Vivienne and Rava walked through the hall for a time in what might have passed for silence—if Vivienne’s version of silence didn’t involve a barrage of questions.

  “So, how old is this hall? Did Korriva build it herself? Are those statues out front based on real people? How does one even carve stone like that? And who decides where to pce the torches—do you have someone whose sole job it is to make sure the lighting looks this dramatic? Because holy, it’s very effective.”

  Rava groaned, ping the bridge of her nose as they turned a er. Her steps dragged slightly, the exhaustion of the day finally catg up with her. “Vivienne, I know you’re curious, but you’re like a pup with boundless energy. we save the endless interrogation for after I’ve had a moment to breathe?”

  Vivienne grinned, entirely uant. “Endless interrogation? I think you mean ‘fasated cultural exge.’”

  “It feels endless,” Rava muttered under her breath, though the fai hint of a smile tugged at her lips.

  They passed through a long corridor, the walls adorned with tapestries depig the history of the Serkoth —battles fought, victories won, and moments of unity celebrated. Vivienne slowed her pace, her eyes catg on one particurly vivid tapestry showing a t wolf-like figure standing against a backdrop of swirling storms, a sword in one hand and a shield iher.

  “That’s Korriva, isn’t it?” Vivienne asked, her voice softening with geerest.

  Rava nodded, her gaze following Vivienne’s. “It is. That was woven to orate the great storm wars, turies ago. She led our people through the worst of it and uhe scattered s under one banner. Without her, there wouldn’t be a Serkoth .”

  Vivienne whistled low, her usual teasing absent. “She’s not just a leader. She’s a legend.”

  Rava’s expression turned wistful. “She’s more than that to me. She’s my mother.”

  “Actually, I am curious about that,” Vivienne said, a mischievous grin tugging at her lips. “You two look… different from each other. Pretty drastically, too, y’know, with the head and all that fur.”

  Rava smirked faintly, though her tone remained expnatory. “It’s the effects of aetheric immersion. The more you expand your oabilities, the more of a... paragon, for ck of a better word, of your species you bee.”

  She held up her wolfish hand, the fur glinting faintly uhe warm torchlight as she tur. “As you see, I’ve taken on some of these traits myself. Excluding the eyes and ears, lekines look very simir to humans by default. When we’re young or untraihe differences are subtle—our nails might be sharper, our teeth more pointed, but nothireme.”

  Vivienne’s curiosity iqued. “And as you train?”

  “Most of the lekines you’ve seen so far, like the guards, are in a stage simir to mine. We’ve expanded our aetheric pools for bat, which ges us over time. The more we push, the more those aral traits e to the surface. My mother…” Rava hesitated, theured vaguely toward the distant throne room. “She’s what you’d call a ‘High Paragon.’ Her e to our aetheric heritage is so deep that she embodies the apex of our kind—rger, stronger, more… lupine.”

  Vivienne nodded, her grin now tinged with geerest. “So it’s not just about strength; it’s about tapping into what makes you uniquely you.”

  Rava tilted her head, sidering. “That’s one way to put it. It’s a bit more nuahan that. Other species experie differently. Humans, for instahey don’t grow fur or fangs. Instead, their blemishes vanish, their skin bees almost unnaturally smooth, and their eyes... their eyes ge. They take on a glow, like they’re lit from within, and their irises sometimes shift inte patterns.”

  Vivienne raised an eyebrow. “Sounds a little creepy.”

  “It be,” Rava admitted, a small smirk returning. “But it’s also fasating. Aether brings out the essence of a person. For us, it’s a e to our wild aors. For humans... who knows what their esseruly is?”

  Vivienne’s gaze grew distant, her thoughts rag. “And for me?”

  Rava paused mid-step, turning to look at Vivienne fully. “You’re not lekine. You’re not human. You’re... something else entirely.” Her eyes narrowed, though there was no mali her voice, only ption. “Whatever you are, Vivie’s clear that aether hasn’t finished w on you yet.”

  Vivienne chuckled, the sound low and wry. “Isn’t that a fun thought?”

  Rava resumed walking, her tone shifting to a lighter note. “You’ll just have to figure it out as you go. Knowing you, you’ll probably stumble into some graion while trying to be cheeky.”

  “That’s the pn,” Vivienne quipped, falling into step beside her. “Stumble my way to greatness, oty remark at a time.”

  The corridor opened into a smaller, cosier chamber lit by an ornate delier carved from bone and wood. The walls were adorned with trophies—a ons, ceremonial masks, and polished skulls of long-dead beasts. It felt like stepping into the heart of Serkoth culture, a room that held as much history as it did pride.

  Rava gestured toward a rge, cushioned benear the wall. “We rest here for a bit. I o get off my feet.”

  Vivienne aking in the room’s details as she joined Rava. “So... o question before you close your eyes and ignore me.”

  Rava sighed dramatically, leaning back against the cushions. “Go on, then.”

  “Do you think Korriva actually likes me?” Vivienne asked, her tone light, but there was an undeniable thread of genuine curiosity woven in.

  Rava cracked one eye open, the fai hint of a smirk pulling at her lips. For a moment, it seemed like she might ugh. Instead, she said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen aalk back to her like that and walk away in one piece. That alone means she finds you... intriguing. But let’s not kid ourselves—saving my life probably earned you moodwill than anything you said.”

  Vivieilted her head, a sly grin spreading across her face. “So, what you’re saying is that the worst I could’ve gotten was a scolding?”

  Rava chuckled softly, shaking her head. “Don’t push your luck.”

  Satisfied, Vivienne leaned bato the plush couch they had settled on. The furniture, draped in soft furs and intricate embroidery, was surprisingly luxurious for a pce built so sturdily. Vivienne sank deeper into the cushions than she expected, letting the fort embrace her like a rare treat. The trast between the harsh exterior of the hall and the warmth of its interior didn’t escape her notice.

  “Not bad,” she muttered, running her fingers over the fur draped across the armrest. “For a pce built to keep out the world, you lot sure know how to make it cosy.”

  Rava smirked faintly, stretg out her legs. “You’d be surprised how much we value fort. Survival doesn’t have to mean misery.”

  Vivienne snorted. “Spoken like someone who’s never slept on a bed of rocks in a cave.”

  “I’ve done my share hing it,” Rava shot back. “And just because they weren’t caves doesn’t mean I didn’t do my fair share of sleeping on rocks. Usually we would pass the time telling each other stories.”

  Vivienne quirked an eyebrow at that, her grin sharpening. “A storyteller, are you? Didn’t peg you for the type.”

  “I didn’t say I was good at it,” Rava admitted, smirking. “But you learn to appreciate stories when you’re out in the wild. They keep your mind sharp—and sometimes they’re all you have.”

  “Well, lucky for you, I happen to have a story or two up my sleeve,” Vivienne said, leaning forward slightly, her dark eyes glinting with mischief. “Though most of them are probably too sdalous for a proper hall.”

  “I’m sure Korriva would love to hear you sdalise our traditions,” Rava replied dryly, though her tone was lighter now, less guarded.

  Before Vivienne could reply, a soft knock echoed through the chamber. A young lekiered, bowing deeply before addressing them. “High Fang Korriva has requested fresh clothes and supplies be brought to you both. She also mentioned a formal dionight.”

  Rava nodded, gesturing for the youth to leave the items he doorway. “Thank you.”

  Ohey were alone again, Vivieood and sauntered over to ihe bundle, her griurning. “Formal dinner? Should I be worried?”

  “Depends,” Rava said, leaning bato the couch, her head resting against the thickly cushioned back. “ you behave yourself for more than a fifth of a bell?”

  Vivienne paused, gng over her shoulder with a grin so wide it could rival the moon’s crest. “What a silly question. Of course not.”

  Rava let out a sharp breath, shaking her head. “I’m not even going to think about what that’s going to mean tonight.” She shifted upright with a sigh, her amber eyes settling ily on Vivienne, who was casually pig through the ly folded clothes left for them. “Thank you, by the way.”

  Vivienne raised an eyebrow, holding up a soft liunic as if iing it for fws. “For what? Brightening your day with my endless charm?”

  Rava snorted. “That, and for everything else. Saving my life. Again and again. For taking the night watch every single night so I could sleep through it.” Her voice softened slightly. “For being so kind with nothing promised iurn.”

  Vivienne paused, her teasing demeaniving way to something quieter, menuine. She let the tunic drop to her side, turning fully to face Rava. “You’re wele,” she said simply. Then, with a wink to lighten the mood, she added, “But don’t think this means you’re off the hook for helping me figure out what’s really going on with this whole mess.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” Rava replied with a small smile, the tension in her shoulders easing. “But if you ruin dionight, you’re on your own.”

  “Oh, please.” Vivieossed the tunito the pile with a casual flick of her wrist and flopped bato the couch beside Rava. “If I ruin dinner, it’ll only be because I’m too dazzling for everyoo handle.”

  Rava snorted, leaning back again and draping one arm along the edge of the couch. “Just try not to dazzle ao a diplomatit, alright?”

  “No promises,” Vivienne quipped, her grin widening as she shifted to stretch out luxuriously across the fur-covered cushions.

  They sat in panionable silence for a moment, the firelight dang in their eyes. The hearth's warmth was soothing, but it didn’t erase the undercurrent of tension Vivienne had begun to notice. The Serkoth ’s hospitality was genuine, but there was an unspoken caution woven through every iion. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being measured, not just by Korriva but by the entire .

  Rava broke the silence first. “You’re not what I expected, I think.” she said quietly, her gaze fixed on the fmes.

  Vivienne arched her brow. “Oh? What did you expect?”

  Rava shrugged, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. “Someone more... traditional, I suppose. Less sharp edges, fewer mysteries.”

  “Disappointed?” Vivienne asked, mock-offended.

  “Not yet,” Rava shot back, the smirk growing. Then her expression turhoughtful, her voice softening. “You’re different, Vivienne. Not just from the people here—from anyone I’ve ever met. It makes me wonder... what kind of pce made someone like you?”

  Vivienne blinked, caught off guard by the question. She sat up slightly, her teasing air repced by something more subdued. “My world?” she asked, her tone carefully ral.

  Rava nodded, her amber eyes curious but n. “If you want to talk about it.”

  Vivienated, her gaze dropping to her hands. For a long moment, she didn’t speak, the crag fire filling the quiet. When she finally did, her voice was distant, as though she were speaking to someone far away. “It wasn’t all bad. But it wasn’t kiher. No magic, of course, or aether—or whatever you want to call it.”

  Rava tilted her head, curiosity lighting up her amber eyes. “I ’t imagihat. A world without aether. How would life fun?”

  Vivienne shrugged, her tourning faintly wistful. “Life has its own rules. Its own rhythms. There were no glowing stones or mystical beasts. Just people, maes, and the wild trying to kill you. We had our own kind of magic, I suppose. Sce. Teology. It got us far, though it had its costs.”

  Rava nodded slowly, the cept clearly fn but intriguing. “A you survived there. Without aether. I suppose that’s a testament to your kind’s iy.”

  “Or stubbornness,” Vivienne said with a dry ugh, but it faded quickly. Her expression shifted, darker now. “I don’t even know why life here needs aether to fun, but I know it does... since I killed that Aegis guard by draining him dry.” She blinked, her brow furrowing. “Huh. That’s the first time I killed someone.”

  Rava’s ears twitched, and she sat up straighter, her expression softening. “Are you okay?” she asked, pg a cautious hand on Vivienne’s knee.

  “I’m...” Vivierailed off, exhaling slowly. “Yeah. I didn’t even kill those bandits, just took enough to knock them out for a while. But that guard and those hunters—” Her jaw tightened. “They just felt like food to me. Like killing some poultry for dinner.”

  She ughed bitterly, shaking her head. “If anything, I feel bad about not feeling bad, if that makes sense.”

  Rava’s hand remaieady, her voice ge firm. “It does. More than you might think.”

  Vivienne g her, searg her face. “Does it bother you? What I am? What I do?”

  “Perhaps a little.” Rava admitted holy, her gaze unwavering. “Not much. Each of those who you killed spared no mercy for us. You saved me. You had every opportunity to turn on me, and instead, you protected me. You are far, far more than whatever instincts are g at you, Vivienne.”

  Vivienne blinked, startled by the siy in Rava’s voice. Her instinct was to deflect, to crack a joke and lighten the mood, but something about the way Rava was looking at her—steadfast, unfling—made her pause.

  “You make me sound like some noble hero,” Vivienne said, her tone softening as her lips curved into a faint smile. “I’m just trying to survive like everyone else.”

  Rava’s hand lingered, her thumb brushing lightly against the fabric of Vivienne’s bloodied dress. “Surviving and saving lives don’t always go hand in hand. But you’ve managed both.”

  For a moment, her of them spoke, the sileretg betweehe firelight flickered, casting warm shadows across Rava’s stroures and the sharp, almost otherworldly tours of Vivienne’s. It wasn’t an unfortable silehough—it felt charged, like the air before a storm.

  Vivieilted her head, her griurning, this time softer, menuine. “Careful, Rava. You’re starting to sound like you might actually like me.”

  Rava rolled her eyes but didn’t pull her hand away. “Don’t push your luck.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it.” Vivienne’s voice dropped slightly, almost pyful, but with an edge of siy. “Not when I’m finally starting to get to know the real you.”

  “Don’t read too muto it,” Rava said, her tone light but carrying the fairace of fluster. She gestured toward the pile of clothes. “We should ge into what they brought us.”

  Vivienne hummed thoughtfully, a pyful glint in her eyes. “Or… I could skip the dress entirely and show up as a hydra. You know, I do enjoy being a hydra.”

  Rava’s gaze so her, narrowing in warning. “Don’t you dare.”

  SupernovaSymphony