His To Unleash

Aria

The sun in Veyruhn never fully committed to shining. It hovered behind veils of clouds, offering a dull warmth that felt more like an illusion than comfort. Aria sat on the edge of the fountain in the courtyard garden, a place overgrown with wisteria and heavy-blooming roses. The stone beneath her was cold despite the season, and every breeze carried a scent too sweet to be natural—like the perfume of something ancient pretending to be alive.

She wasn’t alone.

Leira Delane stood by the crumbling balustrade, hands tucked in the pockets of her leather jacket, gaze fixed on the horizon where the tree line met the hills like the spine of a creature in slumber.

“I don’t trust this place,” Leira said finally.

Aria glanced up from the map she’d spread across her lap. It was one of the only ones she could find in the mansion’s ancient library. Old, yellowed, and barely legible.

“I don’t think this place wants to be trusted,” Aria replied.

Leira turned to her, eyes shadowed. “Then why are you still here?”

Aria shrugged. “Because something here is connected to my mother. I can feel it. And maybe… to me, too.”

A silence hung between them. Not heavy—just honest.

Leira finally moved closer, peering down at the map. “This town doesn’t have a proper center. Everything’s built in loops. Circles. Like it’s hiding something inside.”

Aria traced the ringed patterns with her finger. “It’s like a maze.”

“Or a trap.”

They both looked up at the same time.

“I had a dream,” Aria confessed softly, folding the map. “A dream where I was standing in the middle of Veyruhn… and everything was on fire. I heard someone whisper my name. I woke up shaking.”

Leira didn’t flinch. She sat beside her, voice low. “Did you hear who it was?”

Aria hesitated. “It sounded like Kael.”

“Of course it did,” Leira muttered, bitter amusement in her tone. “You’re drawn to him. You don’t even realize it. But he’s not safe. Nothing about him is.”

Aria looked down at her hands. “You’ve said that before.”

“I’ll keep saying it until you believe me.”

“Do you know something I don’t?”

Leira exhaled, standing again. “I know what it feels like to fall for someone who isn’t human. Or... not entirely. And I know it never ends well.”

Aria’s breath caught.

Leira looked away, voice distant. “There are things in this city. Old things. Curses, bloodlines, broken oaths. Kael is tangled up in all of it. Maybe you are, too.”

Aria felt the chill creep up her spine.

“Then help me figure it out,” she said. “You’ve been here longer than I have. You’ve seen more.”

Leira hesitated. Then nodded. “There’s an old building at the edge of town. A church that doesn’t show up on any map. It’s been sealed for decades. But people still leave offerings at the gate.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s where the first fire began.”

Aria froze.

“Meet me there tomorrow,” Leira said, her expression unreadable. “Bring something that belongs to your mother.”

Then she was gone.

Aria sat alone as the wind picked up again, scattering petals like a warning. Beneath her feet, the map of Veyruhn felt heavier somehow—as if the city itself had been listening.

And waiting.