The night air carried whispers.
Selene stood still, her crimson hair swaying slightly in the cold breeze as Lucien's words echoed in her mind.
"Because fate has a cruel sense of humor."
Her gaze hardened.
"I don't believe in fate," she replied, voice low but steady.
Lucien's lips curved—half amusement, half something unreadable.
"Then you're more dangerous than I thought."
They stood in silence, beneath the two moons—the golden and the scarlet—perfectly aligned overhead.
Selene's heart raced, but her face betrayed nothing.
Why do I feel like I've known him for lifetimes?
Lucien's Thoughts
Lucien studied her quietly.
Her posture was flawless, but her eyes gave her away. Those crimson irises—like polished rubies—carried weight no fifteen-year-old should bear.
She remembers, too. I'm sure of it.
Unspoken History
In ancient times, long before kingdoms rose and fell, it was said that the gold soul and the crimson soul were one.
But the gods grew jealous of mortal love, and so they split the souls apart—casting them into a cycle of rebirth where they would meet, love, and lose each other again and again.
The legend was mostly forgotten now.
Except by the secret orders who still kept the records buried beneath palace vaults.
Back at the Banquet
Inside the temple hall, Duke Raen Aurelian and Duke Kaelen Valeburne exchanged quiet glances across the room.
They were enemies masked as allies—two of the kingdom's most powerful dukes, constantly circling each other like wolves.
Each of them knew the implications of tonight's anomaly.
The Moonbinding Ceremony was never meant to call ancient magic.
But the moment those twin beams of gold and scarlet light had wrapped around Selene and Lucien, something older than royal bloodlines had awakened.
And that could not be ignored.
On the Balcony
Selene's fingers touched the edge of the marble railing.
"I know who you are," she said quietly, her eyes not leaving the moons.
Lucien raised an eyebrow. "Of course you do. Everyone knows."
"No," she whispered. "Not as Lucien Aurelian."
Her gaze shifted to his, sharp and cutting.
"I know you from before."
Lucien's breath caught—but only for a moment.
"I see."
His voice was soft, but the edge returned quickly. He stepped closer, just enough for the tension to crackle between them.
"Then let's not play games, Selene Valeburne."
Her name sounded different when he spoke it. Like a memory.
"What do you remember?" he asked.
Selene's throat tightened.
Images flashed again—A battlefield drowned in crimson snow.A promise whispered beneath dying stars.A hand reaching for hers… and being torn away.
"I remember…" she began, but her voice faltered.
Lucien waited, patient as ever.
Her lips parted. "I remember dying."
The Shadows Move
Unbeknownst to them, someone listened from the shadows.
Caius Thornveil leaned silently against the cold stone, his dark eyes narrowed.
So they really do remember.
He smiled—a dangerous, knowing smile.
"If the crimson and gold have awakened," he whispered to himself, "then the kingdom will fall sooner than expected."
A Deal of Silence
On the balcony, the night wind carried their voices no further.
Lucien held Selene's gaze.
"Then you know," he whispered, eyes glinting gold in the moonlight, "this isn't the beginning of something."
Her heart pounded.
"I know," she replied. "It's the continuation of something we never finished."
The two moons gleamed above them.
Perfect. Silent. Watching.
And so the game began.