valmora The crimson twilight

Ethan awoke with a jolt, sweat clinging to his skin despite the chill that filled the room. His breath came in ragged gasps, the echo of his dream still clinging to the edges of his mind.

Selene.

Even now, the image of her crimson eyes lingered—cold, distant, yet somehow pulling at something deep within him. Ethan rubbed his hands over his face, trying to shake off the weight of sleep and fear.

A faint creak stirred the air. His pulse spiked as his gaze shot toward the door. It stood slightly ajar, the corridor beyond faintly illuminated by pale, bluish light.

Wasn't that locked?

Heart hammering, Ethan slid off the bed and approached the door cautiously. He hesitated only a moment before stepping into the corridor. The air here felt heavier somehow, charged with an unseen energy that pressed against his skin like the weight of distant thunder.

The palace stood in near silence, save for the faint whisper of unseen currents stirring the air. Shadows clung to the walls like half-formed shapes, flickering faintly as Ethan moved past.

"This is a bad idea," he muttered under his breath, but his feet carried him forward anyway.

The corridor twisted and turned, branching into staircases that vanished into darkness or archways that opened into rooms whose purposes he could only guess. Yet something—some faint pull—seemed to guide his steps, leading him deeper into the heart of the palace.

He passed beneath tall windows of black glass, glimpsing the city beyond—its distant spires bathed in silver moonlight, its streets faintly aglow with pale firelight. And there, upon the far horizon, the faint silhouette of something vast and winged circled against the moon.

Ethan tore his gaze away, pulse quickening. He needed to focus—needed to find a way out before the Night Court decided his fate.

A faint murmur of voices stirred the air ahead. Ethan pressed himself against the cold stone wall as he approached the source of the sound—a half-open doorway that led into a vast chamber bathed in pale silver light.

Careful not to make a sound, Ethan peered inside.

The room beyond was circular, its walls lined with towering shelves of ancient tomes and scrolls bound in black leather. At its center stood a wide table of polished obsidian, carved with intricate symbols that seemed to shimmer faintly as though charged with unseen power.

Two figures stood beside the table—one of them unmistakably Selene, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders like shadows spun into silk. The other, taller and more imposing, was Lord Malphas.

"...the veil has weakened," Malphas was saying, his voice low and measured. "Even now, the threads between realms fray faster than we can mend them."

Selene's gaze remained fixed upon the table's surface, where faint patterns of silver light shifted and swirled like ink spreading across water. "Then the mortal's arrival was no accident."

"Perhaps." Malphas's silver eyes gleamed faintly in the pale light. "Or perhaps something far older stirs beneath the veil."

Selene's fingers brushed the edge of the table, her expression unreadable. "If the mortal is connected to this disruption—"

"Then his fate is already sealed," Malphas finished coldly.

Ethan's breath caught in his throat. They think this is my fault?

A faint ripple of energy pulsed through the air—subtle, yet unmistakable. Selene's crimson eyes flicked toward the doorway, and Ethan's heart leapt into his throat as her gaze locked onto his.

"Who's there?" she demanded, her voice sharp as frost.

Ethan bolted.

He sprinted down the corridor, shadows flickering past as the air seemed to press against him with every step. Somewhere behind him, he heard the whisper of movement—swift, silent footsteps that followed without hesitation.

"Stop!" Selene's voice echoed through the air, but Ethan didn't dare look back.

The corridor twisted and turned, branches splitting off into darkened stairways and narrow halls, but Ethan kept running, pulse hammering against his ribs. He had no idea where he was going—only that he needed to get away.

Suddenly, the floor beneath his feet shifted—stone turning slick as ice without warning. Ethan's footing slipped out from under him, and he hit the ground hard, the air knocked from his lungs.

Before he could rise, shadows coiled around his wrists and ankles once more, holding him fast. Cold hands seized his shoulders, and he found himself flipped onto his back—staring up into Selene's crimson gaze.

Her breath came quick from the chase, though her expression remained cold and unreadable. Shadows clung to her fingers like frostbitten silk, tightening as Ethan struggled against their grip.

"Fool," she hissed. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"Let me go!" Ethan gasped, pulling against the invisible bonds. "I didn't do anything—I was just trying to get out of here!"

Selene's eyes narrowed. "Eavesdropping on the affairs of the Night Court is no small crime, mortal."

"I wasn't—I just—" Ethan's breath hitched as the shadows tightened, cold as iron against his skin. "Please... I just want to go home."

Selene's gaze lingered on him for a heartbeat longer, something unreadable flickering beneath the surface of her crimson eyes. Then, with a faint flick of her fingers, the shadows released their hold.

Ethan collapsed against the floor, gasping for breath.

Selene stood above him, her expression hard as moonlit glass. "You are a danger to both realms, whether you know it or not. If you attempt to escape again, I will not be so lenient."

"Lenient?" Ethan coughed, pushing himself upright with shaking arms. "You call this lenient?"

"I call it mercy," Selene replied coldly.

For a moment, silence stretched between them—heavy with the weight of unspoken words. Then, without another glance, Selene turned and began walking back toward the corridor's far end.

Ethan watched her go, anger and fear warring within him as shadows clung to the edges of the air like whispers of something unseen.

He couldn't stay here.

He had to find a way out—before the Night Court decided his fate.

And before the cold gaze of Selene Duskborne became something far harder to escape.