Chapter 121 SELENE'S MEETING
Selene paused at the edge of the city gates, her cloak drawn close around her as the last light of evening faded into shadow. To anyone watching, she was just another traveler—dust on her boots, silence in her steps.
But her eyes…
Her eyes were fixed on the palace.
Far in the distance, rising above the city like something untouchable.
Something wrong.
Her breath slowed.
“There you are…” she murmured softly.
It wasn’t the structure she was sensing.
Not the stone.
Not the guards.
It was the magic she had sensed from afar around the prince.
It was old.
Disturbed.
Like a wound that had been sealed… and forced open again.
Now, she was here to provide it's solution.
Selene’s fingers curled slightly at her side.
It pulsed faintly, almost like a heartbeat.
Familiar.
And at the center of it—the palace
And Kaelion.
\---
She entered the city without trouble.
No one stopped her.
No one looked twice.
Because no one was looking for her.
They were too busy looking over their shoulders.
The tension was obvious the moment she stepped into the streets. Merchants packed their goods quickly, speaking in hurried tones. Groups gathered in corners, whispering, arguing, glancing at shadows that didn’t move.
“…they say it was him—”
“No, it can’t be—”
“I heard someone saw his face—”
“And the children—”
Selene walked past them without slowing.
But she listened.
She always listened.
Kaelion.
His name was everywhere.
Twisted.
Broken.
Turned into something else entirely.
Her expression didn’t change—but her gaze sharpened slightly.
“So it’s already begun,” she thought.
Faster than she expected.
\---
She found a place to stay just as night fully settled.
A quiet inn tucked between narrow streets, the kind that asked no questions as long as coin was given. The room was small, simple, and dark—just the way she preferred it.
Selene closed the door behind her and stood still for a moment.
Listening.
Feeling.
The magic from the palace reached even here, faint but steady.
Calling.
Or warning.
She wasn’t sure which.
Slowly, she moved toward the window, pushing it open just enough to let the cool night air in.
Her gaze drifted again—toward the palace.
Toward him.
“…What have you gotten yourself into this time?” she whispered.
But there was no answer.
Only that same quiet pull.
\---
A soft flutter broke the silence.
Selene’s head turned instantly.
The movement had been small—almost nothing.
But she had learned long ago never to ignore small things.
Something landed just beyond the window.
She stepped closer.
A dove.
White.
Still.
Too still.
Its dark eyes met hers for a brief second before it lowered its head slightly, as though completing a task.
Selene frowned faintly.
“That was fast.”
Carefully, she reached out, her fingers brushing against its leg.
A small roll of parchment was tied there.
Of course.
She untied it with practiced ease, the dove remaining unmoving until the moment the message was free.
Then—
It took off.
Gone as quickly as it had come.
Selene watched it disappear into the night before lowering her gaze to the letter in her hand.
She hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then she opened it.
\---
Selene,
I’ve been trying to reach you.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
The handwriting was familiar.
Too familiar.
You’re harder to find than you used to be.
A faint breath left her.
That sounded like her.
We need to talk. Things are moving faster than expected.
Selene’s grip on the parchment tightened just slightly.
Of course they were.
Meet me tomorrow. East market. Before noon.
A pause in the writing.
As though the sender had taken their time before finishing.
Then—
Aren’t you curious?
Selene’s gaze dropped to the final line.
The name written there.
Simple.
Clear.
Unmistakable.
Lira.
\---
For a long moment, Selene said nothing.
The room felt quieter now.
Smaller.
Like the walls had closed in just a little.
“Lira…” she repeated softly.
Not surprised.
But not entirely pleased either.
Because if Lira was here—
Then this wasn’t just coincidence.
This wasn’t Kaelions doing.
This was something bigger.
Selene folded the letter slowly, her expression unreadable.
“…Why do you always show up when things start breaking.”
Her gaze shifted back toward the palace.
The magic pulsed again.
Stronger this time.
Or maybe—
She was just paying closer attention now.
\---
Two paths lay before her.
The palace.
Or the meeting.
Kaelion.
Or Lira.
Selene exhaled quietly.
“…One night won’t change anything.”
But her eyes said otherwise.
Because deep down—
She knew.
Everything was already changing.
\---
She stepped away from the window, the letter still in her hand.
Tomorrow would come quickly.
And when it did—
Answers would follow.
Whether she wanted them to—
Or not.
The next morning, she moved towards the palace.
But as she passed a courtyard, she saw him.
Her gaze locked onto him instantly. She caught up with him.
"Kaelion."
He stopped.
" What are you doing here?" She asked.
"I'm taking a tour."
"Without a guard. You've claimed your inheritance, right? It's not safe for you now without a guard!"
"Yes but I want to walk alone." He said without looking at her.
"I was coming to see you." She said.“Tell me, did you feel anything recently.”
It was not a question.
He did not turn immediately.
“Yes.”
Selene stepped closer, her expression guarded.
“How does it feel? Did you perhaps notice it’s coming from outside the palace.”
“I didn't know.”
“Then do you know what it is,” she pressed.
How could the perpetrator ask him that.
He finally looked at her.
“No,” he said.
A pause.
“But I know whom it is not from.”
Selene’s eyes narrowed. “Then say it.”
He looked at her briefly.
“Dont worry, it is not hers. She doesn't have that gut.”
The certainty in his voice made her hesitate.
For the first time since sensing the magic, doubt crept in.
“If not Celine…” she began slowly, “then who had magic or knew someone who had one. Except....?”
He looked past her.
“Is she confessing,” he thought.
Selene spoke immediately as if hearing his thought.
“Yes.”
His fingers loosened slightly on the wooden blade he held.
“It touched him,” he thought.
Selene stiffened. “Did it harm you?”
“No.”
That answer unsettled her more than if he had said yes.
His gaze sharpened.
“It probably recognized I was stronger.”
The words lingered.
Selene’s breath caught—just slightly.
A thought surfaced.
Dangerous.
Impossible.
She crushed it before it could fully form.
“That is not possible,” she said quickly. "That magic could easily give blackouts or make you weak. You look stronger than an army."
But he did not respond.
Because he was no longer looking at her.
He was looking inward. Seeing himself.
At the place the magic had touched.
Then he snapped out of the trance.
"I have to meet him soon."