Don't lie to me

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Door Between Them

The hallway felt quiet in a way that disturbed Solene—not because it was empty, but because it felt familiar.

She had never been to this part of Skyreach before. Never walked these smooth, echoing halls. Never passed the crystalline sconces or the etched symbols carved lightly into the walls.

And yet... something in her bones whispered that she knew this path.

Every step.

Every breath.

Like walking through a memory that wasn't hers.

It lingered all the way to the door.

A simple, polished mahogany barrier with no ornate design, no mystical glow. Plain, quiet, out of place compared to the grandeur of the palace.

Her hand hovered over the handle.

Every part of her screamed to walk in. No knock. No warning. Just enter, like she had a thousand times before.

But she resisted.

She curled her fingers into a fist.

And knocked.

---

Inside, Nyxara jolted up from her seat, scrambling to wipe her eyes with a scrap of cloth. Her body moved with rushed, imprecise magic, grabbing her dark sunglasses and slipping them on just as her voice tried—and barely managed—to stay level.

"It's unlocked," she called, loud enough to carry but not quite steady.

A moment later, Solene stepped through the doorway.

She shut it behind her quietly.

Nyxara turned around slowly, a forced smile pulling at her lips.

"Come," she said, gesturing to a small round table near the open windows. "Tea?"

Solene didn't answer right away. Her brows were faintly drawn, her gaze flickering not to the table, not to the tea set—but to Nyxara.

"Sure," she said at last, sitting down slowly.

Nyxara turned away, hands only trembling a little now as she poured the steaming liquid into two simple porcelain cups. The scent of herbs and something faintly sweet filled the room. Silence wrapped around them like gauze.

Nyxara picked up one cup and offered it to Solene, her smile too wide, too polished.

But before Nyxara could speak—

Solene's voice cut through the air.

"Take those glasses off."

Nyxara froze, mid-movement.

"Solene—"

"Don't lie to me," Solene said softly, but her voice carried an edge of iron. "You're not drunk. You're not hungover. You've been crying. And you're faking it because you think we wouldn't understand."

Nyxara stood perfectly still.

Then, slowly, her fingers moved up and pulled the glasses down.

Red-rimmed eyes.

Dark circles.

A shimmer that hadn't quite dried.

"You always play the part," Solene said gently. "Flirtatious. Unshakable. Aloof. But today... your mask broke."

Nyxara looked down.

And for once—she didn't know what to say.

The cup of tea in her hand trembled just slightly.

And Solene waited.

Not to judge.

But to listen.

A bittersweet smile ghosted across Nyxara's lips. Her eyes shimmered with tears, but there was warmth in them too—a fragile flame of memory flickering in the cold.

"You could always see through me..."

Solene didn't flinch. Didn't move. She just listened.

Nyxara turned her gaze toward the window, watching the clouds drift just beyond the glass. Then, softly, she began.

"Let me tell you a story."

Her voice was quiet. Gentle. But carried the weight of centuries.

"Eons ago, I was born on a world very far from this one. A realm called Shenshou. It didn't have magic, not like here. But it thrummed with spiritual energy. The air was alive with it. The trees breathed it. The oceans whispered it."

She paused, taking a slow breath.

"My father was a frost serpent. My mother, a flood dragon. Powerful, ancient. I was their firstborn. And in our bloodlines, the first child always takes after the father. So... I was born a frost serpent. A divine beast."

Solene's brows furrowed slightly, listening.

"I won't bore you with the technical hierarchy of beast clans and divine ranks," Nyxara said, a flicker of her old sarcasm tugging at the edge of her voice. "Just know that being 'special' didn't make life easier. My blood was too pure. Too powerful. It set me apart from my siblings, my kin... even my parents feared what I might become."

She leaned back in her chair, swirling the tea she hadn't touched.

"I wandered. Trained. Fought. Like all cultivators, I chased strength. And one day, I pushed too far. Took a wound I couldn't recover from. I collapsed in the middle of nowhere. I should have died."

She looked up.

"But someone found me."

Her voice caught.

"A human girl. Small, quiet, stubborn. She patched my wounds with trembling hands and herbs she barely understood. Sat by me for days. Sang songs while I slept."

Solene stared, the storm in her chest growing darker, heavier.

"When I healed, I stayed. We traveled together. An odd pair—a divine beast in human form and a mortal girl. Back then, our worlds hated each other. But she didn't care. And neither did I."

Nyxara's voice cracked, a sound like something shattering.

"I fell in love with her. Truly. Deeply. She had silver hair, like moonlight on snow. And she bled blue. A rare bloodline—not divine, but unique enough that my heart couldn't look away."

Her hand trembled against her cup.

"I was young. Stupid. Thought I could return home and convince my father to accept her. To bless our bond."

Solene's fingers clenched in her lap.

"Instead..."

Nyxara's voice broke.

"He slaughtered her in front of me. Called me a disgrace. Filth. Said beasts don't mate with cattle."

A long silence followed.

"I lost control," she whispered. "I killed him. My siblings. Tore through my bloodline until only ash remained. Then I left that world. Left everything. And began searching for her soul."

Nyxara looked back at Solene, her gaze heavy with quiet devastation.

"And I found it."

Solene didn't speak.

Couldn't speak.

Nyxara stood slowly, moving to the edge of the table.

"Even though she doesn't remember me... I found her."

She stepped closer.

"Solene... it was you."

The silence stretched between them like the space between stars.

And Solene's heart trembled.