"The palace is large. Easy to lose your way."
I swallowed the scream clawing up my throat.
He held down.
He looked in the eyes that day.
He let the King open the portal.
And now... nothing?
I couldn’t trust this. Not yet. I needed to understand what this was—why he had no mory, if he was faking, or if sothing else was happening.
"I’m Athena, once again," I said quietly, offering a hand.
He took it politely. "Lucas once again."
His touch didn’t spark anything for him. But for , it felt like touching fire and frost all at once. My heart ached.
I nodded and backed away. "It was nice to et you again."
He returned the nod. "And you."
I walked out of the library on unsteady legs, the mont etched into my mind like a scar.
He didn’t rember .
Or he was pretending not to.
Either way... I was on my own.
When Lira found later, I was sitting beneath a glowing tree in the garden, staring at my reflection in the water.
"Hey," she said, sitting beside . "You okay? You look like you saw a ghost."
I forced a smile. "Maybe I did."
She nudged . "You’re quiet."
"I’ve just been thinking," I murmured. "About everything. About getting ho."
Lira looked out across the garden. "You never really told what happened to you."
I glanced at her, weighing how much to say.
"My world... it’s broken," I said slowly. "Because soone killed the Moon Goddess. That opened a portal. I fell through. But I need to get back. There are people I care about there. Things I need to fix."
She didn’t question any further.
Instead, she nodded solemnly. "Then we’ll find a way."
I looked at her, sothing like hope curling in my chest.
"We?"
"You’re my friend, Athena. I’ve said it like twice before now. Why would I abandon my friends."
I wanted to ask her in that mont why I hadn’t seen her mum or brothers but I ended keeping that question to myself.
Later that night, we stood before her father again.
The king was tall, graceful in a way that felt dangerous. His crown was shaped like wings and fla. His eyes—so much like Lira’s—pierced through .
He listened in silence as I told him more pieces of my story. I didn’t ntion Lucas. I didn’t explain that I’d recognized his trusted advisor.
"I need to get ho," I finished. "There has to be a way to open a portal."
He leaned back, hands steepled. "Like I said, there is. But the requirents are... significant."
"What kind?"
I swallowed hard. "I’ll find those things."
He studied . "Stay here while I find that out, Athena. Rest. We’ll help you prepare."
Lira bead. "Told you he’d help."
I bowed my head. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
His gaze was still on , sharp. "Lira vouches for you. That’s enough—for now."
As we left the throne room, I didn’t dare look back at Lucas.
The mont Lira and I stepped into my guest quarters, I felt the tension begin to unwind in my shoulders. The room was bright, warm, with glowing lanterns hovering like fireflies above soft silken bedding. The windows overlooked a misty garden with silver trees that shimred under the moonlight.
"You really like your room right?" Lira asked, flopping onto the nearest couch with a grin.
I smiled, genuinely this ti. "It’s beautiful. Thank you, Lira."
She shrugged like it was nothing. "You looked like you were going to faint earlier. I thought you might need so comfort."
I didn’t ntion Lucas that I’d seen beside her father.
I didn’t bring up the fact that I recognized him. Not yet. My heart still hurt too much and it didn’t feel wise to at this mont.
Instead, we sat by the large circular window, legs folded beneath us, sipping warm jasmine nectar and talking about anything but the past. Lira told about her escapades at the academy—the ti she turned her alchemy teacher’s hair pink for a week, or how she’d once outrun a dragonling in the royal gardens.
I found myself laughing, the sound foreign but welco.
"You know," she said, her cheek resting on her palm, "I don’t think I’ve ever t anyone like you. You’re strong, but you look like you’re always carrying a lot of burdens behind your eyes."
I looked away. "Maybe I am."
"Well," she said, stretching, "for tonight, let’s put that burden to bed. I will be sleeping with you!"
We curled under the silken blankets, and for the first ti in what felt like years, I slept without dreams. No visions of blood. No howling wind. Just silence.
And peace.
Morning ca with the scent of toasted sugar fruits and cinnamon bark. Lira barged in with a tray of pastries and a wide grin.
"Up! Get up! We’re going out!"
I blinked blearily. "Out where?"
"Into the city! You’ve seen the royal halls, but now it’s ti for the streets. The heart of the cultivator realm isn’t locked up in these towers—it lives down there, where the people laugh and the magic breathes."
I got dressed quickly, curiosity piqued. Lira lent a casual robe—light green with silver embroidery and a hood. She wore a deep plum tunic and pants tucked into worn leather boots. We looked nothing like royalty.
We slipped out through the back gate with only one cloaked guard trailing us at a distance. Lira said he was more for show.
The city was alive.
Street perforrs painted illusions in the air, spinning images of phoenixes and dancing lotus petals with a flick of their fingers. Children ran through the crowd chasing floating sugar orbs. Vendors called out in lodic voices, selling everything from enchanted trinkets to roasted moon-nuts.
"Co on!" Lira tugged my hand and pulled toward a stall selling glowing paper birds.
The vendor, an elderly elf with sparkling eyes, smiled at us.
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