The night passed in silence, broken only by the faint drip of water somewhere in the distance. When Noel stirred, Selene was already on her feet, wand in hand, her cyan eyes fixed on the darkness of the corridor that stretched deeper into the sanctuary.

He rose slowly, brushing dust from his clothes, Revenant Fang hanging loosely in his grip. "Guess sleep doesn't last long down here."

Selene didn't look back. "We should move. Staying in one place isn't safe."

Noel followed her gaze into the tunnel. The air felt thicker the further it went, heavy with something he couldn't place—mana, maybe, but twisted. His steps echoed faintly against the stone, the sound swallowed almost immediately by the cavernous silence.

The sanctuary wasn't just big. It was overwhelming. Towers of broken columns jutted out from the ground at odd angles, murals half-devoured by time spread across the walls. Strange symbols glimmered faintly in places, as if the stone itself was breathing.

Noel ran a hand along one of the cracked walls, frowning. "These aren't just ruins. This was built to last. Someone wanted this place to survive… even buried under mountains."

Selene slowed just enough to glance over her shoulder. "Which means it was important."

"Important usually comes with problems." He adjusted his grip on Revenant Fang, tone flat. "Stay close. Whatever this place is, I don't want you wandering off."

For a split second, her composure wavered. A faint warmth touched her cheeks, quickly hidden as she turned back to the corridor.

Noel arched a brow at her silence. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she said quickly, voice firm again.

But Noel didn't miss the flicker of color in her face. 'Right. Totally fine.'

The air grew cooler as the corridor opened into another chamber, wide enough for their steps to echo. Strange markings covered the walls, their lines sharp even after centuries. Noel kept scanning the shadows, but it was Selene who finally broke the silence.

"Noel…" Her voice was quiet, almost hesitant. "What do you think it means… when someone feels strange around another person?"

He glanced at her sidelong. "Strange how?"

She didn't meet his eyes. Instead, she fixed her gaze on the cracked mural ahead. "A friend of mine told me about it. She said that whenever she sees someone, she feels… unsettled. Her chest feels tight. When they're close, her pulse quickens. And when he's hurt, she can't stop worrying."

Noel stopped mid-step, raising a brow. 'A friend? Selene, really?'

Selene continued, her tone careful, clinical almost, as if describing a case study instead of emotions. "She doesn't understand it. She isn't used to feeling nervous when someone brushes her arm, or when their eyes meet. She says it's irritating, confusing… but she can't ignore it either."

For a moment, Noel just looked at her. The corners of his mouth twitched, but he forced himself not to laugh. "Your friend sounds like she's either cursed… or in love."

Selene's head turned sharply, cyan eyes locking on him. Her expression didn't change, but the faintest flicker of pink touched her ears. "…In love?"

"That's usually what people call it." He shrugged. "Sounds normal enough. Annoying sometimes, but normal."

She faced forward again, her lips parting as if to say something more—but nothing came out.

Noel smirked faintly, though inside his thoughts tightened. 'Selene. With a friend. Sure. Like she'd ever sit around sharing feelings with anyone but me.'

He didn't push her. Instead, he said, lightly, "Tell your friend she'll get used to it. Or not. Either way, it's not something she can run from."

Selene's fingers tightened briefly on her wand before relaxing. "…I'll tell her."

They walked on in silence, though the weight of her words lingered heavier than the air around them.

They moved deeper into the sanctuary, their footsteps swallowed by the hollow quiet. Noel walked a little ahead, scanning every shadow with Revenant Fang at his side. Selene followed, wand steady, though her grip tightened for reasons that had nothing to do with danger.

'Love?' The word lingered in her mind like an unwelcome echo.

She had never thought about it before. Not seriously. Not for herself. Emotions were things to be contained, controlled, dismissed as distractions. Her mother had made sure of that—cold words, colder treatment. Affection wasn't something Selene had ever been allowed to feel, let alone understand.

But now… 'My chest tightens when he looks at me. My hands shake when he's hurt. When he touched me earlier, when he carried me… I couldn't breathe properly.'

Her pace slowed. She bit her lip, the thought twisting uncomfortably. 'Could someone like me even feel this? Or am I just fooling myself?'

And then the heavier thought came, one that made her stomach knot: 'Noel already has three women who love him. Elyra von Estermont, Elena von Lestaria, Charlotte the Saint… all strong, all beautiful. Where would I even fit among them? Wouldn't I just be… behind?'

The idea cut sharper than any blade. She'd never cared about being second to anyone before—never let herself. But here, in this dark sanctuary, with only the sound of his boots in front of her, she felt that fear clawing at her. 'If I reach for this, will I always be too late?'

Her fingers brushed her wand, clenching tight. 'And yet… when I think of not trying at all, it feels worse. Emptier. As if I'd lose something I never even had.'

She inhaled slowly, forcing her face blank again. The air smelled of dust and stone, cold and grounding.

'I don't know what this is. I don't know if I want to know. But I can't make it stop.'

Selene lifted her eyes back to Noel's back, the faint glow of his mana still lingering around him, steady, warm. And for the first time, the thought scared her more than the ruins themselves.

The corridor narrowed, then opened again into a hollow chamber with a cracked ceiling where faint light seeped through. They stopped there, breaths syncing in the stillness. Noel rested Revenant Fang against his shoulder, scanning the shadows for movement. Selene stood beside him, her wand lowered but still in hand, her posture tense in a way that had nothing to do with enemies.

Noel noticed it. "What happened to that friend of yours giving advice?" he said, voice calm with curiosity.

Selene's pulse quickened, her grip tightening on her wand. She wanted to look away, to retreat behind the wall she always kept between herself and everyone else. But instead, the words tumbled out before she could stop them.

"That friend… is me."

Noel blinked, his head tilting slightly, green eyes narrowing. "…When did you make friends with yourself?"

The sarcasm almost steadied her nerves—almost. But the crack in her control had already opened too far. She took one step closer, her chest rising and falling faster, her cyan eyes refusing to break away from his.

"I wasn't talking about someone else," she said, her voice low, trembling at the edges but steady enough to carry. "It's me. I'm the one who… feels like that."

Noel's mouth parted, surprise flickering across his face. But before he could speak, Selene closed the distance.

Her lips pressed against his in a swift, clumsy kiss, nothing like the practiced grace she showed in battle. Her free hand gripped his sleeve as if anchoring herself, afraid he'd vanish if she let go.

For a heartbeat, the sanctuary itself seemed to hold its breath.

When she pulled back, her cheeks burned crimson, but her voice was steady. "That's what I meant."

Noel stared at her for a long moment, stunned, before a slow smirk tugged at his lips. "…Guess your friend gave pretty honest advice."

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