Amari leaned back against the worktable, arms crossed, voice calm but heavy with certainty.
"According to the earliest folktales about this world, the gods descended when everything was still wild. They gathered a chosen few, people they deed worthy, and gave them a mission—to rule, to ta the chaos, and to make this planet a special place."
She glanced toward the greenhouse, where several glowing plants swayed as if in agreent.
"To help them, the gods bestowed powers upon them. Not magic—divine gifts. But only those the gods chose could wield these abilities."
Nova’s gaze remained steady.
"And those chosen ones... they beca royalty?"
Amari nodded.
"Yes. The chosen families beca rulers of different territories. Over ti, most lands rged, and one royal family stood above the rest. That’s the family ruling now."
She turned her eyes to Nova.
"Because the power is a gift, only those with royal blood, or those who serve the gods directly through imperial contracts, can manifest it. No one else. That’s how it’s always been."
Nova leaned against the wall beside the window, thoughtful.
"Are you sure about that?"
Amari arched a brow.
"There has never been a single recorded case of soone outside those two groups manifesting these powers. If soone did, the world would know."
He gave her a small, unreadable smile.
"Unless they were silenced before the world could know."
The air in the greenhouse shifted slightly.
Rin, who had been unusually quiet since showing her injuries, shot Nova a worried glance, then turned to peer outside the window.
The light had turned a dim amber, the sun lting into the horizon.
"I have to go. If I stay out longer, there’ll be questions."
Rin said suddenly, standing up and adjusting her robe.
Amari frowned.
"You’ll be back tomorrow?"
"If I can."
Rin said. Her voice was soft, but her steps were already moving. She paused at the door and gave Nova one last glance.
"You should stay inside tonight. If anyone sees you wandering, they won’t ask questions before acting."
Amari nodded after her.
"Be careful, Rin. Your injuries haven’t even begun to heal."
Rin forced a grin.
"They’ll be fine. As long as I don’t get caught." And with that, she slipped through the door and vanished into the dimming garden paths.
Nova watched her go in silence. Then he turned back to Amari.
"Tell , do you believe in gods?"
He said, voice low.
Amari gave him a look that lingered sowhere between suspicion and curiosity.
"Depends."
She said.
Nova’s eyes glead under the filtered greenhouse light. The air between him and Amari crackled with unspoken tension. He lifted his hand, palm up.
"I’ll show you sothing. A secret. But only if you’re willing to trust . Just... place your hand in mine."
He said softly.
Amari narrowed her eyes.
"This isn’t so trick, is it?"
"No trick. Just a glimpse."
Nova replied.
After a long pause, Amari stepped forward and cautiously placed her hand in his.
The mont their skin touched, Nova sent a small, precise current of his aether flowing into her. It humd beneath her skin, warm and strange. Before she could pull away, he spoke again.
"Now... imagine a fire. Picture it clearly. Let it burn in your mind."
He said.
Amari furrowed her brows, half-skeptical—but she did it anyway. The effect was instant.
A sudden burst of heat flared across her fingers, and in a blink, her hand was wreathed in fla.
She scread, panic flashing in her eyes.
"What—what is this?!"
"Calm your mind. Tell the fla to go out."
Nova instructed, his voice level.
Amari’s lips trembled, but she obeyed.
"Put it out."
She whispered.
And the fire vanished, snuffed into thin air as if it had never been there.
She stared at her hand in stunned silence. Her breath hitched, and she stumbled back from him.
"What... what did you do to ?"
Nova dropped his hand and leaned back casually against the counter.
"I didn’t do anything. I gave you a thread of my energy, just enough for a single act. The fire you created—that was you. Your will."
Amari clutched her chest, staring at him as if he were sothing inhuman.
"That was impossible. Only the chosen... only gods can do sothing like that."
Nova’s smile was faint, unreadable.
"Do I look like a god to you?"
Her lips parted.
"No... you’re not a god. You’re a devil."
She took a shaky breath.
He tilted his head.
"Neither. Not yet, anyway."
She blinked at him.
"I’m just soone who ca from outside this world. And I think your royal family—and all those sacred figures who claim divine right—were given their powers by soone like . Soone who ca from the stars."
He said calmly.
Her entire body froze. The greenhouse felt colder despite the heat lingering in the air.
"You’re lying."
"I’m not. This world isn’t the only one out there. I’ve been to others—seen what your kind would call miracles. But they’re not divine. They’re just aether, manipulated with skill."
Nova replied.
Amari turned away, clenching her fists.
"Stop. Don’t say another word."
Nova blinked.
"I don’t want to hear any more. I don’t know what you just made do. I don’t want to know where you ca from or how you got here. I already feel like I’ve heard sothing I shouldn’t have."
She said, voice sharp and trembling.
Her voice dropped, quiet and afraid.
"If anyone knew I let you say this much, I’d disappear by morning."
Nova’s expression sobered. He saw it then—the fear. Not of him, but of the world she lived in. Of the silent rules and invisible hands that punished even questions.
"Amari—"
"No. You can stay here because I owe Rin. But if you want to talk about this again, go find soone else. I won’t hear it."
She cut him off.
She stepped toward the doorway that led to the greenhouse proper, but paused just before crossing the threshold.
"You should get so rest. And if you want to stay hidden, be careful about what you say."
Then she walked away, the soft swaying of aether-touched plants hiding her retreat.
Nova stood in the center of the room for a while, alone, the mory of fla still lingering in the air.
Nova sat down slowly on the edge of the wooden bench, his eyes lingering on his palm.
The residue of the aether he had channeled was gone, but Amari’s reaction still clung to the space around him like smoke. He didn’t bla her.
People raised in chains didn’t know what freedom looked like—and when they saw it, they mistook it for fire.
So the royal family had managed to convince generations that their powers were divine. That they were chosen. Untouchable.
And yet, all it had taken was a thread of borrowed aether for Amari to wield sothing they’d spent their lives worshipping from afar.
Nova leaned back and looked up through the glass panes of the greenhouse roof.
The sky was beginning to darken, and already he could feel the air shift. The world outside was preparing for night.
He, too, would need to start preparing to undercover what was happening on this planet.
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