The room fell into an eerie silence. Mae's energy still lingered, heavy in the air, but the Unseen had retreated. The dark shapes flickered, slowly fading. They hadn't been defeated, but they had hesitated. Mae had never felt that before. The walls still shuddered, but the ground had settled, the tremors no longer shaking the room to its core. The air was thick with the weight of what had just happened.
Lucien stood next to Mae. He moved first, gently lifting her to her feet as if she might collapse. Mae blinked, dazed, her knees buckling slightly from the residual energy. She could still feel the aftershocks, but they were different now, not as uncontrollable. Lucien's voice was soft but firm. "You're okay. You did well. Just breathe."
But Mae barely heard him. Her mind raced, trying to process the wave of power that had torn through her. She hadn't known she could do that. She hadn't known anyone could. "Mae," Ashar's voice broke through, rough with confusion. He stood in the corner, his sword still in hand. His eyes were wide. "What just happened? What was that?" Mae snapped her gaze to Ashar. His concern was clear, but something else in his eyes, fear, caught her off guard.
She opened her mouth, but the words caught in her throat. She couldn't explain it. She didn't understand it herself. Lucien spoke up, his voice calm. "They aren't gone. They've backed off for now, but they will be back." Ashar's eyes narrowed. "You're saying she did that? She fought them off?"
Lucien's jaw tightened, his hand still resting on Mae. "No. She disrupted them. Something we never thought possible." Ashar's gaze shifted back to Mae. "That's not possible. No one can-"
"Mae can," Lucien interrupted, his tone hardening. "And that's what you need to understand. She's not the same person anymore. She's something more. And you need to prepare for that." A low rumble echoed through the walls. The sound wasn't quite the hum of the Unseen, but something darker was beginning to respond.
Mae pushed herself up from Lucien's support. "I don't understand," she whispered, breaking the silence. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I just, wanted to stop them."
"You did," Lucien said quietly. "And you'll do it again. But you need to be ready. They are coming for you, Mae. For all of us." Mae glanced at the others. Ashar, his features hard, still processing the impossible. Kaine, his stance tense, his eyes flicking between Mae and Lucien with growing suspicion. Riven, who hadn't said a word, but had been watching them both closely. The unspoken question was clear: What does this mean for them?
"What happens next?" Ashar asked, voice rough with command and concern. Lucien glanced at Mae before turning back to Ashar. "We find out. Together." For a moment, Mae and Lucien stood there, the weight of their connection lingering between them. She could feel his protective presence, the quiet strength that had never wavered, even in the chaos. But there was something else in the air, a shift, something new between them.
The Unseen were regrouping, their whispers already returning, dark, guttural murmurs that crawled inside her mind. And Mae knew one thing for sure: She had changed. But not just herself. The world. Everything. And nothing would ever be the same. As the others retreated to the far end of the room, the buzz of conversation and hurried whispers of planning faded into the background. Mae and Lucien were left standing alone in the quiet aftermath, the crackling energy between them still palpable.
Mae's breath steadied, but the weight of everything, the battle, the power, the Unseen hung on her like a suffocating cloak. Her mind raced. "I didn't mean for it to be like this," she whispered, her voice low and almost inaudible, as if the words were meant only for Lucien. "I didn't know what I was doing." Lucien's gaze softened, and he stepped closer to her. His hand brushed against her arm, just the slightest touch, but it sent a tremor through her.
"You don't have to explain yourself to me," he said quietly, his voice low and soothing. His hand lingered on her skin, and Mae could feel the heat of his touch, his energy, his power, mixing with hers, both overwhelming and steadying at the same time. But there was something else, something she hadn't allowed herself to recognize. The connection between them was no longer just physical. It was deeper, more dangerous. Their shared power, their shared survival, it was all coming to a head.
"I didn't choose this," Mae murmured, her voice trembling. "I don't know how to control it. Or what it means for us." Lucien's eyes held hers, the depth of his gaze pulling her in like gravity. His breath was steady, controlled, but there was something beneath the calm surface, a tension, a longing that Mae could feel radiating off him. "You don't have to," he said softly. "You don't need to control it. You are it. And we'll figure it out together."
Mae's heart pounded in her chest, and the words felt too heavy in the air, thick with the possibility of something she wasn't sure she was ready for. The hum of her power, the force of what she had just unleashed, was still vibrating beneath her skin, and it made everything else feel alive, charged. She took a step forward, closing the distance between them. Lucien didn't move, his eyes never leaving hers, waiting, watching. The world outside them had become a blur. It was just the two of them in this moment.
Mae's breath caught in her throat as she felt the pull, the undeniable desire to close that final space between them. She lifted her hand slowly, her fingers brushing his chest, just over his heart, feeling the steady rhythm of it beneath her touch. The room was quiet except for the sound of their breathing, and for a moment, everything seemed to still. The weight of the world outside them, the war they were in, the dangers that still loomed, felt miles away.
Lucien's hand reached up, gently cupping her face, his thumb grazing her skin. The tenderness in his touch was at odds with the storm inside her. She could feel it, deep in her chest, the power, the need, the connection between them growing stronger with each passing second. Mae's pulse raced as he leaned in, their lips just a breath apart. She could feel his warmth, his presence, and the intensity of everything that had passed between them. And for the first time, she didn't pull away. She didn't hold back.
But just as their lips were about to meet, the door opened. The spell was broken. Ashar stood in the doorway, his figure rigid, his eyes wide with a mixture of surprise and concern. "Mae," he said, his voice thick with urgency. "Lucien," Mae stepped back instinctively. Lucien's hand dropped to his side, his expression darkening, but he didn't move. The moment was gone. The air between them crackled with the intensity of what had almost happened.
"What is it?" Lucien asked, his tone colder now, his gaze hard as he looked at Ashar.
Ashar's eyes flicked between the two of them, his brow furrowing. "We need to move. The Unseen are regathering. We don't have much time." Mae's heart sank. The battle wasn't over. They were not done. And the fleeting moment of connection she had shared with Lucien, the undeniable tension between them, was swept away in the rush of reality.
But something had shifted. She could feel it in her body. In the way Lucien's touch had lingered on her skin. She wasn't the same girl who had walked into this fight. And neither was he. And as the group began to move, preparing for what came next, Mae couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't just about survival anymore. It was about something deeper. Something far more dangerous than they realized.