The banquet hall glittered with golden lights and crystal chandeliers.
The hum of conversation, the delicate notes of the orchestra — it all returned to Aren Vale like a distant dream.
He re-entered the hall alone.
Calm, composed, an ageless storm wrapped in a gentleman's smile.
No one could tell.
No one could feel it — the crackle beneath his skin, the gathering darkness he carried back with him.
No one… except her.
Selene's eyes found him instantly.
While the others laughed and spoke, while Mira tugged excitedly at Lyra's sleeve and Darian murmured quietly with his wife — Selene watched him.
And Aren, when he saw the small crease of worry between her brows, felt the storm in his heart ease just a little.
He crossed the hall slowly, his presence parting the crowd with unconscious gravity.
When he reached her side, Selene tilted her head up slightly, whispering so softly that only he could hear:
"What happened?"
Her hand brushed his lightly under the table — a silent plea.
For a moment, he simply gazed at her.
At the woman who had walked with him through blood and war, sorrow and joy.
The woman who knew him better than anyone alive.
He could lie to the world.
He could wear any mask.
But not with her.
Never with her.
Aren smiled then — a small, unbreakable smile — and extended his hand to her, palm up.
"Would you," he asked in a voice like velvet, "grant me this dance, my lady?"
Selene blinked, startled, but her heart twisted sharply.
She saw the way he looked at her — as if memorizing every detail, every breath.
Without a word, she placed her hand in his.
He led her to the dance floor, weaving between the laughing, chatting nobles with effortless grace.
The music swelled.
And together, they began to dance.
Aren held her as if she were the last precious thing in the world.
His hand warm against her back, his touch gentle but firm.
Their bodies moved with perfect synchronization, a private world in the center of the grandeur.
To any onlooker, it was the dance of a devoted husband and wife.
But Selene — Selene could feel it.
The quiet desperation in his hold.
The way he lingered in every touch, every gaze.
As if this moment mattered more than any before.
Her chest tightened painfully.
She lifted her head slightly, searching his face — searching his soul.
In his crimson eyes, she saw it:
An unspoken promise.
I will fight gods and monsters.
I will tear down heavens and hells.
I will sell my soul a thousand times over — for you.
For them.
For our family.
A lump rose in her throat.
Selene clutched his shoulder tighter, blinking away the sting in her eyes.
The song spun on, and Aren danced with her as if it were their first dance... and their last.
A perfect, bittersweet waltz written only for them.
The world blurred into nothing beyond the two of them — legends, transcended beings, yet in that moment, simply a man and a woman desperately clinging to each other against the tides of fate.
When the music finally slowed, Aren pressed a tender kiss to Selene's forehead, lingering there.
Then he leaned down, murmuring low against her ear:
"Come with me."
He led her out of the grand hall, past the curious glances and whispered gossip that rose in their wake.
Through marble corridors and past silver fountains they walked, Aren's hand never leaving hers.
At last, they stepped into the palace's private gardens — a place forgotten by the crowds.
The air was crisp and cool.
The stars wheeled overhead, silver threads in the dark velvet sky.
Aren finally stopped beneath an ancient tree heavy with pale blossoms, their fragrance filling the night air.
He turned to her.
Selene watched him silently, heart hammering.
No more masks.
No more smiles.
Only Aren — her Aren — standing before her with eyes full of love... and unbearable truth.
"I won't lie to you," he said quietly, voice rough with emotion. "I never could."
She waited, breathless.
Aren exhaled slowly.
And then he told her everything.
The angel's descent.
The gods' judgment.
The coming war against the heavens themselves.
The impossible battle that awaited them all.
He didn't soften it.
Didn't spare her.
Selene listened, trembling slightly, her hand pressed against his chest as if to anchor herself.
When he finished, silence fell between them.
Only the whisper of the night wind stirred the leaves.
Selene closed her eyes tightly for a moment, then opened them, tears sparkling under the stars.
"And you?" she whispered.
"What will you do?"
Aren lifted her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles with aching tenderness.
"I will stand," he said simply. "As long as I must.
Until the heavens fall or I do."
Selene shuddered, and Aren pulled her against him, wrapping her fully in his arms.
"I promised you," he murmured against her hair. "I promised to protect you. Our family.
No matter what."
Selene clung to him fiercely, her nails digging slightly into his coat.
They stayed like that, locked in each other's arms beneath the flowering tree, as the stars watched in silent witness.
Two souls.
Two hearts.
A love that even the gods themselves would break upon, should they dare try.