66.- The runway of shadows

The underground garden of the dungeon, tucked away on the second level beneath a ceiling of pulsing roots, seemed to exhale a rare stillness after Aurora's departure. The air, thick with humidity and the sweet scent of Fireblossom plants, stirred in whispers that barely brushed the Moonwhisper vines, their silver blooms gleaming like tiny moons in the dimness. Gems embedded in the walls cast a golden-green light that danced across the spongy moss, illuminating the ordered chaos that had been Sebastián's domain for a century. Without Aurora's vibrant presence, the silence was a gentle shroud, broken only by the murmur of water in the nearby lake and the scrape of his tools against the soil.

Sebastián knelt before a cluster of vines, his hands coated in dirt as he worked with a patience that seemed carved from time itself. Since Aurora had stepped through the portal to the Glacial Scales in pursuit of a power he could scarcely grasp, he'd poured his energy into the garden, turning it into a refuge against the void her absence left in the dungeon. With a pair of rough scissors, he trimmed dry tendrils from a purple-flowered creeper, guiding its leaves to climb an improvised arch of twisted branches. Beside him, Terrón, the little clay golem, assisted with endearing clumsiness, clutching a handful of damp soil that it dropped with a plop onto the roots, its pebble eyes glinting with quiet dedication. Sebastián hummed an off-key tune, a thread of calm that wove through the space with simple warmth.

A rustle of wings pierced the stillness, a whisper that vibrated through the air like an unseen blade. Kaili appeared at the garden's entrance, her imposing figure framed against the shadows, her pale purple skin shimmering under the gemlight. The golden, silver, and red runes tracing her body pulsed with contained energy, and her iridescent wings, barely unfurled, caught the light in flashes of purple and blue that filled the space with a cold glow. Her horns, sharp and adorned with gems that sparkled like stolen star fragments, rose with natural arrogance, and her eyes—black sclera speckled with cosmic sparks of gold, red, and silver—fixed on Sebastián with a blend of irritation and curiosity. She crossed her arms beneath her chest, accentuating the curves of her black armor, and let out a huff that echoed like a challenge.

"What are you up to now, gardener?" she growled, her voice slicing through the air like a sharpened edge. "Playing with your plants again? Why waste time on those useless things while my Queen's out there chasing power?"

Sebastián looked up, wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, leaving a smudge of dirt that made him seem even more human against Kaili's majesty. He smiled, a playful spark in his eyes honed by a hundred years of quiet resilience. "It's not a waste, Kaili," he said, his tone steady yet warm, as he snipped a dry stem with a soft click of the scissors. "I'm fixing up the garden. Aurora's gone after power, sure, but there's strength here too—in the beauty of the little details."

Kaili frowned, her runes flaring red for a fleeting moment, a flicker of her impatience. "Beauty?" she repeated, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she stepped closer, her wings buzzing faintly and trembling the nearby blooms. "What's beauty good for if it doesn't destroy? If it doesn't kill, doesn't conquer, it's weak. A plant doesn't crush its enemies, human."

Sebastián set the scissors down and stood, brushing the dirt from his hands with a slow motion that stood in contrast to Kaili's tension. "Not everything's about crushing," he said, his voice soft but brimming with conviction, his eyes meeting hers without fear. "Look at this." He bent down and plucked a small purple flower from the vine, holding it gently between his fingers. "One petal holds up another. It looks fragile, but together they make something strong, something lasting. Beauty's in the small details—in what you don't see at first glance, but keeps everything else alive."

Kaili snorted, her wings unfurling further, a gesture that bathed the garden in a cold shimmer. "Ridiculous," she growled, crossing her arms tighter, her runes glowing silver now, a sign of her disdain. "You expect me to believe your flowers have strength? They're decorations, toys for weaklings like you."

He smiled, a glint of challenge in his gaze that seemed to light the space between them. "Then help me fix the garden," he said, his tone a dare wrapped in warmth. "If power's all that matters, prove you can make something beautiful without even trying. Or show me I'm wrong—work with me and tell me there's nothing worth finding in the details."

Kaili stared at him, incredulous, her eyes narrowing as the golden sparks within them danced with a mix of arrogance and curiosity. "Me? The Precursor Throne of the Plague, decorating your garden?" Her voice was a sharp murmur, but there was a pause, a hint of the boredom that had settled over her in Aurora's absence. "What do I get out of this, human?"

"A challenge," he replied, his smile widening as he picked up a stray branch and set it into the arch. "Prove power doesn't need beauty. Or let me show you you're mistaken. Come on, Kaili—don't tell me a few plants scare you."

She let out a huff that echoed off the walls, but she didn't turn away. Her wings folded slightly, and she stepped closer, her presence filling the garden like a living shadow. "Nothing scares me," she growled, her tone biting yet tinged with a playful edge that eased the tension. "Fine, gardener. I'll play your game—but when I get bored, this turns to ashes."

Sebastián laughed, a soft sound that cut through the air like a beam of light. "Deal," he said, handing her a pair of rough scissors he'd unearthed from an old toolkit. "Start here. These vines need shaping—cut the dead stems, but gently. We don't want to hurt what's alive."

Kaili took the scissors with an awkwardness that clashed with her power, holding them like an unfamiliar weapon. "Gently?" she echoed, her voice dripping with disbelief as she approached the vine. "Why bother? If they're dead, let them rot." With a sharp motion, she sliced a stem, tearing off more than needed and leaving a jagged cut that made Sebastián gasp.

"No, not like that!" he exclaimed, darting to her side with a mix of exasperation and amusement. "You've got to be softer, Kaili. Watch." He took her hand in his, guiding it with a gentleness that stood out against her raw strength. His fingers, warm and rough with dirt, closed over hers, smooth and cool beneath her purple skin, and together they trimmed a dead stem with precision, leaving the plant unharmed. The touch was fleeting, but it sent a shiver through Sebastián, though he kept his focus on the task.

Kaili froze for a moment, her runes flaring gold as she felt the warmth of his hand against hers. It was an odd sensation, unsettling, a whisper of something she couldn't name. "Like this," he said, releasing her with a smile, "now you try."

She scowled, her eyes narrowing as she mimicked his motions. At first, she was clumsy, cutting too hard, but with Sebastián's patient corrections—"Slower, Kaili, feel the plant"—she began to find a rhythm. The clicks of the scissors filled the air, mingling with the water's murmur and Terrón's clumsy plops as it hauled soil to the roots. Bit by bit, the arch of vines took shape, a weave of purple and green that glowed under the gemlight.

"Not bad," Sebastián said after a while, stepping back to admire their work. "Look at that—it's beautiful, don't you think? The small details, the leaves, the flowers… together, they make something worth keeping."

Kaili snorted, her wings buzzing faintly. "Still useless," she growled, but her gaze lingered on the arch, and for a fleeting second, the silver sparks in her eyes seemed to soften. "Though… I guess it's not as dull as I thought."

He smiled, a mischievous spark igniting in his mind. "If you like that, I've got more," he said, his tone brimming with enthusiasm as he turned to a basket tucked among the vines. "I've been working with the garden's fibers—made some dresses, beyond that one you didn't want a while back. How about you try them? A runway, right here, to show that beauty's got its own strength."

Kaili stared at him as if he'd lost his mind, her runes flaring red again. "A runway?" she repeated, her voice a growl of disbelief. "Me, modeling your ridiculous rags? What's next, gardener, you want me to weave with you?"

"Just try it," he urged, pulling three dresses from the basket with a mix of pride and boldness. "If you hate it, burn them. But let me prove that the small details—like these—can be as powerful as you are. Come on, Kaili, be my runway queen."

She stared at him, her wings unfurling fully in a gesture that flooded the garden with a cold glow, but then she let out a dry laugh, a sound that rippled with incredulity and amusement. "Absurd," she growled, but there was a playful glint in her eyes. "Fine, weakling. I'll humor you—but if I get bored, this ends in flames."

Sebastián clapped, a sound that echoed through the garden like a victorious drumbeat, and set up the "stage": a mossy path between the vines, with Fireblossoms and gems as spotlights, and Terrón as an impromptu audience, perched with a handful of dirt. Kaili slipped behind a curtain of vines to change, and when she emerged, the garden seemed to hold its breath.

The first dress was modest, woven from Moonwhisper fibers in a silver-gray that fell in soft layers to her ankles, cloaking her curves in simple elegance that stood apart from her armor. Long sleeves grazed her wrists, and a high neck framed her face like a crescent moon. Kaili strode down the path with steady steps, her wings folded, her runes glowing gold as she spun with natural arrogance. "What do you think, gardener?" she growled, her tone a challenge.

Sebastián clapped eagerly, his eyes alight. "Magnificent!" he exclaimed, his voice full of genuine admiration. "That gray makes your runes shine like stars. It's subtle but strong—like a night sky."

Kaili huffed, but a faint curve tugged at her lips, betraying her pleasure. She vanished behind the vines and returned in the second dress, bold and sensual: crafted from Fireblossom fibers in a blazing red, with a deep neckline that barely covered her chest, the fabric clinging to her curves like liquid flames. The skirt, short in front, stretched into a trailing tail that brushed the moss, and her wings unfurled to match the fiery hue. She walked with a confidence that warmed the garden, spinning with a motion that made the fabric flicker like embers.

"Spectacular!" Sebastián shouted, clapping harder, his face bathed in the reddish glow. "That red's pure power—you look like a queen who could torch the world. Incredible!"

She smiled, a flash of pure arrogance, and slipped away to change again. The third dress blended modesty and allure: woven from green vine fibers, it fell in an asymmetrical cut that draped one shoulder while baring the other, the skirt tight to her hips before flaring into pleats that grazed her knees. Thin, nearly sheer sleeves adorned her arms, and tiny purple flowers edged the hem, echoing the ones she'd trimmed. Kaili glided down the path with slow steps, her wings spread like a mantle, her runes shimmering silver as she turned with a grace that seemed to defy her own nature.

"Beautiful!" Sebastián cried, his applause ringing out as Terrón dropped dirt in a clumsy mimicry. "That green's pure life—you look like a forest that could swallow anything. Perfect!"

Kaili retreated behind the vines one last time, and when she stepped out, the garden fell into a reverent hush. She wore the dress he'd given her weeks ago, woven from Moonwhisper fibers: a silver gown that flowed in gentle waves to the floor, with a subtle neckline hinting at her collarbones and a skirt that bloomed like petals with each step. Long, translucent sleeves clung to her arms, and the fabric gleamed under the gemlight, her runes sparkling like constellations. She walked with deliberate slowness, her wings arcing majestically, and as she spun, the skirt rose like a moon ascending, leaving Sebastián breathless.

He swallowed hard, his eyes locked on her, and before she could finish the walk, a surge of inspiration struck. He dropped to one knee, his heart pounding with a mix of boldness and tenderness. "Kaili," he said, his voice trembling yet firm, "will you dance with me?"

She halted, her cosmic eyes glinting with a blend of surprise and amusement, the golden sparks within them dancing as she looked down at him. "A dance?" she growled, her tone sharp but warmed by a curiosity she couldn't hide. "What madness is this now, human?"

Sebastián stood, extending a hand with a gallantry that felt instinctive, born from a place deep within him. "Just a moment," he said, his smile soft but intent. "No tricks, no interruptions—just us."

Kaili let out a low laugh, a sound that rippled through the garden like an echo of delight, and took his hand with playful arrogance. He drew her close, his other hand settling on her waist with a gentleness that sought to share, not take. They began to move, their steps hesitant at first, a tentative sway as the moss crunched beneath their feet. The gemlight wrapped around them, casting soft shadows that danced alongside, and Kaili's wings fluttered with a whisper that lent its own rhythm to the air.

The shift was gradual, a closeness that deepened with each motion. Sebastián guided her with a smile, his hand steady on her waist as she turned under his arm, the dress's skirt flowing like a silver stream. Their bodies drew nearer, the space between them shrinking until the warmth of her purple skin brushed against his, a contact that craved nothing beyond the joy of the movement. He glanced up, and for the first time in a hundred years, his eyes lingered on hers—black as the void, speckled with golden, red, and silver sparks that shimmered like a universe held captive. They were beautiful, a revelation that hit him like a quiet thunderbolt, a detail he'd overlooked in a century of shadows until this moment stole his breath.

"Kaili," he whispered, his voice low and earnest, his breath grazing her neck as they turned, "your eyes… they're a wonder."

She spun again, her wings brushing him with a whisper that filled the air, and for an instant, their gazes locked, a gleam of pure delight in her cosmic sparks that needed no words. "Don't be ridiculous," she growled, but her smile betrayed how much she relished the moment, her runes pulsing with a warmth that bathed the garden.

They kept moving, the garden enfolding them in its light and stillness, Terrón clapping awkwardly with its clay hands. The dance was gentle, a shared instant of harmony that sought nothing more than the pleasure of being together, and in Kaili's eyes, Sebastián found a beauty that, for the first time in a century, made him pause and marvel.