The sky above Aeris shimmered like a thousand spilled crystals, and yet, for all its brilliance, Liora felt a hollow ache in her chest. From her modest balcony in the city's lower ring, she watched the floating spires of the upper city, where immortal Celestials walked in perfection and light, untouchable, unbroken. She had once been one of them—or at least close enough to remember the feel of wings brushing against starlight.
Tonight, a shooting star streaked across the horizon, but unlike the usual sparkling trails, it fell in a slow, agonizing arc. And then she saw it: a mortal, plummeting in a twisting spiral toward the city's protective wards. Without thinking, Liora rushed forward, her bare feet barely touching the clouds beneath. Her hands glowed faintly with celestial energy, a secret she hid from all. She could not afford another slip, not if the Archons discovered her lingering light.
The mortal crashed into the soft cloud barriers, groaning and coughing, his armor scorched as if kissed by fire. Liora's heart thumped—not from fear, but from an odd, immediate recognition. His aura, chaotic and fractured, called to something deep within her.
"Are you—alive?" she asked, kneeling beside him.
He coughed again, blood streaking his lips, and managed a weak nod. "I… think so. Where… am I?"
"You're in Aeris," Liora said, keeping her voice calm. "And you should not be here. The city isn't safe for mortals."
He blinked, confusion written across sharp features. "A… mortal? No. I was—" His eyes widened, and a soft gasp escaped him. "You… you're—"
"I'm just a healer," Liora interrupted quickly. "I'll tend your wounds." Her hands glowed again, warmth seeping into his charred skin. He flinched at first, then let out a soft sigh as the pain eased.
There was something about him that felt fated, though she could not yet name it. Celestial instincts whispered of danger, of destiny, and of something forbidden. But as his trembling hand brushed hers—a fleeting, innocent contact—her heart betrayed her reason with a flutter of warmth she hadn't felt in centuries.