Chapter 14 Adventure
Then she raised her hands gently over the flowers again.
Soft glowing energy spread from her fingers, and instantly, all the plants around her bloomed even more beautifully. More color, more brightness, more life. It was like she was painting the garden with her heart.
But then… she felt it.
A presence.
Someone was watching her.
Lyra turned slightly, very slowly.
Standing behind a tall tree, barely visible, was Vyrian. His red eyes glowed faintly, watching her, studying her. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t move.
Lyra’s heart raced, but she pretended she didn’t see him.
She simply continued touching the flowers, as if she was completely unaware.
Vyrian’s gaze didn’t leave her for a single second.
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Echo cleaned Damon’s room gently, her hands moving softly so she wouldn’t make any mistake. She had been the one assigned to clean his chamber for some days now, and every time she stepped in, she felt her heartbeat getting faster. His room always carried his scent, warm, deep, and fresh like the wind after rain. She didn’t know why it made her so nervous, but it did.
Thankfully, Damon was rarely around when she came. If he was always here, she didn’t even know how she would act. She was too shy, too scared to even breathe properly near him. He was one of the strongest males in the academy, and though he smiled often, she still felt intimidated by him.
She bent down carefully to pick up a fallen scroll, brushing dust off it. She turned around to place it back on the table—
And her back slammed into something firm.
Someone firm.
She froze.
Slowly, she turned… and her breath caught.
Damon.
He was standing right behind her, tall and serious, his golden eyes watching her with no smile at all. Echo’s mouth opened and closed quickly like a fish trying to breathe.
“I—I’m sorry…” she stuttered, bowing her head quickly. “Forgive me, I didn’t know you were here—I didn’t even hear you—please, I won’t—”
“Stop,” Damon muttered, his voice calm but firm.
Echo swallowed hard, her heart beating so loudly she was sure he could hear it.
“I… I didn’t mean to bump into you,” she whispered again, still shaking.
He didn’t reply immediately. He just stared at her, expression unreadable. Damon was only ever warm and smiling when he was with his brother Kael… or with Juniper and Azania. But around others, he was always quiet, serious, hard to read.
Echo waited nervously for his response.
“Can you make something?” he suddenly asked.
Her eyes widened in shock.
“M–Make something?” she repeated quietly.
He raised an eyebrow, already getting impatient. “Must I repeat myself?”
She shook her head fast. “N–No, no, I can make something. What do you want?”
“Anything,” he said simply, turning away as if the topic didn’t bother him at all. “Just don’t make me wait for long.”
Echo blinked twice.
He… trusted her to cook for him?
She rushed out quickly, her cheeks still red, and went to the servants’ kitchen. Her hands shook as she started preparing a simple warm meal. She wasn’t the best cook, but she knew enough. She poured her heart into it, making sure it tasted nice. She wanted him to like it, she didn’t even know why.
When she returned to his room, Damon was sitting on a chair, arms crossed, eyes half-closed. He looked like someone who didn’t care much, but when she placed the bowl in front of him, his eyes opened fully.
He stared at the food for a moment.
Then at her.
She waited nervously as he picked up the spoon and took a bite. He ate gently, quietly, not showing any emotion, but he didn’t stop eating. He finished more than she expected.
Echo stood there with her hands pressed together, smiling softly. She didn’t want to make it too obvious, but she couldn’t help the tiny happiness inside her chest.
When she finished cleaning the last corner of the room, she bowed slightly.
“I—I’ll take my leave now,” she whispered.
She turned to leave.
But before she walked out, she glanced back at him once more.
Damon wasn’t smiling… but he wasn’t frowning either.
Just watching her.
And somehow, that alone made her feel warm.
She stepped out of the room with a shy smile, her heart fluttering gently.
He ate her food.
He trusted her.
And even though he didn’t smile, it still felt… nice.
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Azania came into the forest again the next afternoon, walking slowly between the tall trees like she had done some days ago. The forest was quiet, the air thick and soft, like it was holding its breath. She didn’t even know why she came back, but something in her chest kept pulling her here. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe it was madness. Or maybe it was that strange creature Vyrian.
She walked deeper until she reached the same area she had seen him last time. She didn’t call out or look around too much. She didn’t want to look scared or confused. Instead, she found a big tree with roots curling out like fingers, and she quietly sat down under it.
She knew he was there.
She didn’t have to look up to know it. She felt it, like a cold breeze crawling up her skin, like eyes watching her closely. Her heart beat a little faster, but she forced herself to breathe normally. She pretended like she came here to relax, like she didn’t notice anything unusual.
A soft rustle came from above. She almost smiled.
Vyrian was up there.
She didn’t know what he was or why he appeared to her yesterday, but she wasn’t ready to run away. She wasn’t sure if he wanted to hurt her, but something in her heart whispered that if he wanted to kill her, she would have been dead by now.
So she stayed.
She brought out two apples from the small cloth bag tied to her waist. She took one and bit into it quietly. It was sweet, the juice dripping a little down her fingers. She wiped it on her dress and kept eating. She didn’t look up once, even though she could feel him watching her the whole time.
Minutes passed like that.
Finally, she placed the second apple gently on the ground in front of her, right by her knee. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t even push it closer to the tree. She just left it there, like she wasn’t offering it to anyone. Like it was simply extra.
Then she wiped her hands on her dress, dusted her palm on the grass, and slowly stood up.
As she rose, Vyrian suddenly dropped from the tree without a sound, landing right in front of her and bending down, his long black hair falling slightly forward. She gasped a little, she didn’t expect him to come so close.
He was staring at her face, as if he was searching for the tiniest sign of fear or maybe proof that she could see him. His red eyes locked onto hers, cold but curious. His face was expressionless, sharp, almost too beautiful to look at. He bent lower, bringing his face close enough that she could feel his breath.
Azania’s heart slammed against her chest, but she didn’t move. She refused to flinch. She only raised her chin a little, acting calm even though her knees were trembling.
He kept staring. Maybe waiting for her to scream. Or run.
But she didn’t do any of that.
Instead, she stepped to the side gently and tried to walk out of the spot. She almost bumped into him because he was too close, but he moved back immediately, giving her space.
She didn’t say anything. She use her stick for directions. She simply walked away slowly, pretending she came here for nothing serious.
Vyrian remained still until she disappeared behind a line of trees.
Only then did he move.
He turned his head and stared at the apple she left on the ground. His expression shifted slightly, just a little surprise, maybe confusion. He bent down and picked it up carefully, holding it like it was something dangerous or something precious. He didn’t eat it immediately. He only watched it, his eyes following Azania’s fading figure.
His fingers tightened a little around the apple.
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