A Dance of Fate and

DoubtDuring a university gala, Liora is swept into a dance with Dante, who keeps her entertained with tales of lost symphonies and forgotten romances. However, Elias intervenes, cutting in for a waltz. As they dance, he murmurs cryptic words that send chills down her spine: "This isn't our first dance." Confused and shaken, Liora demands answers, but Elias disappears before she can confront him further.

The rain drummed a soft rhythm against the cobblestone streets as Liora stepped out of the conservatory. The evening was alive with the murmurs of students departing for the weekend, their voices blending into the hum of the city beyond. Yet, none of it reached her. Not truly. Her mind remained entangled in Elias's words, in the cryptic weight of the leather-bound book and the undeniable truth written beneath the ancient notes.

Elias Varion. Liora Everhart.

A gust of wind sent a shiver down her spine, but she barely noticed. How could she? How could she walk away from the knowledge that this melody, the one that had woven itself into her very being, was somehow tied to a past she couldn't remember? That Elias himself carried fragments of a history she was only beginning to uncover?

She tightened her grip around her violin case and exhaled sharply. If he thought he could walk away from this conversation with vague warnings and unfinished sentences, he was sorely mistaken.

Her feet carried her through the lamplit streets, the shadows stretching long in the dim glow. A familiar building loomed ahead, The Marquis Hall, a grand establishment that stood as a bridge between the university and the city's elite. The gala was in full swing, golden light spilling from the tall windows, the sound of music and laughter weaving through the rain.

Liora hesitated. She hadn't planned on attending, but she knew Elias would be there. He was one of the honored guests, a renowned musician among scholars. If he wouldn't give her answers in a lecture hall, perhaps he would in a ballroom.

Squaring her shoulders, she stepped inside.

The warmth of the hall wrapped around her immediately, the scent of aged wine and polished wood mingling with the delicate notes of a waltz. Chandeliers bathed the marble floors in golden light, illuminating figures draped in silk and velvet. Liora smoothed her damp sleeves, suddenly acutely aware of her simple attire amid the opulence.

A murmur of recognition rippled through the crowd as she moved toward the main hall. It was no secret that she was among the university's most gifted violinists. And yet, she had never felt like more of an outsider than she did now.

Then she saw him.

Elias stood near the grand piano, deep in conversation with a group of scholars. Dressed in a fitted black suit, he exuded the same quiet intensity that had unsettled her since their first encounter. But here, under the glimmering chandeliers, he seemed… different. More composed, more calculated. A man playing a role.

Liora approached, the sound of her heels barely registering against the polished floor. As if sensing her presence, Elias looked up. Their gazes locked, and for a brief second, she saw it, the flicker of something behind his carefully maintained facade. Surprise? Annoyance? She couldn't tell.

"Miss Everhart." His voice was smooth, practiced. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Liora forced a smile. "Neither did I."

One of the scholars, an older gentleman with silver-rimmed glasses, chuckled. "Ah, Miss Everhart! I've heard remarkable things about your performances. Will you be gracing us with a piece tonight?"

Liora barely registered the words. Her focus remained on Elias, watching the way his posture stiffened, the way his fingers twitched at his side.

"I wasn't planning on it," she answered absently, then turned to Elias. "Would you care for a dance, Professor?"

Elias's expression didn't shift, but something in his eyes darkened. "I don't dance."

"Pity." Liora tilted her head. "I had hoped we might discuss unfinished conversations over something more civilized than veiled warnings."

A muscle in his jaw tensed. He studied her for a long moment before offering his arm. "If you insist."

The moment their hands touched, something electric pulsed through her veins. Liora ignored it, focusing instead on the music swelling around them as Elias led her into the waltz. His movements were precise, effortless. A man well-versed in control.

"You're persistent," he murmured.

She met his gaze. "And you're avoidant."

He sighed, guiding her through the sweeping steps. "What is it you want, Liora?"

She tightened her grip on his hand. "The truth."

Elias's lips parted slightly, but for once, he had no immediate response.

Liora pressed on. "You told me the song doesn't belong at this time. That it's waking something up. And now, I find our names written beneath its notes in a book older than both of us." Her voice lowered. "Tell me how that's possible."

His fingers flexed against hers. "Some truths are dangerous."

"I'm not afraid."

His jaw clenched. "You should be."

The waltz carried them through a turn, the world blurring around them, but Liora didn't let him go. "Elias, if this song is part of me, if it's part of us, I deserve to know why."

He exhaled sharply. "It's not just a song, Liora."

She stilled, her breath hitching. "Then what is it?"

His golden-amber eyes burned into hers. "A key."

The weight of the word settled between them. Liora's pulse thrummed. "A key to what?"

Elias hesitated. "To something neither of us should be unlocking."

The waltz was ending, the final notes lingering in the air like a whisper of something unfinished. But Liora wasn't finished. She held his gaze, refusing to let him retreat into silence.

"Then why do I feel like it's already been unlocked?"

A flicker of pain crossed his expression, but before he could answer, the music stopped. The world snapped back into focus, the chatter of the ballroom returning in a wave. The moment was gone, but the question lingered, unanswered, hanging between them like an unplayed note waiting to be resolved.

Elias stepped back, releasing her hand. "Be careful, Liora." His voice was quieter now, almost resigned. "Some doors don't close once they've been opened."

Liora stood in the middle of the ballroom as he disappeared into the crowd, her heart hammering against her ribs. The dance had ended, but the melody between them had only just begun.