Chapter 76 Anchored
The air, thick with the heady perfume of alien blossoms and the faint, sweet steam of the pool, froze around Klishei. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic bird trapped in a cage. The figure in the water, immense and undeniably male, had turned. Violet and gold eyes, ancient as nebulae, pierced through the rising mist, locking onto hers. A gasp caught in her throat, a choked sound of utter mortification. She had stumbled into someone’s private sanctuary, a sacred space, and witnessed this.
She flinched back, her hands flying up instinctively, as if to ward off an accidental trespass.
“Oh! I—I am so sorry!” The words tumbled out, a breathless rush. Her cheeks burned, a heat that had nothing to do with the temperate air. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I was-- I was running. From the bird. The guardian. I just… I got lost.” Her gaze darted around, seeking an escape, any path that would lead her away from this overwhelming, naked presence. The shimmering archway through which she’d entered seemed miles away.
A low sound rumbled from the figure in the water, a deep, resonant vibration that seemed to shake the very crystalline structures of the garden. It wasn’t quite a laugh, nor a growl, but something in between, a sound of ancient amusement.
“Running, little one?” The voice was a silken caress, deep as the void, yet sharp as splintered ice. It resonated with the weight of forgotten stars, a sound that bypassed her ears and vibrated directly in her bones. “From a guardian? They are merely observant.”
He shifted in the water, a ripple disturbing the obsidian surface. The mist, thick and fragrant, swirled higher, obscuring more of his form, yet somehow making his presence more potent, more dangerous. Klishei could still discern the powerful line of his shoulders but she could not make out the rest. Was he one of Jaden's comrades?
His eyes, however, remained startlingly clear, twin galaxies fixed upon her.
“I… I didn’t know it was a private space.” She swallowed, her throat dry. Every instinct screamed at her to flee, but her feet remained rooted to the spot, held captive by those unblinking eyes. The scent of him, raw and primal, ozone and something ancient, filled her lungs, mingling with the sweet blossoms. It was a scent that both repelled and drew her, a dizzying contradiction.
“Such apologies are rarely offered in these halls,” he mused, the corner of his mouth, a dark shadow in the mist, curving upward. “And rarer still, the scent of genuine surprise. And something else.” His head tilted slightly, as if sampling the very air around her. “The scent of nascent power. The Phoenix. Stronger than I anticipated.”
Klishei’s breath hitched. The Phoenix. He knew. Not just of the Phoenix, but that it was her. A cold dread seeped into her, chilling her to the core despite the warm, humid air. This wasn’t just a random cosmic bath-taker. This was someone important. Someone who knew things.
But it was impossible. According to the books, the dragon king was not the type to be seen outside. Moreover, the maidservant already informed her that Zarakhi was not staying in the same palace with her due to the restriction that they were forbidden to cross paths or see each other before their wedding.
“You… you know?” She managed, her voice barely a whisper. The awe she had felt for the garden vanished, replaced by a fresh wave of fear. This was why she had been brought here. This was the ultimate destination.
“The air hums with it,” he replied, his voice a low thrum. “A melody not heard in millennia. The very fabric of the Cosmos acknowledges your awakening, Phoenix Bride. Did you truly think you could hide it, even here?”
He still hadn’t revealed himself fully, the mist a deliberate veil, but the power emanating from him was palpable, a crushing weight in the serene garden. She could feel a faint aura, the same signature that Jaden emanates. This man was another creature of the cosmos. But why was he so hooked into her?
“I… I’m still Klishei,” she asserted, a spark of defiance igniting within her. Her human heart, despite its terror, refused to be cowed. “I don’t… I don’t understand any of this. I just want to go home.”
Another low rumble from the water, a sound that was definitely amusement this time.
“Home. A quaint concept for a cosmic entity. And a fleeting one, I assure you.” He pushed himself higher in the water. Klishei averted her gaze, her cheeks burning anew. She could feel the immense power radiating from him, the sheer, ancient authority. This was not Jaden, with his polished charm. This was something far older, far more dangerous.
“How did you find this garden, Klishei Aizal?” he asked, his voice losing its playful edge, becoming sharper, more interrogative. “Few are granted access to these inner sanctums. And even fewer stumble upon them by accident.”
She hugged herself, trying to appear smaller, less noticeable.
“I… I was in the library. I needed a break. Then the bird came. The big, iridescent one. It trilled at me. I got scared and ran. I just kept running down corridors until I found this place.”
He was silent for a moment, the only sound the gentle murmur of the cascading water. His eyes, violet and gold, seemed to bore into her, dissecting her words, searching for deception.
“The guardian,” he finally said, a hint of something unreadable in his tone. “It led you here. Interesting.”
“It didn’t lead me,” Klishei protested, shaking her head. “It just… appeared. And I ran. I just wanted to get away.”
“And yet, here you are. In the heart of my sanctuary.” He leaned his head back against the edge of the pool, the dark hair glistening with water. “A curious path, indeed, for one who claims no desire for destiny.”
Huh?
Klishei bristled.
“I never claimed that. I just… I don’t understand what my destiny is. Everyone tells me what I am, what I must do, but no one explains why. Or what it means for me.” Her voice trembled, a raw edge of frustration seeping into it. “I’m a human. I have a life down there at the Earth. I have Yeseus.”