(Malik)
The chamber was cloaked in silence, a rare respite amidst the cacophony outside. The sun sank beyond the horizon, casting deep twilight shadows across the ancient stone walls of our castle - a fortress that had weathered centuries and witnessed the tumult of our kind, yet it felt like an indifferent backdrop to the joyful dance unfolding before my eyes. There, in the center of the room - a sanctuary infused with rich crimson tones and flickering candlelight - my beautiful mate, Juriel, moved with a grace that defied the very nature of the world around her.
I stood in the shadows watching, the weight of my crown a familiar burden on my brow, though tonight it felt lighter, filled with a sense of hope rather than the crippling responsibility that often accompanied it. She was radia
