19 - Emotion
1457 Words
The door creaked open with a low groan as Elise stumbled into her room, the heavy scent of smoke and rain still clinging to her hair and clothes. She barely managed to kick off her boots before collapsing face-first into the bed. Every part of her ached—there had been more monsters than usual today, more blood, more screams, more damage to clean up. She hadn't even healed from the last skirmish.
Her body screamed for rest, and for once, she listened.
Darkness took her.
A sliver of moonlight traced the edge of her windowsill when her eyes blinked open. Her mind fogged by exhaustion, Elise stirred slowly, reaching for the blanket—
And froze.
Someone was breathing beside her.
Warmth. Presence.
Her heart lurched into her throat as she rolled over in panic.
“Vael?!”
There he was, lying beside her like it was the most natural thing in the world. One arm under his head, the other draped casually over the blanket, his hair tousled, lips slightly parted in sleep. His normally unreadable expression had softened into something.
She bolted upright, clutching the covers to her chest.
“What are you doing here again, I thought you already left.” Her voice came out sharp, laced with disbelief.
Vael’s golden eyes fluttered open. He didn’t move. Didn’t even flinch. Just stared at her with the calm of a man who knew exactly what he was doing.
“You shouldn’t hold Soren’s hand anymore,” he said flatly.
Elise’s mouth fell open. “Excuse me?!”
Before she could get another word out, the world spun.
A blink—and they were gone.
The room they reappeared in was filled with glowing sigils and intricate glass instruments humming with ethereal energy. The air was thick with something... otherworldly.
“Wha—Vael! Where the hell did you take me?” she gasped, stumbling slightly from the sudden teleportation.
A woman turned from the far end of the room. Her eyes were bright, analytical, and piercing. She looked Elise up and down in a single glance, then smiled. “So. You’re the one with the surging power issue.”
Elise blinked. “Power issue?”
The woman nodded. “You’ve been experiencing emotional spikes—flares of power when fighting, especially when you're injured or pushed too far emotionally.”
Elise hesitated. “I mean… yes. It happens a lot. When I’m angry or—scared. It gets… out of control.”
The woman’s hands glowed softly as she hovered them over Elise’s chest and temples. “Hmm. As expected. Your energy flux aligns with trauma-linked catalysts. Come back after a day. I’ll calibrate something more permanent.”
Elise glanced at Vael as the woman left the room.
“How did you even find her?” she asked, still feeling the remnants of sleep and embarrassment tangled in her chest.
“She’s the daughter of the original Power Specialist,” Vael replied smoothly. “On vacation. I told her it was urgent.”
“Of course you did,” Elise muttered with a half-smile. “I forget sometimes—you can do anything, can’t you?”
Vael gave her a look, unreadable as ever, but something flickered in his gaze.
They walked side by side through the quiet city streets. Lanterns of red and gold swayed gently in the evening breeze, casting warm glows on the cobblestone paths. Children ran past with sparklers, laughing as fireworks began to pop faintly in the distance.
“It looks like New Year is coming,” Elise murmured, her voice softer now.
Vael didn’t respond, but he was walking close enough that she could feel the brush of his sleeve against hers.
“Hey, you two!”
Elise turned to see a vendor waving at them from a brightly decorated stall filled with sweet rice balls shaped like stars.
“Want to try? We have a couple's promo tonight!”
Before she could protest, Vael had already stepped forward.
“We’ll try it,” he said.
Elise’s face turned red as his hand slid into hers, pulling her closer.
“Wait—Vael!” she hissed. “They think we’re a—”
“It’s fine,” he said coolly.
She stiffened at the touch, trying to tug her hand free. “You’re cruel, you know that?” she muttered, her voice trembling with a complicated mix of frustration and… something else.
“Vile. Heartless. Arrogant,” she added under her breath.
“You forgot devastatingly handsome,” Vael replied dryly.
Elise elbowed him, but it lacked real force. “We made a deal, Vael. That’s all this is. Don’t—don’t confuse things. You getting close like this… it’ll only cloud my judgment.”
She tried to pull her hand away again.
He didn’t let go.
“Elise,” he said quietly, almost too gently. “Your power. It can slip. I’m not doing this for fun. I’m helping you control it. Just think of it like that.”
She paused. Her fingers still locked in his.
“I see,” she whispered, forcing a small smile. “So I’m just a mission to you.”
But even as she smiled, something inside her twisted. A subtle ache she didn’t want to admit.
She looked down at their intertwined hands.
He still hadn’t let go.
And the lantern light made it all look far too warm.
The vendor handed them warm rice balls wrapped in crisp parchment. Elise took one with her free hand, avoiding Vael’s gaze as he thanked the man in his usual clipped tone.
They stepped away from the stall, still hand in hand, the soft buzz of conversation and laughter around them only amplifying the silence between them.
Elise chewed slowly, more focused on the strange tightness in her chest than the sweetness of the food. Vael’s hand was still wrapped around hers—firm, steady, unrelenting. Like he didn’t even consider letting go.
“This is ridiculous,” she mumbled, her voice low. “We’re not a couple.”
Vael didn’t reply at first.
“You didn’t say that when you held Soren’s hand.”
Elise froze mid-step.
Her eyes slowly turned to him, brow furrowed. “That’s what this is about?”
“No.” His eyes glinted under the lantern light, golden and sharp. “It’s about control. You lost it after that. I won’t risk it again.”
“You’re lying,” she said softly, almost bitterly. “This isn’t just about power. Admit it. You don’t like seeing me with him.”
Vael’s gaze didn’t waver. “That doesn’t matter.”
“Oh, it does to me,” she snapped, the words tumbling out before she could stop them. “Because I still remember that you're the man who interrogated me. Threatened me. Told me I was just another liability. You don’t get to act like you care now.”
His jaw tightened. But still, he didn’t let go.
“I’m not acting,” he said. “I do care.”
The words were low—barely audible beneath the distant crackle of fireworks. It caught her off guard, stealing the breath from her lungs.
Her heart thudded unevenly.
“No, you don’t,” she whispered, turning away. “We have a deal. That’s it. Don’t pretend it’s more. I can’t afford to believe it is.”
“Elise.”
His voice, this time, was softer. Not commanding. Not cold. Just… real.
She didn’t want to look back, but she did.
His expression was unreadable, but the emotion in his eyes—the faint trace of regret, frustration, something raw—it made her chest hurt.
“You’re pushing me away because you think love makes you weak,” he said. “But I’ve seen you fight when you care. You’re not weaker. You’re unstoppable.”
She stared at him, stunned. Her throat tightened.
“I’m not yours to care about,” she managed, stepping back. “Not like this.”
He looked down at their joined hands. Slowly, finally, he let go.
The absence of his touch stung more than she expected.
They stood there in silence, surrounded by strangers and soft lights and the hum of celebration. It felt like the rest of the world was moving forward, but the two of them were stuck—between history, hesitation, and things unspoken.
After a long pause, Elise finally said, “Let’s go back.”
Vael nodded.
They walked side by side again, the distance between their shoulders small, but suddenly vast.
She didn’t say another word.
But her heart was a quiet, aching drumbeat in her chest, and for some reason, it didn’t stop echoing his name.
- Writer
