"Let's get married."
The words landed heavier than thunder.
Robert froze, the muscles in his jaw tightening as if holding back more than just words. The room seemed suddenly smaller, the walls pressing in. The silence stretched between them like a taut wire, vibrating with unspoken possibilities. He could feel the weight of her certainty, a calm that made the air itself seem to still around her.
"What are you thinking?" he finally asked, voice low, careful. Not anger, not accusation—but fear. Fear of how controlled, how certain she seemed. Afraid of what he was seeing unfold in front of him: the Selene he had known, and yet, not known at all.
She turned fully to him, eyes steady, unflinching. Clear. Almost frightening in their intensity.
"It may sound crazy," she said softly, "but apart from everything happening around us, this… this will strengthen us. It will force us to understand what we truly see in each other. Not half-measures. Not guarded gestures. Full… exposure."
A slow step brought her closer.
"I feel safe when I'm with you," she said. "Happy. And something else… something I can't even name. The noise in my head… it quiets when you're near. I want us to explore this—fully. Not halfway. Not hiding behind walls or expectations."
Robert swallowed, the dry scrape echoing louder than any gunshot in his ears. For the first time, fear crept in—not of the predators they faced, not of the powers she had—but of her, her presence.
There was power now. Not wild, chaotic power. Controlled, deliberate, and sharper than any weapon he had ever wielded. He could feel it humming beneath her skin, bending the air around them subtly, imperceptibly, yet undeniably.
"You're changing," he said carefully. "You're not the girl I met."
"I know," she said, almost as a statement of fact. No denial, no softening.
He studied her. For a long moment, his chest tightened. Then he exhaled, releasing something he didn't realize he'd been holding. "I know what I feel too," he admitted quietly. "We'll pass through this… or maybe we won't. But if we're going to burn, Selene, then let's enjoy the fire."
A small, wry smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
"Then don't protect me like I'll shatter," she said. "I can stand. I'm not fragile."
He nodded once. "Let's go out."
The night welcomed them, alive and electric, city lights reflecting off glass, metal, and rain-soaked streets like scattered stars. As they walked side by side, Selene's presence shifted the very air—not enough for humans to notice consciously, but enough for heads to turn. Whispers followed, low and incredulous.
"Do you see them?"
"They look unreal."
"Isn't that Selene Val?"
"But Nadia said she stole her guy. Is this him?"
"No. The guy she showed us… he's dead. They're not the same."
Selene heard every word, every murmured opinion. Names had power only if you allowed them. She didn't react. She simply moved forward, each step measured, controlled, carrying more weight than the casual observer could ever imagine.
The crowd seemed to bend subtly around them, drawn by something they didn't understand. Shadows deepened at the edges of the streets, though the moon was high. Not just natural shadow, but Selene-shaped shadow, bending light in ways that whispered danger and allure simultaneously. Robert noticed it too, the subtle shift, and kept one hand lightly brushing against hers—not to restrain, but to ground both of them.
As they crossed the wide intersection, cameras flashed from the crowd, their attention drawn to a celebrity being escorted out of a nearby luxury building. Security tried to hold the surge back, but one figure broke free—a young woman, breathless, rushing forward like she had been propelled by some invisible force.
She stopped suddenly before them, nearly colliding with Robert's shoulder. Hands shaking, eyes wide, she blurted:
"Oh my God—I'm sorry! I don't mean to intrude, but… can I have your autograph?"
Selene blinked, tilting her head with a quiet, almost regal amusement.
"My autograph?"
The girl nodded furiously, nodding again like a pendulum in excitement. "Yes! I… I really admire you! My whole family—we're huge fans!"
Selene smiled, soft and knowing, then glanced at Robert. His eyes had gone wide at the encounter, but she only arched a brow, grounding them both in the moment.
"Wait," the girl whispered, glancing up at Robert. "Is he… your boyfriend?"
"Yes," Selene said simply, placing a hand lightly on Robert's arm, as though staking a claim—not possessive, but undeniable.
The girl gasped audibly. "You two… look perfect together! Like… really perfect!"
Robert laughed softly, pulling Selene closer in a protective, intimate gesture. Her gaze scanned the crowd, calm yet razor-sharp. Fame was a shield, a target, and she navigated it both effortlessly and dangerously.
"Thank you," Selene murmured to the girl, voice gentle.
The fan squealed and bolted back to her friends, giddy and bewildered.
Selene turned her attention back to Robert, whispering in his ear: "See? Even strangers can feel it."
"You're dangerous," he said, a laugh hidden beneath the seriousness of his tone.
She smiled, not denying it.
They moved down the street, the city unaware of the thin line beneath its feet—the line between chaos and control, fear and desire. Robert realized this wasn't just love—they were aligned. And alignment, when paired with power, changed more than hearts. It reshaped destinies.
Selene's eyes reflected the neon lights and the distant glow of the skyline. She didn't flinch from it. She didn't shy from it. She was becoming something beyond human comprehension, something alive and deliberate.
Marriage wasn't a promise.
Marriage was a declaration.
And as they walked on, the energy around them hummed, thick with tension and possibility. The city was theirs, yet not theirs. Danger and destiny mingled in every shadow, every flicker of light, every hushed whisper behind them.
Even as they disappeared into the night, Selene's awareness stretched beyond the immediate—sensing currents of intention, of envy, of admiration, even of threat, all blending into a tapestry only she could see.
They were together. They were alive. They were becoming legend.