The room was dim, lit only by the soft flicker of red crystal embedded into the walls—each one pulsing like a heartbeat. The air still carried the echo of Lilith's presence, of her quiet encouragement and veiled expectations. And though the palace was enormous, filled with relics and beauty born from shadow and fire, the chamber Lioren and Vael shared had grown into something simpler. Softer. Safe.
Lioren lay on his stomach across their bed, his body aching from the failed attempts of the day. His back glistened faintly with sweat, his hair sticking to the nape of his neck. The strain of shaping life had left his hands trembling and his aura frayed, flickering erratically like a flame refusing to die.
Vael leaned against the frame of the bed, eyes quietly scanning the curve of Lioren's shoulders, the arch of his spine. Every inch of him bore the tension of someone trying too hard to be something he wasn't sure he could become.
A faint glow surrounded Vael, his aura shifting from its usual controlled violet to something softer—dim crimson mixed with silver threads, radiating quiet concern.
"You're going to hurt yourself if you don't rest properly," Vael said, voice low, even.
Lioren didn't answer at first. His fingers dug into the sheets beneath him, his eyes staring at nothing.
Vael stepped closer, kneeling onto the bed beside him. "Let me help."
Before Lioren could protest, he straddled the backs of Lioren's thighs, hands firm on his lower back. The moment his palms met skin, Lioren tensed—and then melted, a soft sound escaping his lips.
Vael's hands worked slowly, thumbs pressing deep into sore muscle. "You're burning yourself out."
"I'm fine," Lioren murmured, though his voice betrayed the exhaustion coiling inside him.
Vael leaned in, lips brushing near Lioren's ear. "You're not. I've watched you every day. You don't eat unless I remind you. You don't sleep unless I pull you to bed."
He shifted lower, his breath trailing over Lioren's skin. "You're perfect when you're focused. But you're even more perfect when you remember you're still flesh."
Lioren's breath caught.
Vael kissed the base of his neck, light and warm, before trailing down—slow, reverent. He pulled Lioren back into his lap and wrapped an arm around his waist, his other hand stroking along his chest, just over his heart.
His aura pulsed now—rich violet rimmed with embers of red, like a flame fanned by intimacy. It curled around them both, reflecting the heat that danced just beneath the surface.
"You're mine," Vael whispered. "And I hate watching you break for anyone else—even her."
Lioren turned his head slightly, their lips nearly touching. The heat between them pulsed like a living thing, coiling beneath the skin, humming through every breath.
But then—
Lioren pulled away.
"I can't," he said softly.
Vael blinked, surprise flickering in his eyes. "What?"
"I'm not in the mood. Not tonight."
Vael drew back, searching his face. "What's wrong?"
Lioren exhaled sharply, sitting up and dragging his knees to his chest. His voice trembled with the frustration he'd been holding back for days.
"I can't create anything, Vael. Not really. Every time I try, the creatures collapse in on themselves. They scream. They dissolve. Or worse… they beg before they die."
Vael's throat tightened. The crimson in his aura dimmed, flickering with uncertainty and pain, until it was a soft, dusky glow.
"Lioren—"
"I can feel her watching me. Even when she says nothing, I know she's disappointed. I'm supposed to be this… chosen thing. This bridge between realms. And all I do is fail."
Silence settled.
Then, slowly, Vael reached for him again.
His hand slid into Lioren's hair and pulled him close—foreheads resting together, breath shared.
His aura shimmered again, blooming into soft amethyst with pale pink highlights, tender and vulnerable.
"You're trying to create life, Lioren. Do you know how impossible that is? How sacred?"
Lioren didn't speak.
"She didn't choose you because you're already perfect," Vael said gently. "She chose you because you could become something no one else has been. And that takes time."
Lioren's eyes fluttered shut.
"And I'll be right here. Through every second of it."
For a long time, they sat in silence. Bodies close. Words no longer necessary.
Only heartbeats.
And the weight of love. Heavy. Steady. Unrelenting.
Vael's aura curled gently around them both, a halo of twilight colors—protective, fierce, and utterly devoted.