I felt the rough surface of the door under my fingers. It was cold, yet inviting. My soles glided silently across the floor, as if the air itself carried me forward.
In the dimness of the room, a figure sat at the edge of the bed, wrapped in black, as if it had absorbed all the light in the space—motionless. His gaze was deep green, like a profound lake in which, if I looked too long, I might lose myself. I had seen him before. Though he did not reveal his wings, the open window betrayed his arrival.
Something peculiar vibrated in the air, as if the boundaries of reality had blurred.
The ruler lifted his gaze to me. The emptiness in his eyes shifted in an instant—becoming alive. Familiar.
— Shall I be the one to offer congratulations today? — he asked coolly.
My heart skipped a beat. I shouldn't be here. The instinct to flee ignited within me, yet I did not move. My words, however, left my lips before I could stop them.
— Excuse me… I'm not even here.
I turned to leave, but his voice stopped me.
— Don't think with your mind right now. Think with what brought you here.
The wind tugged at my hair through the open window. Cold—sharply contrasting with the ruler's closeness. I couldn't tell if his presence repelled me or drew me in. But I felt it. Something beyond comprehension.
— Why did you come back? — I asked quietly. — I thought you had fled.
I feared my mouth would betray me before I could stop myself.
— I didn't flee — he whispered. — I simply have more important matters to attend to.
— Such as? — I asked, a hint of defiance in my voice.
His gaze darkened by a fraction. He did not answer immediately. Just watched me, as if trying to read my every thought.
No response. I should have expected this.
I would have turned away, but he reached for my arm and, with a single motion, pulled me toward him. I lost my balance and fell onto the bed beside him. The world suddenly became much smaller.
My breath caught as his fingers brushed against my skin. He traced my face, his touch surprisingly gentle. He rested his head lightly against my chest, inhaling deeply—as if he needed it to survive.
— Sometimes, sweet ignorance is a mercy — he murmured. — But sometimes… I want to hear that you hear it, feel that you feel it, know that you know it, desire that you desire it…
Slowly, he leaned closer. His nearness burned against my skin, yet he did not kiss me. He was simply there—so close that each breath he took blended with mine. Our foreheads touched, warming like soaked snowdrops upon a frozen lake.
And then… as if the world blurred in an instant—
My body grew heavy. My eyelids, heavier. A dazed sensation enveloped me, and as I closed my eyes, I realized I was no longer in the room.
A sense of release washed over me.
Grass brushed against my skin. The air was scented with flowers.
We stood in a meadow. The ruler was there beside me, but this place… it could not be real. Not entirely.
I turned to him, and he smiled. A real, genuine smile.
— Then welcome to our sanctuary.
For a moment, I just stood there, the wind gently dancing around us. As if I were in another life. A world where everything was easier. Where there were no questions, only the here and now.
But questions never disappear with me.
The grass rippled softly beneath our feet, as if the world itself were breathing with us. The sunlight painted golden streaks on the ground, and from the distance, birdsong sliced through the silence. The air was warm and sweet, the entire landscape too idyllic, too perfect to be real.
Even his name felt easier to think of here. I didn't feel the weight of his authority pressing down on me.
Uriel stood beside me, his face calm, his gaze lost in the distance. As I watched him, something intangible yet deeply familiar spread through me. I knew him—I had always known him. And yet, it felt as though I could never truly reach him.
— May we talk? — I broke the silence.
Uriel didn't answer right away. He let the wind brush over us, as if the world itself were considering its response.
— We shouldn't even be here — he finally said. His voice was quiet, yet firm. — But sometimes, the heart needs a small doorway. Especially when something happens that never has before.
I frowned.
— What do you mean?
At last, he looked at me. His gaze was deep, unreadable.
— I have known you. Always. But that is all you need to know for now.
His words sent a strange resonance through me—an emotion I couldn't name.
— But I've never been to any of your weddings — he added quietly.
My heart skipped a beat. The way he said it—it sounded like both a reproach and a painful realization.
— I had no other choice — I said at last.
— I know. That's why I wanted a place where we could meet.
For a moment, we stood in silence. The rustling leaves filled the space between us. Then, a bee buzzed past me. A tiny, insignificant creature, yet I instinctively stepped back. And then I saw another one. My heart stuttered.
The next moment, I was running.
Uriel laughed.
— A warrior, running from bees?
— Don't laugh! — I shot back, a hint of hysteria in my voice. But even I could hear how absurd it sounded.
Gradually, I slowed down, then stopped, turning to look at him. His smile was genuine—unusually light. The expression of someone who, just for a moment, had shed the weight of the world.
— If Gabriel and I weren't twin flames… — I began, but hesitated.
His smile faded, slowly.
— Would something terrible happen to us? — I finished.
He was silent for a moment before looking away.
— I won't answer that.
— Why not?
— Because some things are better left unsaid.
A tension settled in my chest. The kind of feeling you get when someone stops telling a story midway, and you need to know the ending—but they will never say it.
— If we meet here again… — I tried another approach. — Will you tell me more?
Uriel smiled faintly, but beneath that smile, something deeper lurked—an unreadable sadness.
— For now, I just want to enjoy this — he said softly. — Don't ask questions.
The words knocked the ground out from under me.
— You're selfish — I whispered, bitterness lacing my voice. — You want me to stay, to make you feel good, but you give me nothing in return. Even just a few scattered answers would mean something to me.
His expression darkened.
— Do not label me with insults out of ignorance. — His voice was calm but reproachful.
I pressed my lips together.
— That's exactly the problem! — I snapped. — I know nothing! If you would just say something—if you'd share even the smallest detail, then maybe I could understand!
Uriel didn't answer. He just stood there, the wind ruffling his hair, his hands tucked into his pockets, looking at me as if I were the most complicated riddle in the world.
— You always avoid answers — I whispered. — You only give me an illusion, but never the reality.
His silence carved a momentary emptiness into the center of my soul.
I couldn't take it anymore. I turned and started running.
The grass bent around my ankles, the edges of the landscape blurred with movement. But none of it mattered—I just wanted to get out. Away from this place he had created, away from the incomprehensible mysteries and the truths left unspoken.
But the world didn't let me.
I ran faster and faster, but the meadow stretched endlessly before me. As if every step left me exactly where I had started. As if the landscape itself was trapping me.
Uriel remained behind me. He didn't chase me, didn't try to stop me. He just walked, unhurried, as if he knew I had nowhere to escape.
— You won't leave unless I let you — he said quietly.
I halted, my chest rising and falling heavily.
— Let me go! — I demanded. — Right now!
The ruler didn't answer immediately. He only stepped closer, his movements light, deliberate.
— Why are you doing this? — I asked, my voice no longer angry, but tired. — Why call me here if you won't tell me anything?
He let out a soft sigh.
— Because I want you to feel good — he replied gently. — Because I want to be with you, even if only like this.
My heart clenched.
— But I always want to live in reality — I whispered. — In a place where things make sense. Where I have a chance to understand… and choose. Where I can fix the city you couldn't protect.
His lips tightened for a second. I expected him to scold me for that remark, but to my surprise, he swallowed his words.
— That's not why you're here — he said finally.
Our eyes met.
— I'm here because you wanted me to be — I shot back. — But this isn't fair.
Uriel was silent for a moment, then slowly smiled. Not his usual cold, ironic smile, but something softer, gentler. He was handling this dream so calmly.
— Let's meet here again — he said at last. — And little by little… I will tell you everything.
His words fell between us like a promise whispered by the wind.
— But — he added — I will tell you about the things that matter. About what is happening now… and what will shape our future.
— And the past? — I asked quietly.
— The past only matters as long as it changes something — he replied. — But if it no longer changes anything… then it's not worth living in. What matters is what happens now and what will happen.
The words caught in my throat. Perhaps because, deep down, I agreed with him.
— When you wake up, I won't be here. But the key to returning will be with you.
I didn't need an explanation—the small handkerchief bearing his monogram peeked out from a hidden pocket in my dress like a small creature curled up in its nest.
A moment of silence settled between us. The meadow seemed to vibrate around us, the sunlight weaving a golden veil.
And then I noticed that Uriel was only inches away from me. His closeness sent a shiver through me.
The wind picked up a few petals and danced them around us. As if the world itself had paused for a breath.
I stepped closer. Just one step separated us. I could feel his presence, every inch of my skin aware of it.
— Why am I so drawn to you? — I asked.
Uriel's gaze met mine. Deep, unreadable, and dangerous—but not repelling. Quite the opposite.
— Because you are mine.
It wasn't a command. Not a demand. Just a simple fact. A truth that had always been there, lingering in the air.
And then, it happened.
Uriel leaned in, and his lips met mine.
The kiss was slow, deep, and painfully familiar. As if this had always been the only sanctuary I had ever truly longed for. As if every path had led to this.
The world disappeared around us.
There were no more questions.
Only this moment. And the two of us within it.
One moment, I could still taste the sweetness of the kiss on my lips; the next, my eyes snapped open.
Something had changed. A presence… or more than one.
I wasn't alone.
I sat up in the dimness of the room I shared with Gabrielle. My body was still swaying in the slow embrace of sleep, but my instincts were already pulsing with alertness.
The shadows shifted.
Two figures in dark clothing stood in the middle of the room. Between them, a woman whose arrogance was as striking as ever. Dahlia.
— Excuse me, madam — she looked at me, her voice just as arrogant as her gaze. — We knocked, but received no answer, so we entered. With your permission, I shall take my leave now.
The lieutenants behind her stood at attention, their posture rigid. It was strange to see this—just weeks ago, I was the one standing like that before them.
— I hope you had a restful half-day — Dahlia added before walking out, but this time, I ignored her mockery.
— We bring a message from your husband — one of the lieutenants continued. — In half an hour, a large unit will set out for the border. Three checkpoint units have been assembled, about three hundred soldiers in total. We are beginning the evacuation of the border. The souls awaiting redemption will be filtered out and directed according to their fate. Those who seek rebirth will be given the opportunity. We are also deploying soldiers trained specifically for the terrain beyond the mist. You will be leading our unit. Can we count on your presence?
I straightened my posture.
— Of course.
The world of dreams shattered in an instant. My body surged with adrenaline, a triumphant kind of anticipation flooding my veins.
Last night, another reality had enveloped me—but now… now, I was back.
As the lieutenants left, I watched their disciplined strides, their precise movements. Then I dressed, slipping into my battle attire. My weapons rested against my body with familiar weight.
Stepping into the hallway, I spotted a familiar figure in the stairwell. Dahlia. A list in her hand, her gaze fixed on me.
— I hope you will attend dinner tonight — she said coolly. — You will be meeting important people. Preferably in more appropriate attire than what you are wearing now.
I nodded. Her usual cynicism slid off me as I continued forward with purposeful steps.
The lieutenants followed.
Stepping through the palace's grand doors, I halted.
What awaited outside even took me by surprise.
A force of three hundred soldiers.
At the front stood Gabrielle and the lieutenants, deep in discussion over the operation. The long line of vehicles gleamed in the morning light. It was an overwhelming sight—a fully prepared army, ready to move.
I felt the taste of power—the realization of what could be achieved with a single command. But soon, I would also come to understand the weight of its responsibility.
Gabrielle raised his gaze to me and gave a small gesture: the convoy was ready to depart.
I smiled.
The energy of action coursed through me, sharpening every sense. As I stepped forward, the dark-clad soldiers moved aside like shadows, silently clearing my path toward Gabrielle.
And I walked.