The Assassins Move
That night, beneath a moonless sky, shadows slipped silently through Aerthrial's noble district.
Three figures clad in black moved like ghosts, blades laced with serathium poison—a rare toxin that killed not the body, but the soul.
Their target wasn't Lucien.
It was Selene Valeburne.
The order had come directly from the eastern council.If the bond could not be broken politically, it would be broken by death.
Selene's Balcony
Selene stood on her balcony, red hair fluttering against the cold air.
Her crimson eyes stared into the distance, but her mind was elsewhere.
Lucien.
The bond between them grew stronger by the day. Sometimes she could hear his thoughts when she wasn't trying. Sometimes she dreamed of things she wasn't sure were her own memories.
If we let this grow, we'll lose control.
That was the warning Lucien had given her beneath the Moon Tree.
But Selene wasn't sure what frightened her more:
Losing control…Or losing him.
The Attack
The assassins struck at midnight.
Silent. Precise.
They scaled the Valeburne estate walls, their footsteps lighter than whispers.
Selene sensed it before they reached her.
Her eyes snapped open, her hand moving instinctively to the dagger hidden beneath her sleeve.
The first assassin landed silently on her balcony rail.
His blade flashed.
Selene ducked low, crimson hair trailing like fire as she twisted beneath the strike, her dagger cutting upward in a clean arc.
Blood sprayed, black and unnatural—the mark of soul poison.
But Selene's dagger wasn't normal steel. It was heirloom aetherite, forged to cut through enchantments.
The first assassin collapsed without a sound.
Lucien Feels It
Across the city, Lucien bolted upright in bed, his heart racing.
Selene.
The bond tugged violently at his chest.
Without thinking, he leaped from the window of the Aurelian estate, landing on the cold rooftops in silence.
His feet barely touched the tiles as he sprinted across the city.
The Fight Continues
The second assassin struck from behind.
Selene spun, her crimson eyes gleaming under the faint glow of her warding sigils.
But the poison-laced blade grazed her shoulder before she could deflect it.
Her breath hitched.
Pain—not of the body, but of the soul—spread through her veins like ice.
Lucien Arrives
In a blur of gold and shadow, Lucien landed on her balcony, his sword unsheathed in one breath.
He cut the third assassin down in a single motion, the blade slicing clean through enchanted armor.
His golden eyes locked onto Selene's immediately.
"Selene—"
"I'm fine," she whispered, her lips pale but steady.
Lucien caught her as she stumbled, his arms wrapping around her before she could fall.
A Glimpse Beyond the Veil
As Lucien held her, both of them gasped—
Because for a split second, the world shifted.
They weren't in the Valeburne estate anymore.
They were standing in a different time, a different place.
Snow fell softly around them.
A battlefield.A promise.
Lucien's past self whispered into Selene's ear:
"Next life, I'll find you sooner."
Selene's past self smiled faintly, her eyes wet.
"Next life, don't wait so long."
Back to the Present
Lucien's arms tightened around Selene as the vision faded.
"I found you again," he whispered, his voice raw in the cold night.
Selene pressed her forehead against his shoulder, her breath shivering.
"And you're late," she whispered back.
The Aftermath
Servants rushed to the balcony moments later, but Lucien had already carried Selene inside, his golden cloak wrapping around her small frame.
The poison wasn't fatal—yet.
But the soul wound would leave scars.
And the fact that someone had dared attack a Valeburne heir in her own home?
That meant war was coming.
In the Shadows
Far away, Evelyne Greymoor stood by her window, emerald eyes narrowed.
The assassins failed.
But that was fine.
The real game was only just beginning.