Soft Mornings & Darker Threats

Lioren woke slowly.

The world was warm.

For the first time in what felt like eternity, he wasn't waking up to cold marble floors, to endless light, to the suffocating weight of expectations.

Instead, there was warmth.

A steady presence beside him.

Vael.

Lioren barely moved, his breath even, his mind still caught in the haze of sleep. He could feel Vael next to him—close but not suffocating, his body a solid, steady heat.

Their limbs weren't tangled, but their proximity made every inch of contact electric.

Lioren exhaled softly, his fingers twitching against the fabric of the makeshift bed.

He felt safe.

The realization was startling.

I shouldn't feel this way.

And yet—

He did.

A shift.

The weight beside him stirred, muscles stretching beneath warm skin.

And then—

A touch.

Soft. Unexpected.

Fingers tracing lightly over his cheek, calloused but gentle.

Lioren's breath caught.

His silver eyes fluttered open, just in time to see Vael watching him.

Half-lidded, still heavy with sleep, but unmistakably awake.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Vael's fingers ghosted over Lioren's skin, trailing down slowly—deliberate, lingering.

Then—his hand shifted.

A firm grip at his waist.

A tug.

Before Lioren could process it, he was pulled closer.

Their bodies barely an inch apart, heat radiating between them.

Lioren's pulse slammed against his ribs.

His lips parted slightly, but no words came.

Just silence.

Just heat.

Just Vael.

Then—Vael smirked.

"You're staring."

Lioren froze.

His body went rigid, heat rushing to his face as Vael chuckled, deep and low.

Lioren scowled, turning away quickly.

"I wasn't staring."

Vael hummed, fingers still resting lightly on Lioren's waist. Holding him there.

"Sure you weren't."

Lioren clenched his jaw, still burning.

This was dangerous.

This feeling.

This thing between them.

It was too much.

And yet—

It wasn't enough.

The moment they stepped out of the chamber, the weight of Kur'thaal settled back onto their shoulders.

Vael was the first to move.

His entire body shifted into something sharper.

More calculated.

More him.

He wasn't just Vael anymore.

He was a leader.

And Lioren was walking beside him.

"This is just the beginning," Vael muttered as they walked.

Lioren glanced at him. "Of what?"

Vael exhaled sharply, his eyes flickering toward the city below.

"The war."

Lioren frowned. "Kur'thaal and Asphodel have always been at war."

Vael nodded, but his expression darkened.

"This is different," he said. "Something's coming. Something Lilith has been preparing for."

Lioren's chest tightened.

Lilith.

She was a name that lingered in the air like a shadow—silent but all-consuming.

And he had no doubt that she was watching.

Waiting.

When they reached the base of the tower, Tix was already there, leaning casually against the stone, a smirk on his face.

"Look who's finally awake."

Lioren rolled his eyes. "I was—"

"Busy?" Tix interrupted, grinning.

Lioren scowled.

Vael ignored them both. "Where's Vehla?"

Tix shrugged. "She's making rounds. You know how she gets."

Vael nodded, turning serious. "We need to move carefully. Lilith is planning something, and whatever it is—it's going to change everything."

Tix's smirk faded.

The atmosphere shifted.

"We've been saying that for months," Tix muttered. "But if you're finally saying it, then it's worse than we thought."

Vael's jaw tightened. "We need to be ready."

Lioren's pulse was steady.

But inside—

He knew.

This wasn't just about survival anymore.

It was about choosing a side.

And he had already made his choice.