The Darkness of the Night

The darkness of the night deepened over the Valtieri mansion, as if the shadows themselves wished to conceal the secrets that were being consumed within. Selene walked through the cold corridors, each step echoing like a lament, her heterochromatic eyes fixed on the emptiness ahead. There was something new in the air—not the metallic scent of ancient blood that clung to the walls, but a presence that carried memories and something even more dangerous: hope.

When she opened the door to the training room, familiarity embraced her like an old lover. It was there that she took refuge from the world, from her father, from the expectations, from the voices that called her cursed. With precise gestures and murmurs in an ancient tongue, she channeled her necromantic gifts. Small shadows twisted around her fingers, floating in the dense air. The Mark of Pain pulsed beneath her skin as if it were alive, whispering that there was still much to destroy—or to save.

The door opened, interrupting the flow of energy.

Selene didn't need to turn. The sound of those footsteps was familiar. It would be anywhere. Because she had learned to recognize it since she was sixteen, when he had entered her life like an unexpected light among the tombs of her dark existence.

"Selene," said Baltazar, his voice low and husky, and yet it seemed to illuminate the air around him.

She didn't turn. She simply continued her conjuration, the shadows now swaying as if they too recognized his presence. It was strange how everything reacted to him. As if even the darkness bowed before his light.

"Why are you here?" she murmured without looking at him.

"Because you're drowning. And I said I'd be by your side even when you chose to lose yourself." He took a few more steps. "And because the banquet is unbearable without you."

She scoffed, finally turning to face him. Baltazar's blue eyes were like the sky before a storm. Deep. Calm. And at the same time, so intense they hurt.

His long platinum hair fell loose past his back, reflecting the pale lights of the room. He wore the ceremonial robes of his clan—the Celestial Light Clan—with silver and gold details, ancient symbols that cruelly contrasted with Selene's dark ritual garb.

"You're the next leader of the most respected clan among the four. You shouldn't be mingling with someone like me." Her eyes burned with irony. "Or is this part of some noble mission? Save the cursed daughter of the Valtieri Clan?"

Baltazar gave a slight smile. A sad one.

"You always speak as if you're made of poison, Selene. But you can't see that even poison has its cure." He stopped just a few steps from her. "I didn't come to save you. I came to remind you of who you are when you're not hating yourself."

She clenched her fists. "What do you know about hate? You come from a home where everyone loves you. You were raised to lead. The world reveres you. The sun shines where you step."

"And you think that protects me from pain?" His eyes narrowed. "Selene, ever since I met you, something in me changed. I saw that white-haired girl, surrounded by shadows, and I couldn't look away. Even when you ignored me. Even when you pretended I didn't exist."

She hesitated. She remembered. Remembered the first time she saw him, at sixteen, on the ancestral hill during one of the clan ceremonies. He was like a vision. A prince from another era, another world. And she… just the abomination of the Valtieri bloodline.

"Why do you still try?" she whispered. "Why do you keep trying to get close to me when everyone else walks away?"

Baltazar took a deep breath, as if the answer hurt.

"Because I fell in love with that girl." He didn't look away. "The one who didn't know how to smile. The one who defied the elders with her gaze. The one who, even wounded… never truly broke."

Silence.

Selene looked away. Her heart beat fast, but she hated how it made her feel… human.

"You're in love with an illusion. I'm nothing like what you imagine."

"I know exactly who you are." Baltazar stepped closer, now so near she could feel the warmth he radiated. "You are made of pain. Of loss. But also of power. Of resilience. You don't need anyone to save you, Selene. But you need to stop running from those who truly want to stand beside you."

She closed her eyes for a second.

"I don't understand you…" her voice trembled. "I push everyone away, but you insist. Even when I'm cruel, even when I'm broken. Why?"

"Because your light, Selene… it's hidden in your darkest parts. And I… I see it. Even when you don't."

Her eyes filled with tears that refused to fall.

"I don't want anyone to see me. I don't want to be reminded of everything I've lost. Of everything I had to sacrifice."

Baltazar touched her fingertips. It was light, almost reverent.

"But I do. Because if you completely lose yourself, who will remember that Selene Valtieri is more than a curse?"

She looked at him. For a long time. For the first time, without armor, without shields.

"You shouldn't love me, Baltazar." Her voice was almost a lament. "I can drag you down with me. I can corrupt your light."

He smiled. And it was like sunrise among ruins.

"Then so be it. But know this… if it's to fall, I fall with you. And if it's to fight, I'll fight by your side. Until the end."

The door at the back opened abruptly. A servant entered, hurried.

"My Lady, the guests have dispersed. The banquet is coming to an end."

Selene looked at Baltazar. Then at the mirror. Then at herself.

"It's time to show them who I am," she said. "And I won't hide behind the name they gave me anymore. Let the clans see. Let Dante see. Let the world burn, but let it know… that Selene Valtieri chose her own fate."

And with Baltazar at her side, she walked into the darkness.

But something was different now.

She no longer walked alone.

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