Raiven was halfway across the rooftop when it hit him.A scent.
Not a perfume. Not some academy spell laced in the wind.It was something else.A wild softness—mint leaves crushed beneath bare feet, the sharp tang of rain before it falls.The kind of scent that only meant one thing to a Zyre's senses.
Her.
Senya.
He froze, chest tightening with something unfamiliar. It wasn't alarm or hunger or even curiosity.It was instinct.
Not the kind he was trained to control, but something older, deeper.It hummed in his veins like ancestral memory.And before he could question it, he was already moving.
Down the ledge.Over the balcony.His steps silent as shadows.
The scent curled through the air like a thread of moonlight guiding him through stone hallways and vine-covered paths he didn't remember memorizing.
And then—A door.
Old. Half-swallowed by ivy.Soft pulses of moonlight shimmered from beneath the cracks.He reached for the handle, the warmth of it catching him off guard.
The Moonwell Garden.
He'd heard whispers of it—Senya's personal space.The only place no one dared follow her.Some said it bloomed only for her. Others said the garden responded to her mood.
He stepped through.
And there she was.
Kneeling by the circular pond in the canter, her fingertips tracing lazy ripples in the water.Hair loose. Shoulders bare.She wasn't armoured by sarcasm or fire tonight.She was quiet.Real.
Raiven didn't speak at first. He didn't want to break it.
But Senya already knew.
"You're not supposed to be here," she said without turning. Her voice was tired, not sharp.
"I wasn't trying to be," he said honestly. "I just… followed something."
She looked over her shoulder then, eyes narrowing in curiosity.
"You followed my scent?"
Raiven shrugged. "I didn't mean to. It just… happened."
Senya blinked once, slowly. "Creepy."
"Definitely," he agreed, and then cracked a small grin. "But I think it means we're bonded now or something."
She snorted. "That's not how it works."
"Right. Shame."
Silence settled between them again, but it wasn't heavy this time.It was… careful.
"I thought you'd be avoiding me," Senya finally said. "After everything."
He sat beside her on the edge of the Moonwell, letting the cold stone seep through his uniform."You mean after you almost killed me, or after I almost let you?"
"Both."
Raiven chuckled softly. "It's a long list."
Another beat of silence.
"Earlier," he said, looking at the reflection of the moon in the water. "You said your brother's name was Thalen."
Senya stiffened, just slightly. "Yeah."
"How old was he when your older brother died?"
She blinked."…You heard that?"
"I catch things. Sometimes."
She hesitated. Then answered, voice quieter. "Thalen was ten. I was twelve. Our older brother… seventeen. We don't talk about him much."
"What happened?"
Her lips pressed together, a storm flickering behind her eyes."He died fighting a Zyre."
Raiven flinched.
Senya turned to him then, meeting his gaze."And your mother?"
"She was killed by Wair Cats. When I was three."
Senya's breath hitched. "One of mine?"
"I don't know his name. My father does. But no one talks about it anymore—except in war speeches."
They sat in silence, the garden listening.
Senya looked down at her palms. "You ever wonder what we'd be like without all this history?"
"All the time."
She tilted her head. "And?"
Raiven looked at her, really looked at her. The firelight in her eyes. The scars on her soul."I think we'd still find each other."
Senya's throat bobbed. "Why?"
"I don't know." He leaned back on his hands, watching the stars."Maybe because we're both broken in ways the others aren't. But we don't pretend to be whole."
Senya gave a soft laugh. "That might be the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."
Raiven glanced at her, smiling. "You need better friends."
"I don't have any."
"You do now."
She turned to face him fully, something unreadable in her expression."Raiven… if people find out we're—"
"They won't."
"But if they do—"
"We'll lie."
Senya looked away, struggling with the war inside her.
"I don't want to be your enemy."
"Then don't be."
"It's not that simple."
"I know."
A breeze moved through the garden.The flowers turned toward the moon.Somewhere deeper in the garden, the runes on a stone glowed briefly and then dimmed.
Raiven stood, brushing dust from his sleeves."You want to spar tomorrow?" he asked, casual as ever.
Senya blinked at him. "After all that?"
"Yeah."
"…You're insane."
He grinned. "A little."
She stood too, brushing her fingers against the Moonwell one last time. ''We'll see tomorrow same time same place''
They left the garden without another word, walking in silence down separate halls.But neither of them felt alone anymore.