Selene’s question still hung between them, echoing faintly in the cavernous space. The ruins stretched out in every direction—broken pillars half-buried in dust, walls covered in faded glyphs, and a ceiling so high it disappeared into shadow. A faint, unnatural glow seeped from the cracks in the stone, like veins of light running through a dead giant.
Noel’s reply had been blunt, but he knew it wasn’t enough. He glanced around again, every instinct screaming that this wasn’t just so random underground ruin. "Stay close," he said finally, lowering his voice. "If we’re not careful, this place will eat us alive."
Selene stiffened at the words. She didn’t move away, though. In fact, she hovered just a step nearer, the mory of being carried in his arms seconds before still prickling at her skin. Heat rose to her cheeks, and she hated herself for it. ’Why?’
Her silence stretched on. Noel caught it imdiately. "You okay?" he asked, eyes narrowing as he studied her.
"I’m fine," she answered quickly, sharper than she intended. She fixed her gaze on the shattered remains of a mana drone lying twisted on the ground. The fall had crushed it, its crystal core flickering once before going dark. "Looks like we’re... on our own."
Noel followed her gaze and exhaled slowly. "Yeah. Guess the audience just lost the feed." A grim sort of relief touched his voice—finally, no eyes watching, no expectations pressing down on his back.
Still, the silence of the sanctuary pressed in like a weight. He rested a hand on Revenant Fang’s hilt. "We move together."
Selene only nodded this ti.
The two of them moved carefully along the edge of the massive chamber, their steps muffled against ancient stone. The walls bore carvings so eroded they looked more like scars than words, broken lines that hinted at long-forgotten prayers. Fallen debris littered the floor, jagged blocks and splintered beams that made every step a test of balance.
Noel’s eyes kept scanning, sharp and restless. His hand hovered near Revenant Fang’s hilt, thumb brushing the rough grip as if ready to draw at the slightest sound. "We need sowhere defensible," he muttered. "A spot where we can set up, keep watch, and not get crushed if more stone decides to drop on us."
Selene followed silently, wand in hand, frost already whispering at her fingertips. Her eyes traced every shadow, every flicker of movent. Even so, she couldn’t shake the faint warmth in her chest at his earlier words—stay close. She hated how much she noticed them.
They passed the wreckage of the fallen drone, its tal husk cracked open, gears twisted like broken ribs. Noel crouched for a mont, nudging it with the tip of his boot. "Completely fried. No signal’s getting out from here."
Selene stopped short at his casual tone. "You don’t sound bothered."
He gave her a faint smirk, though his eyes didn’t lose their edge. "Why would I? Privacy’s a rare luxury."
The words hung for a beat too long, pulling a faint flush to her cheeks. She quickly turned away, eyes scanning the ruins ahead.
A narrow passage opened at the far end of the chamber, partly collapsed but still wide enough for two to slip through. Noel gestured toward it. "That’ll do. Cover, one way in, one way out."
Selene nodded, voice steady this ti. "Agreed."
Together, they slipped inside, shadows swallowing them whole.
The passage widened into a smaller chamber, its ceiling intact, the air less choked with dust. A flat slab of stone jutted from the wall—good enough for a seat—and the floor was mostly clear. Noel gave it a quick once-over before nodding. "Not perfect, but it’ll do. We’ll hold up here for now."
Selene lowered herself onto the stone slab, wand still across her knees. She stayed tense, eyes flicking to the shadows. "For how long?"
"As long as it takes." Noel unfastened the pouch at his side and drew out a wrapped bundle, the sll of dried at and bread filling the chamber. "We’ve got food and water for a few days. More if we ration it."
Selene’s gaze followed the food, but her expression didn’t shift. Noel noticed anyway and smirked. "Don’t worry. There’s enough... unless you plan to eat it all in one go."
Her head snapped toward him, eyes narrowing slightly. "I wouldn’t."
He shrugged, tone deliberately casual. "Just trying to lighten the mood."
Her brows furrowed. "Considering how deep we are, the first sounds more realistic."
"Maybe." He chewed, then muttered, "But relying on others has never been my style."
Selene glanced at him sidelong, chewing slowly.
The al didn’t last long, but the silence that followed lingered. Dust still floated lazily through the chamber, catching faint glimrs of light from the cracks above. Selene sat with her wand balanced loosely in her lap, her shoulders no longer rigid but her eyes fixed on the broken drone in the corner. Its lens was shattered, wires jutting out like torn veins.
"If even one of those things had survived..." she murmured.
"They’d know where we are," Noel finished, following her gaze. He tossed a crumb at the wreck, watching it bounce off the dented shell. "But they don’t. Which ans no one has a clue."
Selene shifted, frowning faintly. "Then our choices are worse than you said before."
"Maybe not worse," Noel said, pulling his knees up and resting an arm on them. "Just slower. We wait, maybe soone up there notices two of their precious heirs missing. They’ll dig. Eventually."
"And if they don’t?"
He exhaled through his nose, eyes narrowing at the darkness of the ruined passage behind them. "Then we find another way. This place isn’t natural, so this place has to have an exit."
Selene stayed quiet, but a tiny crease ford between her brows. Being this close to him, hearing him say we instead of I, tugged at sothing she couldn’t na. She finally muttered, "You sound certain."
"I’m not," Noel admitted, voice flat but edged with that stubbornness she’d co to recognize. "But what good would it do if I sounded doubtful?"
The weight of his words pressed into the chamber. For once, Selene didn’t argue. She let her head tilt back against the stone wall, eyes slipping closed.
Noel glanced at her, then back at the dark corridor stretching deeper into the sanctuary. The drones above might not be watching anymore, but he couldn’t shake the thought: ’This place is wrong. And the system throwing a mission here? That’s no coincidence.’
His jaw tightened. "Looks like we’ll be stuck together for a while," he muttered under his breath.
Selene kept her eyes closed, but her mind refused to rest. ’How do I even say it?’ The words felt impossible, heavier than any spell she could cast. ’I’ve never cared about anyone like this. Never wanted to. And yet... every ti he looks at , it’s harder to breathe. Every ti he fights, I can’t look away.’ Her fingers curled against her wand, nails biting into the wood. ’But he already has others. Elyra, Elena, Charlotte... where would I even stand? If I speak, I risk everything. If I stay silent, I’ll lose him anyway.’
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