Night descended upon Larethian like spilled ink, and with it came whispers.
Within Hearth & Heaven, the glow of soft lanterns reflected in the windows, warping the world outside into dreamy shapes. The savory scent of roasted forest fowl lingered in the air, laced with the aroma of exotic spices Kael had conjured from his fragmented memories of Earth.
The tiefling, Velira, sat at a corner table, one leg crossed over the other, swirling a spoon slowly in her now-empty bowl of creamy fireroot soup. She hadn't said much since she arrived, but her eyes had said plenty. To Kael, they spoke of distance—the kind carved by pain, purpose, and the weight of something unspoken.
From the kitchen, Ryn watched her like a wolf eyeing a rival predator. "I don't trust her," she muttered. "Anyone who looks that good, smells like wild myrrh, and speaks like she's tasted secrets? Definitely trouble."
Kael chuckled. "You just described yourself."
"I'm charming trouble. She's the kind that ends empires."
Still, Kael noticed the curiosity in Ryn's eyes—a slow-burning fascination that hinted at more than jealousy. There was a tension brewing between the women… a tension he couldn't quite label yet. But he felt it. Stronger with every passing hour.
Upstairs, Aeris stood in front of the old elven mirror that had once belonged to her grandmother. She unbraided her hair slowly, silver strands falling like water down her back. Her fingers brushed the hidden sigil near her collarbone again.
Tonight, it burned.
She gazed into the mirror and whispered a single word in the lost tongue of the Firstborn. The glass shimmered.
For a second, her reflection was not her own—but a figure robed in gold, horned and winged, with burning eyes.
She gasped and stepped back. The image vanished.
"No…" she murmured. "Not yet."
But deep in her bones, she felt it—the time was coming when she would have to tell Kael who she really was. What she had once done.
And why they had been chosen.
---
Meanwhile, outside the city walls...
A rider arrived at the edge of a sprawling mercenary camp. Fires crackled, and crude laughter filled the night air. The mercs bore sigils from all corners of the realm—orc tribes, human warbands, elven outlaws, even a few beastkin rogues.
At the center sat Valkin Ironhide, a brutal ex-paladin turned sellsword general, his hands dripping with old blood and new coin.
"Kael Ardent," the rider said, handing over a scroll. "Rumors say he walks among us again."
Valkin's eyes narrowed. "Didn't we bury that bastard a decade ago?"
The rider didn't answer.
Valkin opened the scroll. It bore a sketch—Kael's face, aged slightly, hardened… but unmistakable.
"He's not just cooking stew anymore," the rider added. "He's gathering women. Elves. Foxkin. Now a tiefling. The Midnight Court is watching. So are the temples."
Valkin grinned. "Then so shall we."
---
Back at the inn, the last customer left just before midnight. Ryn stretched in the doorway, her toned arms bare, sweat glistening on her skin.
"Bet you've got a lot of questions," she said, turning to Velira, who remained seated.
Velira looked up slowly. "More than you can answer."
"Try me."
Velira's lips curled into something between a smirk and a snarl. "What would you say if I told you I once burned a temple to ash for love?"
Ryn blinked. "I'd say I've kissed worse girls."
They stared at each other for a long moment. The tension sharpened.
Kael cleared his throat. "Ladies…"
They both looked at him.
"I was about to lock up. Anyone who wants to stay the night needs a bed—or a warm body."
Ryn sauntered past him, tail brushing along his thigh. "You offering both?"
Before he could answer, she kissed him—soft at first, then with slow hunger. She tugged at his collar, her body pressed against his.
Upstairs, Aeris felt it. Not jealousy—but inevitability. She lit a silver candle, placed a charm at the windowsill, and whispered a word of warding.
"Let him feel," she murmured. "He'll need love to survive what's coming."
Back downstairs, Kael pulled Ryn closer, hands slipping over her waist as her lips claimed his. They kissed deeply, hungrily, her breath hot against his neck as she whispered,
"I don't share well. But for you, I'll try."
From the shadows, Velira watched.
And in her palm, hidden by her sleeve, a rune flared once more.