POV: Selene
...….
Selene had a problem.
And it wasn't the whole "mysterious prophecy" or "the boy she might be cosmically tethered to" thing. That was existential. This was worse.
She was being watched.
From across the mess hall, Dae sat with Kio, an, Rea. quiet, careful, and completely unaware of the way Selene's brain kept doing that stupid flutter thing every time he looked up.
Which he never did.
Which was the problem.
"Okay," Lune whispered beside her. "That's like the sixth time you looked at him. Blink twice if you're in denial."
Selene choked on her juice.
"I wasn't looking," she muttered, stabbing her tray like it owed her money.
"Mmhm," Noor said calmly, flipping a page of her book without glancing up. "Totally unrelated that you sat right where the light hits your cheekbones and he can 'accidentally' notice."
"I sat here because this is my spot," Selene hissed.
"Sure, and I'm on a diet," Lune grinned. "Girl, we live in a gender-neutral dorm. You breathe the same air. Just go say hi."
"No."
"Why?"
"Because."
"Because you're scared?"
"No," Selene said. "Because I'm not an idiot."
"Debatable," Noor said under her breath.
Selene slouched into her seat.
If only they knew. How every accidental bump in the hallway felt like a thunderclap. How she remembered the exact way Dae stood, head slightly tilted like he was always listening for danger.
Or the time he looked at her during training prep. and she'd looked away like a coward, heart sprinting.
Gods.
She was down bad.
...….
Training Grounds. Day Before the Trial
Students gathered in pairs and trios, grouped by elemental affinities and power synergies.
Rea levitated mid-air, flipping through a notebook. Kio bench-pressed a broken training dummy like it was a flex machine. Zane was electrocuting his own boots, again.
Selene stood under a hollowed canopy tree, waiting for her turn.
Her power wasn't… flashy.
Not like flame or lightning.
But in the dark?
She owned the dark.
And yet, all she could think about was Dae, a few paces away, working with An on some strange hand movements that looked like sign language mixed with martial arts.
The instructors called it "core tuning."
Selene called it soul poetry.
"Focus," whispered a voice beside her.
It was Jin. Of course it was.
Chains coiled lazily around his wrists.
"You're distracted. Again."
"I'm fine," she said.
"You're watching him," Jin said with zero subtlety.
"Shut up."
"Selene," he said, leaning closer. "The Crucible showed you something, didn't it?"
Her silence was enough.
He stepped back. "Careful. Prophecies don't come without cost."
"Didn't ask for one," she said.
"None of us did," Jin murmured, walking away.
.....
Later That Night – Dorm Room 3A
"Okay," Lune declared, flopping onto her bunk. "We need a code name for him."
Noor didn't even look up. "For Dae?"
"Shhh!" Lune hissed, "Say 'Project D' like a normal person."
Selene rolled her eyes. "I hate all of you."
"I vote MoonCrush," said Vera from the top bunk.
"I vote StarBoy," Lune chimed.
"I vote we study for the trial," Noor deadpanned.
Selene buried her face in her blanket. "Why is this my life?"
"Because your soul has decided to simp in silence," Lune said. "Which is fine. But at some point, you're gonna have to stop staring at his damn eyelashes like they're cursed relics."
Selene threw a pillow. "I do not…"
"You do," Noor said, catching the pillow midair.
"Do you think he knows?" Selene asked, quiet.
The room went still.
Then Noor replied, gently, "No. He doesn't even know he matters."
That hurt more than Selene expected.
Because it was true.
...
The Day of the Trial Prep
Selene stood in line with the others as Pix briefed them again.
Mock combat. Shadow strikes. Telepathic endurance. The usual nightmare buffet.
Across the platform, Dae stood still, his ring dull today.. like it was saving energy. Or brooding. Like its bearer.
Pix called names.
Pairs formed.
Selene got assigned to Lune. She'd hoped, deep down, for him.
But the universe liked pain, apparently.
During the prep, Lune whispered mid-sparring: "He keeps looking at you."
Selene almost missed her block.
"Don't play," she muttered.
"I'm not. He's not even subtle. It's not how he looks, it's when."
Selene paused.
"Like…?"
"Like it hurts him to do it."
That ruined her entire focus.
She fumbled. Lune almost took her down.
"Seriously," Lune said, helping her up, "You two are the slowest-burning ship I've ever seen. You're literally made of shadows and he's a walking sun-ray with trauma. Just kiss already."
Selene shoved her lightly.
But her cheeks were red.
And her heart was not okay.
.....
That Night
She couldn't sleep.
Again.
She stood by the glass wall of the dorm, watching the sea pulse and roll.
Out there, somewhere, was a leviathan. And a monster that had marked him.
And still…
Her mind kept circling one thing.
The way Dae stood, shoulders hunched, even around people he trusted.
The way he flinched when anyone raised their voice.
The way he looked at the stars like they were the only ones who didn't leave.
Selene pressed a hand to the glass.
"I see you," she whispered.
Even if he never knew it.
She'd stand between him and every storm.
Whether he wanted her to or not.
....
To be continued in Chapter 22 – "Before the Breach"
(One almost-confession. One shadow trial. One moment too late.)