyra did same before smiling softly at him.
"We have time, Let's get stronger together. I'll wait for you guys to catch up to me" Nyx spoke.
"Hmph, Bold words" Briar mumbled to herself angrily, though the content smile on her face betrayed her.
"Haha" Nyx laughed softly.
The three of them stayed like that for a while, Watching how the branches of the World Tree is being brightened up by the Twin moons in the sky.