Chapter 7 Storm Meets Starlight
Lyra：POV
Lyra：POV
The morning passed in a blur of diplomatic obligations. During lunch with the Emberscale emissaries, I found myself distracted, picking at my food while they discussed trade agreements. Valen sat beside me, occasionally trying to engage me in conversation, but every polite smile felt like a mask.
"You're thinking about him," Stella observed. "About our afternoon plans."
I was. Despite my royal duties, my thoughts kept drifting to Arden and our planned meeting at the library.
After the emissaries departed, I finally made my way to the library. The familiar scent of ancient books always calmed me, like a sanctuary from court life's political pressures.
"He's here!" Stella exclaimed as we entered. "Aquilo's energy is so clear. Walk toward the third bookshelf on the right."
Following her guidance, I found Arden in a secluded corner, several ancient tomes about dragon history spread before him. When he saw me, his eyes lit up with genuine joy.
"You came," he stood, relief evident in his voice. "I wasn't sure you'd be able to get away from your royal duties."
Seeing him again, the Soulbound connection felt even stronger. I could feel Stella practically vibrating with excitement.
"I promised I would," I smiled, settling beside him. "I see you've been doing research."
Arden nodded, pushing an ancient scroll toward me. "Look at this—records about Soulbounds from the early kingdoms. It says true Soulbounds can sense each other's emotions across great distances, even anticipate when the other is in danger."
We spent the next hour browsing through texts, discussing dragon history and Soulbound legends. However, as time passed, I noticed his questions becoming more specific about palace life.
"The royal archives must contain incredible historical records," he said casually. "I imagine the palace itself holds many secrets—like the Star Pool I've heard mentioned. Where exactly is it located?"
Something in his tone made me pause. "In the eastern garden wing," I answered slowly. "But why the sudden interest in palace geography?"
His smile never wavered. "If we truly are Soulbounds, I should learn about the place where I might someday live, shouldn't I? I want to understand every part of your world."
The explanation sounded reasonable, but I caught something flickering in his eyes—a calculating look that disappeared so quickly I almost thought I'd imagined it. When his hand gently covered mine, however, that familiar warmth immediately washed through me, pushing my doubts aside.
"The connection doesn't lie," Stella whispered, though her voice held a note of uncertainty I'd never heard before.
In a hidden corner, far from other readers' sight, Arden stopped and turned to face me.
"Lyra," his voice softened, "since meeting you yesterday, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. The Soulbound connection—it's unlike anything I've ever felt."
"May I?" he asked softly, his hand lifting to cup my cheek.
I closed my eyes and tilted my face toward his. When his lips met mine, soft and questioning at first, the dragon souls' resonance nearly overwhelmed me. He deepened the kiss slowly, one hand cradling my neck while the other rested at my waist. I found myself leaning into him, my fingers gripping his shirt as unprecedented warmth and belonging flooded through me.
When we parted, I noticed his gaze briefly fall on the royal insignia at my throat. For just a moment, something unreadable flickered across his features.
"I want to formally request a Soulbound confirmation ceremony from the Elders," he said, taking my hands. "But first, I'd like to know more about your world. Perhaps... you could show me around the palace sometime?"
Though his request seemed natural, that small voice of doubt whispered again in my mind. Yet looking into his eyes, feeling the warmth of his touch, I found myself nodding.
After leaving the library, I walked slowly through the palace corridors, my mind churning with conflicting emotions. Arden's kiss still lingered on my lips, but his questions about palace security also echoed in my thoughts.
"Why so quiet?" Stella finally spoke.
"I'm happy," I said carefully, "but... don't you think his interest in palace details is somewhat unusual?"
"A Soulbound naturally wants to know about their partner's world," Stella replied, though her tone lacked its earlier certainty. "Though... there was something about Aquilo's energy that felt... guarded."
As evening approached, I chose a quieter path back through the gardens, needing time to sort through my emotions before facing the palace's political pressures again.
"Lyra, stop," Stella suddenly became alert. "The energy fluctuations around us are wrong. Danger approaches."
I immediately halted, scanning my surroundings. The garden path that had seemed peaceful moments before now felt ominous in the gathering dusk.
Then three black-robed figures emerged from the shadows between the trees, moving with predatory grace to surround me.
"The Star-Chosen finally reveals herself," the leader spoke, his voice cold and hollow. "We've been tracking the starlight purification waves."
"Void cultists!" Stella cried in horror. "Lyra, you must run now!"
But it was too late. The three figures began chanting in an ancient, twisted language, and dark purple runes appeared on the ground around me, forming a sealing array. I felt my internal energy being suppressed, making even basic water element control nearly impossible.
"Your resistance is meaningless," the black-robed leader sneered, stepping closer. "The Void Gate requires a key, and you will serve that purpose whether you cooperate or not."
Just as despair began to creep in, a lightning bolt suddenly streaked across the darkening sky, striking one of the robed figures with precision. This wasn't ordinary lightning—it carried star-like blue patterns that seemed to sing with ancient power.
A figure leaped down from a nearby rooftop, storm energy swirling around him like a living thing, lightning dancing at his fingertips. With each attack, ancient runes lingered briefly in the air, his lightning interwoven with starlight patterns I'd never seen before.
"Get away from her!" he roared, his voice carrying the authority of thunder itself.
The black-robed figures clearly hadn't anticipated such intervention. Their sealing ritual disrupted, the purple rune array began to collapse. After a brief but intense battle, the remaining cultists were forced to retreat into the shadows.
"The Star-Chosen cannot escape her fate forever," the leader threatened before vanishing. "The Void Gate will open, and she will be the key."
When the immediate danger passed, my rescuer turned toward me, his eyes flickering with star-flecked purple lightning. "Are you hurt?" he asked, extending his hand.
As he helped me to my feet, a peculiar warmth spread from our point of contact. This sensation was completely different from what I felt with Arden—more intense and primal, like a connection that had existed for millennia.
"This energy..." Stella trembled with shock in my mind. "It's so familiar, yet so strange. Like an echo from a dream I can't quite remember."
"Thank you for saving me," I said, steadying myself while studying my rescuer. He had deep blue hair with silver streaks, a powerful build, and moved with an innate majesty that spoke of noble blood despite his simple clothes.
"I'm Storm-wing," he introduced himself, his voice deep and carefully controlled. "I've been tracking those void cultists for weeks. Their sudden focus on you suggests you're in greater danger than you realize, Princess."
"You know who I am?" I asked, surprised.
"The features of Star Crystal Territory's princess aren't difficult to recognize," he answered with a slight smile, though he maintained careful distance between us.
I noticed how deliberately he kept space between us, yet occasionally his gaze would linger on my face with an expression I couldn't decipher—like he was studying a puzzle he couldn't solve.
"Do you know why they called me the 'Star-Chosen'?" I asked.
"Void cultists typically seek keys to ancient seals," he answered, his gaze growing more serious. "If they believe you're connected to something that powerful, you're in constant danger."
When he mentioned "the fusion of storm and starlight" while explaining void magic, we both felt a strange resonance that made the air around us shimmer slightly.
He touched his chest in an ancient gesture of protection that felt oddly familiar. "If you need help, call upon the storm's name. I will sense it."
As he turned to leave, I felt an involuntary urge to make him stay. "Wait!" I called out, then realized I didn't know what to say.
When he looked back, moonlight illuminated his storm-deep eyes and revealed a faint, ancient-looking scar on his forehead. In that moment, I felt an inexplicable familiarity, as if I'd known him in another life.
"Take care, Star-Chosen," he said finally, then vanished into the night like mist.
