51.- Shadows and lights

The second floor of Aurora's dungeon was a place of perpetual stillness, a sanctuary where the soft echo of the underground lake reverberated against the dark stone walls. Gems embedded in the ceiling and walls cast a greenish glow that reflected off the water's surface, creating a play of light and shadow that danced to the rhythm of the pulsing roots hanging like living curtains. The air, humid and cool, carried a sweet scent of moss and earth, mingled with the floral touch Sebastián had added with his plants over the years. It was a space that, though it belonged to a cosmic entity like Aurora, had been touched by a human hand, transformed into something warmer, more alive.

Sebastián was in his small room, adjusting one last heart-shaped vine he'd placed over the entrance. The phosphorescent mushrooms bathed the space in a gentle light, and the multicolored flowers he'd cultivated with such care filled the air with a fragrance that made him smile. He'd spent the morning tending to his garden, ensuring everything was in order after noticing how the plants had mirrored Aurora's distress the previous day. Now that she was resting, the revitalizing mushroom soup working its magic, he felt it was the perfect time to follow through on a promise he'd left hanging in the air.

With a quiet hum in his mind, he decided to seek out Kaili. He'd seen her head toward the underground lake earlier that morning, likely for one of her regular baths, and knew she'd be nearby. Her chamber, an austere room just across the hall from his own, was a space she'd barely touched since settling on the second floor. Kaili preferred the proximity to the water, and though she'd never admit it, Sebastián had noticed how her steps always led her back to the lake after any task in the dungeon. It was time to make her an offer.

He stepped out of his room and walked down the stone hallway, the sound of his boots echoing faintly in the stillness. As he neared the lake, he spotted her standing at the edge, her imposing figure silhouetted against the water's glow. Her pale purple skin shimmered with an inner light, and the golden, silver, and red runes tracing her body pulsed with an arcane energy that seemed to hum in the air. Her six iridescent wings were folded behind her, reflecting soft shades of purple and blue, and her elegant, sharp horns gleamed with the gems adorning them. Her black hair fell in loose, damp waves from her bath, and her dark eyes—wells of infinite power—were fixed on the water as if she were gazing at something only she could see.

"Kaili," Sebastián called, his voice gentle but firm enough to break the silence. She turned her head toward him, raising an eyebrow with that familiar mix of arrogance and curiosity he knew so well. "How about we follow through on that deal you mentioned yesterday? We could decorate your chamber today. I'm done with my stuff, and I think you deserve a space worthy of a Throne of Chaos."

Kaili crossed her arms beneath her chest, lifting her curves in a way that felt deliberate, and a cruel smile curved her lips. "Still going on about that human nonsense?" she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm as her runes flared with a red glint. "I don't see why I should care. My chamber's fine as it is—a place to rest between battles. What more could I need?"

Sebastián smiled, a warm smile that contrasted with her intensity, and took a step closer. "I'm not saying you need it," he replied, his voice calm but tinged with playfulness, "but you told me to make it worthy of you, and I always keep my promises. Plus, after a hundred years watching you, I think I've got a few ideas you might like. What do you say? Give me a shot?"

Kaili studied him for a moment, her dark eyes narrowing as if weighing whether it was worth arguing. Finally, she let out an exaggerated "Hmph" and turned, her wings unfurling slightly with a whisper that filled the air with reflections. "Fine, human," she said, her tone mocking but with a hint of interest she couldn't quite hide. "Make it quick. I don't have patience for your games."

Sebastián chuckled softly, nodding as he followed her to her chamber. Kaili's room was just a few steps from the lake, a cavern of dark stone with smooth walls and a floor that mirrored the ceiling's gemlight. It was functional but bare: no furniture, just an elevated platform where she sometimes rested, and the constant echo of water seeping in from the nearby lake. It was austere, cold, a reflection of her practical nature as a Throne of Chaos, but also a blank canvas that Sebastián saw brimming with potential.

"Well," he said, setting down a bag of tools and plants he'd brought along, "let's get started. First, I thought we could bring some of the lake in here. I've seen how you linger by the water after your baths—not like you're admiring yourself, but like it calms you. How about we make little reflecting pools around the room? We could edge them with gems like the ones on your horns."

Kaili blinked, clearly taken aback by his observation. Her runes flashed with a golden glow, and for a moment, her arrogance seemed to waver. "What?" she muttered, her voice quieter than usual as she looked at him with a mix of disbelief and curiosity. "How do you know that? I don't… It's not something I think about."

Sebastián smiled, shrugging as he pulled out a handful of small gems he'd gathered from the third floor. "I've seen you do it for years, Kaili," he said, his tone gentle but confident. "You always pause at the edge, take a deep breath, and look at the water like it gives you peace. I figured having that here might make you feel more… at home."

She didn't respond right away, her wings fluttering slightly as her runes pulsed with a brighter glow. "Ridiculous," she said at last, though her voice lacked its usual bite, and she took a step back as if trying to hide the faint unease she felt. "Do what you want, but don't expect me to admit it."

Sebastián laughed again, kneeling to carve shallow channels into the floor with a stone tool he'd makeshifted. He guided water from the lake into the little pools forming around the chamber, then placed the gems along the edges, their shine reflecting on the surface like an echo of the adornments on Kaili's horns. She watched in silence, arms crossed, but her eyes followed his every move with an attention she couldn't disguise.

"Now," he continued, standing and pulling a bundle of phosphorescent mushrooms from his bag, "I thought of something for your wings. I've noticed they glow softer when you're relaxed by the lake, like the water brings out those colors I love—purple, blue, gold. These mushrooms could reflect that if we hang them like curtains around the room. What do you think?"

Kaili raised an eyebrow, her runes flaring again, this time with a red glint that betrayed a mix of surprise and something warmer. "My wings?" she said, her tone sarcastic but hesitant. "You really notice stuff like that? You're weirder than I thought, human."

He grinned, undeterred by her tone, and moved to one of the walls to start arranging the mushrooms in rows, using thin vine strands to hold them. "Of course I notice," he replied, his voice steady as he worked. "They're beautiful, Kaili. When they shift colors, it's like they're telling a story—how you feel, what you're thinking. I wanted your chamber to have that same glow, something that reminds you of who you are without you having to say it."

She let out a scoff, but her wings spread a bit more, casting reflections that danced with the mushrooms' light. "Nonsense," she muttered, though her eyes didn't leave the curtains he was shaping. "I don't need reminding of who I am. I'm a Throne of Chaos, not some… decoration."

"I know," Sebastián said, turning to her with a gentle smile, "but not everything's about power. Sometimes it's just about feeling good. And I think this'll make you feel good, even if you won't admit it." He paused, gesturing to the curtains. "Could you help me hang them? Your dark energy would be perfect for fixing them without messing up the stone."

Kaili sighed dramatically, but she extended a hand, letting a thread of dark energy spill from her fingers. The energy coiled around the vine strands, lifting them with precision and binding them to the wall in a smooth motion. As they worked, their hands brushed accidentally while adjusting a mushroom, and she pulled hers back quickly, her runes glowing with a golden flash that hinted at a moment of warmth. "Watch it," she grumbled, though her voice held no real irritation.

Sebastián chuckled under his breath, nodding as they finished the curtains. The effect was striking: the mushrooms and dark energy formed an iridescent veil that mirrored the colors of her wings, filling the chamber with a soft, majestic glow. "See?" he said, stepping back to admire the result. "It's already looking more like you."

Kaili crossed her arms again, but her eyes scanned the curtains with an interest she couldn't hide. "Hmph," was her only reply, though the corners of her lips twitched in what might've been a smile.

"Now, something bigger," Sebastián said, pulling out a dark stone he'd found near the lake, polished smooth by the dungeon over time. "I've seen how you always sit on high spots when you're thinking—like on the fourth floor platform or the lake rocks. I think you need a throne here, something that gives you that height but feels comfortable. We can soften it with moss."

She stared at him in disbelief, her runes pulsing again. "A throne?" she repeated, her tone mocking but laced with surprise. "And how do you know I sit up high?"

Sebastián grinned, setting the stone in an elevated corner of the chamber and starting to cover it with soft moss he'd gathered. "Because I've seen you, Kaili," he said, his voice calm and disarming. "When you're thinking about something—about Aurora, the dungeon, even me—you always find a spot where you can look down on everything. It's like you need that perspective. This throne'll give you that, but also a place to rest without you having to admit it."

Kaili didn't answer right away, her wings fluttering as her runes glowed with a brighter gold. "You're insufferable," she muttered at last, but she stepped toward the throne and touched it with one hand, her fingers brushing the moss with a softness that belied her words. "I guess it's not bad."

"Last thing," Sebastián said, pulling out a bundle of aquatic plants from the lake—floating lilies and tiny ferns—along with some aromatic herbs from his garden, "I thought of these. I've noticed you breathe deeper near certain plants after your baths, like the scent revives you. These have a fresh, earthy smell I think you'll like. We can put them in shallow pots around the throne and pools."

Kaili blinked, her runes glowing with a soft red that revealed her surprise. "My breathing?" she said, her voice lower as she stared at him. "How… how do you catch stuff like that? It's not even something I think about."

Sebastián smiled, bending to place the plants in small containers he'd prepared, filling them with lake water. "Because I pay attention, Kaili," he replied, his tone gentle but sincere. "After a hundred years, you start noticing the little things. How you relax by the water, how your runes glow brighter when you talk about Aurora, how you breathe in those herbs like they give you strength without you having to fight for it. I wanted your chamber to have all that—a place as majestic as you are, but also somewhere you can just… be you."

She fell silent, her wings folding slightly as her runes pulsed with a golden glow that bathed the chamber in a warm light. For a moment, her arrogance seemed to fade, replaced by a stillness Sebastián rarely saw in her. "You're an idiot," she said at last, her voice softer than usual, almost a whisper. "But… it's not bad. For a human, I suppose."

Sebastián laughed, stepping back to take in the result. Kaili's chamber had transformed: the pools reflected the gems and curtain lights, creating a water-and-shadow effect that echoed the lake; the mushrooms and dark energy formed an iridescent veil shimmering with her wing colors; the throne, elevated and soft, commanded the space with quiet majesty; and the aquatic plants released a fresh scent that filled the air with subtle calm. It was a place worthy of a Throne of Chaos, but also one that reflected Kaili in a way she hadn't expected.

"What do you think?" he asked, turning to her with a smile. "Did I keep the deal?"

Kaili crossed her arms, lifting her chin in a gesture of pride, but her eyes roamed the chamber with a satisfaction she couldn't fully conceal. "It's not bad," she said, her tone teasing but with a hint of approval. "For a human, it's… acceptable." She paused, and then, almost as if the words slipped out, added, "Maybe it's not as useless as I thought."

Sebastián grinned, a warm grin that lit up his face as he nodded. "Glad you like it," he said, his voice carrying a quiet joy. "If you ever want to change anything, just let me know. This place is yours, after all."

She didn't reply, but she stepped toward the throne and sat on it, her wings spreading slightly as her runes glowed with a soft gold. For a moment, she stayed there, gazing at the chamber in silence, the sound of water dripping in the pools filling the air with a calm that seemed to envelop her. Sebastián watched her, feeling a deep satisfaction at seeing her in her new space, a place he'd crafted for her with his own hands.

From the hallway, a faint amber glow flickered for an instant. Aurora, awake and recovered, watched them from a distance, her eyes reflecting a mix of tenderness and pride. But she said nothing, letting the moment belong to Kaili and Sebastián, to the shadows and lights they'd woven together in the heart of her dungeon.