Back in her chamber, Lila paced restlessly. Her success should have left her satisfied. Instead, it only made the weight in her chest heavier.
Cassian.
She hadn't seen him since their last conversation, when she'd revealed what she saw through her water magic: the darkness clinging to his vision like ink.
She needed to try again. She needed answers.
She found him in the library, sitting near the open windows, listening to the rustling wind.
"Cassian," she said gently.
He turned, not startled but expectant, like he'd known she would come.
"I want to try something," she continued. "With my water magic."
He tilted his head. "What kind of something?"
She moved closer and knelt before him, her heart thudding. "Water helps me see things others can't. When I touched you before, I saw… a dark shape around your eyes. I think I can go deeper now."
Cassian hesitated, his expression unreadable. "Then look."
She reached out, placing her fingers lightly on his temples. Cool magic flowed from her, gentle as a stream, wrapping around his face.
As she closed her eyes, the physical world faded, and a deeper layer revealed itself.
Cassian's curse was more than darkness.
It was a living thing.
Twisting, ancient runes coiled like vines around his head, glowing with a sickly red light. Shadows clung to his eyelids like spider silk. And beneath it all, something watched her, a presence, ancient and cunning.
But her water magic didn't recoil. It pressed closer, trying to understand.
And then she saw it, an origin point, like a broken seal near his left eye. A flaw in the magic.
Lila gasped, pulling her hand away, her breath catching in her throat.
Cassian didn't move. "What did you see?"
"There's a way in," she whispered. "I think… I think the curse wasn't meant for you. It doesn't fit. Someone repurposed a much older spell. That's why it's unstable."
Cassian's lips thinned. "And unstable magic is dangerous."
She nodded. "It means there's still hope. I might be able to undo it. Not today, but… soon."
He turned his face toward her, though he could not see her. "You really believe that."
"I have to," she said. "Because if I don't… who else will?"
For a moment, the air between them was silent, thick with something unspoken.
"You're different now," he said quietly. "More grounded."
"I just met the Earth King," she said with a half-laugh. "He doesn't exactly do light and fluffy."
Cassian's mouth curled into a rare smile.
"I'm glad," he said. "You're stronger than you think, Lila."
And this time, when she smiled back, it didn't feel forced. It felt real.
Because she wasn't standing alone anymore.
End of chapter 13