Page 37

A sense of failure coated my skin like crackling mud. It irritated and chafed. But no matter how hard I tried to find our salvation, I came up empty-handed. It was as if there were a barrier keeping me from finding Rayal.

I needed a few minutes to gather myself before returning to the village.

The mirrored walls of the Hymma reflected my face, and I traced the changes in my appearance.

I began at my pointed ears, bejeweled with shimmering studs, and then the freckles of light scattered across my nose like constellations.

Finally, I gazed into my irises, the Alcreon Light brimming in my eyes with the energy of the stars.

What ancient knowledge and long-forgotten secrets had yet to emerge from the nooks and crannies of my mind? The answers I sought seemed so close yet so far away.

A frown tugged at my lips. We were running out of time.

Suddenly, Rowen appeared in the reflection, his towering frame striding toward me. The night mist whirled around him, reminiscent of the times I had astral-projected to him in my sleep, thinking him no more than a hallucination.

My full attention turned from my reflection to the man whose presence washed over me like a spring rain.

Usually, his strong arms swung freely by his side, but tonight, he kept one hand hidden behind his back.

“Is it my turn to ask what you’re hiding behind your back?” I asked, remembering when I’d hidden my woven basket from him, tucking it behind me so he wouldn’t see my jumbled creation.

Rowen chuckled, the sound rippling over me in healing vibrations. “Go on. Ask me.”

I squared my shoulders and steeled my face, doing my best Rowen impression. “Show me,” I said, lowering my voice to what I hoped sounded like a velvet threat. “Or I’ll make you show me.”

The devilish grin that spread across his face made me break character, and a wry smile pulled at my lips. “As you wish,” he said, flourishing his arm out from behind him.

A gasp escaped my lips.

He held a stunning weapon, unlike anything I had ever seen. The metal looked like it had been forged from the night sky.

Rowen bowed as he presented the sword to me with both hands.

My grip settled perfectly around the hilt, between a diamond-shaped pommel and an intricately flared crossguard. The blade itself tapered into a long, deadly point.

Wide-eyed, I drew the weapon before me. It was elegant, threatening, and felt like an empty chalice begging to be filled.

I sent a pulse of Light through the metal, and the sword came to life in my hand. The meteorite glowed brilliantly, casting rings of light around my wrist and forearm, humming with simmering energy.

We waited with bated breath, hoping the Light would hold. And it did.

“It’s breathtaking,” I whispered, watching the blade gleam like liquid starlight. “It’s like it was made for me.”

“That’s because it was,” Rowen said, his green eyes rimmed with silver.

He pulled out a piece of parchment from his pocket, unfolding it to reveal a sketch of the blade in my hand.

“I designed it just for you, taking your height, weight, stature, and fighting style into account. It’s not too heavy or bulky so you can remain light on your feet. ”

I beheld the sketch in awe. It was identical to the weapon I held in my hand.

I’d chosen blades that were too big for me in the past, and Rowen ensured I would never make that mistake again. “It’s perfect. How did you even?—”

“I’ve been working on the design for a while.

Ever since I saw you fight the Voro-Kai weaponless.

When I realized you held no blade, my whole life flashed before my eyes.

It was the most horrifying thing I’ve ever witnessed.

I showed the design to Bailon and asked if he could forge it for you.

He agreed and did a masterful job. See how it’s perfectly balanced; the pommel providing the exact counterweight,” Rowen explained, his voice growing with excitement.

“It will give you more control. And these two prongs act as hand guards.”

“It’s spectacular,” I said as tears welled in my eyes. The blade felt as sturdy as the trees yet as swift as a shooting star.

Rowen had poured so much love and effort into designing my weapon.

He must have spent countless hours constructing the perfect blade for me, tailoring it to my every need.

He had given me a blade before; one I had loved but lost during the Battle of the Crypts.

“The old blade you gave me, it would zing in my hand. Just like this.”

“I didn’t know it then, but your old blade must have had fragments of Ever-burn in it. Though nowhere near the amount this blade contains,” Rowen said, eyeing the weapon he’d designed with pride. “See how it’s infinitely light yet looks heavy? This is no ordinary metal.”

He was right. It was a piece of an Ever-burn star, flowing with Alcreon Light. But more than that, it was designed by him. In a way, his hand would see me through every battle.

“It will be fierce to behold you wielding this weapon, Keira. It is uniquely yours.”

I lifted my new blade, marveling at the craftsmanship. Even though it was made with haste, it was flawless. The bladesmiths were truly masters of their craft. It fit like an extension of my arm .

I ran my fingers over the cool metal, noticing a mark etched into the alloy. It was a small, delicate symbol with interweaving loops that seemed to have no beginning or end.

“What does this mean?” I asked, tracing my finger over the mark.

“It is the symbol of resilience. It is one of the first things I learned about you. I thought it only fitting that such a mark lay on your weapon. A desired quality for the mettle of your heart and the metal of your blade.”

My heart nearly burst out of my chest. Rowen didn’t just know me; he truly saw me, every facet of my being, no matter how bright or shadowed. I had never felt more seen. What Rowen had designed for me was nothing short of magnificent.

“What would you like to name it?” he asked, interest sparking his eyes.

My mind immediately thought of my favorite galaxy. I’d spent hours gazing at it, not only as a faint smudge in the sky, but also in greater detail through my telescope. It was easy to find once you located the Andromeda constellation. “One of my favorite lights in the sky. M31.”

“Did you say Mithrion?” he asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Close enough,” I said, arcing my new blade through the air, watching trails of Light ripple around me. “Mithrion.”

A proud smile beamed from Rowen’s face. “It is fitting.”

I stepped into his aura, which was thick, heady, and welcoming. “I love it. Thank you,” I whispered, rising up on my tiptoes to kiss him. He groaned softly as I ran my tongue along the seam of his lips. “And I love you.”

His hands gripped my hips and tugged me closer, his touch searing. “If I said I love you, too, it would be a lie.”

I tried to pull back, but his grip on my waist kept me caged in his embrace. I raised Mithrion to his throat, waiting for an explanation.

“It would be a lie because what I feel for you runs far deeper than love,” he said, his voice as steady as his pulse beneath my blade.

“You’re the first star that appears in my night sky, and the first ray of dawn in the morning.

You’re the flame that withstands the rain, and the lightning that brightens my storms.” His voice dipped into a lower tone.

“You are the light that guided me out of my darkness.”

My heart skipped a beat. “If I’m the light, what does that make you?” I asked, lowering Mithrion from his throat.

“I am your ground. Your earth. Your safe place to land, to breathe. To be.”

“My rock,” I said, wrapping my hands behind his neck.

“Yes, now let’s see what you can do with that blade of yours,” he said, a spark of excitement flashing in his eyes.

A thrill coursed through me as I worked on the Phases of the Moon. Mithrion’s added weight felt inherent and needed, especially now that I could integrate her into the movements. My steps were precise and fluid, each strike flowing seamlessly into the next as Mithrion and I became one.

Dyani insisted that poor form couldn’t be blamed on a weapon but having one tailored to my every need definitely helped.

I moved through the phases, correcting and adjusting each stance as I went.

Auras of white light reflected up my arm as I swiped and parried, casting elliptical rings that pulsed around me.

The next move was a challenge. My feet normally got twisted up when transitioning from the spin into the downward slash, but determination flared in my veins.

I built up the momentum as I concentrated on the footwork.

I whirled around in a fierce and powerful spin, using all my strength to slash the weapon down .

Suddenly, a clash of metal rang through the night as a shockwave reverberated up my arm.

Something had caught my blade.

I glanced up, meeting Rowen’s eyes over our locked weapons. “Remember when I said you didn’t have a predilection for combat?” he asked with a crooked smirk, his white teeth shining in the darkness.

Without missing a beat, I swung my blade out and around, freeing my weapon to strike again. “I do,” I replied, exhilarated by his impromptu cut-in.

He parried. “I was wrong,” he said, the moon casting pools of light on the sharp angles of his cheeks. “You look fierce. Absolutely remarkable.”

“Thanks,” I replied, and for a moment, we were locked together again. A curl of his brown hair fell into his face, momentarily distracting me before I twisted and struck again, keeping him on the defense.

He blocked me easily, then sidestepped and lunged. “I know something that will make you look even better.”

“What’s that?” I asked, spinning away and blocking his strike.

“This,” he said as he nicked the lace of my bodice.

My eyes opened wide in shock. “What are you doing?”

“I thought it was obvious,” he said as three deft swipes landed my vest on the ground. “I’m trying to get you naked.”