Chapter 26: Yours at the End

The silence after the decapitation hung like fog—thick and unreal.

Noa stood still, sword lowered, breath shallow. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, not from fear…

…but from exhilaration.

Selene had caught her own severed head midair with practiced calm. Now, fully reattached, she rolled her neck with a soft pop, like she was working out a kink in her shoulder.

"You really tried to kill me," she said after a beat, voice oddly calm—Almost amused.

Noa exhaled slowly. A faint grin twitched at his lips. "You started it."

Selene cocked her head, golden eyes sharp and unreadable. "True."

She looked him over—not in fear, not in anger, but with that same cold, assessing look she always wore when something interesting happened. Her gaze lingered on his arms where the last flickers of black mist coiled before fading into his skin.

Then she spoke again, softer now.

"That thing… whatever it was—it wasn't normal magic."

Noa said nothing. Just smiled and sheathed his sword.

Selene didn't press. Not yet. But her narrowed eyes said she'd file that away.

She turned, walking across the worn stone arena, boots crunching faintly against the gravel. "You're reckless," she said over her shoulder, "but I've seen worse."

Noa followed, a half-step behind. "So... I passed?"

"You passed without dying," she said. "That's a start."

She stopped near a set of weathered training staves stacked against the wall. Dust rose as she brushed one off.

"You said you wanted to learn magic," she continued. "Let's see if you can manage the basics without slicing my head off again."

Noa smirked. "No promises."

Selene tossed him a wooden staff. He caught it with a slap of palm against wood.

"I'm not teaching you how to throw fireballs," she said. "That's for street performers and novice battlemages. What you need is focus. Control. Shadow magic feeds on instinct—but if you let it take over, it'll twist you before you can blink."

Noa nodded, adjusting his grip. "Sounds familiar."

She eyed him. "Good. Then you'll understand what I'm about to show you."

Selene stepped into the center of the training ground, pressing her palm against the cold stone floor. Her fingers curled slightly, and a faint shimmer rippled outward.

"The magic circle below this yard—it's old," she said. "The royal mages use it for trials. I've adapted it for… darker lessons."

Noa raised a brow. "Adapted how?"

"You'll see."

She closed her eyes and whispered a low, fluid incantation.

"Vorran ek dul vehl."

The sigils carved into the stone beneath their feet began to glow, violet and cold. A low hum filled the air. Noa felt a shift—like the ground itself was holding its breath.

"The field reacts to your thoughts," Selene said. "Your fears. Your impulses. It draws them out… and shows you what happens when they control you."

He glanced around as the runes thickened, the light coiling inwards like a whirlpool.

"What happens if I lose control?" he asked.

She didn't answer right away.

Then, softly: "You'll break."

Noa gave a thin smile. "Guess I'll have to avoid that."

The last thing he saw was Selene's sharp gaze as the light surged up around him—

And then, the world went black.

Inside the circle

He stood in a space that shouldn't exist—flat, dark, and endless.

Wind whispered things he couldn't understand. Or maybe didn't want to.

Mirrors surrounded him—tall, thin, and warped. But they didn't show him as he was. Each reflection revealed a version of himself. Twisted. Hungry. Powerful.

One showed him kneeling on a throne of corpses.

Another—laughing as a city burned behind him.

A third… showed Miyu. Bound in chains. Crying out for him. Begging.

Noa stepped back.

But the ground beneath him rippled like water, and the reflection shifted.

Now, it was Selene.

Bleeding. Smoke curling from her armor, one eye bruised shut—but she was smiling. Her hand reached toward him, trembling but unwavering. Her lips moved—

"If you're the end of everything… then I'll be your shadow."

The mirror shattered.

Outside the circle

Selene watched, tense.

Noa stood in the center of the glowing ring, unmoving—but something was wrong. The runes were flickering, unstable. The shadows around his feet weren't just reacting to the spell—they were fighting it.

The air around him thickened. Selene took an unconscious step back.

Then—

Boom.

A surge of black force exploded from Noa's chest.

The circle cracked.

Training dummies flew like dry leaves. The outer runes snapped and hissed before winking out.

When the dust cleared, Noa was still standing—steam rising from his back, breath ragged.

Selene stared.

His eyes glowed faintly red.

And something moved beneath his skin—barely visible, but wrong. Like tendrils or smoke crawling just under the surface.

Noa wiped blood from his lip. He didn't look shaken. He looked… thrilled.

"That was interesting," he said, almost laughing. "I thought you said this was just a warm-up."

Selene approached slowly, her gaze sharp.

"You weren't supposed to break the field," she said. "I've trained assassins and knights inside it—none of them reacted like that."

Noa tilted his head, feigning innocence. "Maybe I'm just gifted."

Selene's lips tightened. "Or cursed."

She didn't say anything more. But she didn't stop watching him, either.

*****

Later that night

The torches outside their room flickered as a storm rolled in over the city. The sky grumbled faintly with distant thunder.

Noa lay sprawled on the bed, one arm behind his head, the other lazily trailing dark mist through the air. The magic around him felt quieter now, but not gone.

Selene sat by the window, her armor half-off, boots resting beside the chair.

"You went too far," she said quietly.

"Maybe," Noa replied.

She glanced at him. "That thing inside you… it's not normal magic. I don't know what it is, but—"

"I don't either," he said flatly.

A beat of silence passed.

"…But I know it listens when I need it."

Selene didn't answer right away.

Then, almost reluctantly: "That's what scares me."

Noa turned onto his side, his back to her, breathing slow and steady as sleep settled in.

The firelight flickered low, casting long shadows across the room. Quiet. Still.

Selene sat in the chair by the window, one leg crossed over the other, unmoving—except for her eyes.

They were fixed on him.

Not watching.

Staring.

Her gaze dragged over the shape of his back, the way his muscles moved with each breath. The edge of a scar near his shoulder blade peeked out beneath the sheets. That same shoulder she'd seen roll under tension moments ago. That same mouth that grinned at her with blood on his teeth.

He looked so peaceful now. Nothing like the monster she'd seen glimpses of in the circle's backlash

Something stirred in her chest. Hot. Sharp. Unwelcome.

Her thighs pressed together slightly.

Selene didn't breathe for a moment. Didn't need to.

Her arms curled around herself slowly, fingers sliding up the sides of her body, almost as if mimicking a touch she hadn't earned. She tilted her head, lips parting just barely.

He didn't know.

How much she watched him.

How much she wanted to.

A faint blush crept into her cheeks, and she bit down on her bottom lip—not out of shame, but to ground herself.

He was dangerous.

Unstable.

But he was hers. She had decided that, even if he hadn't.

A twisted little smile pulled at the edge of her mouth.

She hugged herself tighter.

"I saw you first," she whispered, barely audible.

"I won't let anyone else touch you. Not them. Not even her."

He shifted slightly in his sleep, and Selene froze—then relaxed when he didn't wake.

Her legs uncrossed, then crossed again, slower this time. A soft, involuntary breath escaped her throat, followed by a low chuckle she quickly smothered with the back of her hand.

She leaned back, golden eyes never leaving him.

"You'll come to me eventually. You're already halfway there." she murmured, voice low and certain.

Still smiling, she closed her eyes—arms still wrapped around herself, heat lingering just beneath her skin.

"…and when you do, I won't let you go."