A silver moon hung above the quiet city of Eloran, casting a soft luminescence over its stone-tiled rooftops and glimmering off the still water of the nearby river. The city, known for its modest elegance and well-guarded secrets, had quieted after the evening bell. Most of its citizens had retreated to their homes, save for a few guards patrolling the central square or nobles enjoying their late tea in the inner gardens of the estates.
Kael stood alone atop the eastern tower of the Zhao estate. He had been summoned earlier that evening by Elder Zhao, Lin's grandfather, for a discussion that had lasted far longer than expected. But Kael didn't mind the delay. He hadn't come for the elder. He came for her.
The wind tugged lightly at his robe, now embroidered with the Zhao clan's insignia since he was still officially considered Lin's betrothed. Kael frowned. The title felt hollow. Lin had never accepted him. Not openly, at least. Their engagement was forged in a moment of crisis, a favor owed to his father. And while the elders still held onto the arrangement, Lin had always kept her distance.
Until recently.
Footsteps echoed behind him—quiet, deliberate, graceful. He didn't turn. He already knew.
"You're here earlier than I expected," said a voice as cool as springwater and just as soothing.
Kael glanced over his shoulder. Lin stepped into view, her figure silhouetted by the pale moonlight. She wore a simple white robe embroidered with delicate plum blossoms, her long black hair tied into a loose braid over one shoulder. Her face, usually unreadable, carried a flicker of something softer tonight.
"I told you I'd be here," Kael said. "You doubted me?"
"I thought you might be detained longer," she said, walking to stand beside him, their shoulders nearly touching but not quite. "Grandfather can be long-winded."
Kael smiled faintly. "He asked me about my progress in cultivation again."
"And you gave him the usual vague answer."
"He wouldn't believe the truth even if I told him."
There was silence between them for a moment. The breeze stirred gently, carrying the scent of plum blossoms. Kael tilted his head slightly, looking at Lin from the corner of his eye. She was staring off into the distance, her expression thoughtful.
"You've been acting differently lately," he said quietly.
Her eyes flickered to him. "How so?"
"You talk to me now. You don't glare as much. You asked me to meet you tonight."
"I was curious," she replied, almost too quickly. "You've changed."
He nodded slowly. "So have you."
She looked down at her hands, fingers lightly tracing the pattern on her sleeves. "I used to think you were a waste of time. An obligation forced upon me by the clan. A name with no future."
"I remember."
"But now… I don't know. You're still hard to read. You hide too much."
Kael's gaze dropped to the floor. "I have my reasons."
"I know you do," she murmured. "But sometimes I wonder… is there anyone who truly knows you?"
He looked at her then, really looked. Her voice hadn't held disdain or arrogance this time. Just… a quiet sadness.
"No one needs to," he replied softly. "The fewer who know, the fewer who are disappointed."
Lin turned to face him, her expression unreadable again. "You don't need to keep everyone away, Kael."
"I don't keep everyone away."
"Then let me in."
That caught him off guard. For a moment, Kael forgot how to breathe.
"You're not like the others," Lin continued. "You don't grovel, you don't show off, and you don't chase after approval. And yet you're rising faster than anyone realizes. I've seen the way the elders look at you now. They pretend not to notice, but they do."
Kael frowned. "What exactly do you want from me, Lin?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "Maybe I just don't want to be left behind."
He blinked. "What?"
"I was always the prodigy, the one they praised. But I've been stuck lately. Plateaued. Meanwhile, you're growing stronger by the day. And I know you're hiding most of your strength. I've seen glimpses."
"You're imagining things."
She stepped closer. "Am I? That night at the training arena, when you deflected Elder Chen's strike without even forming a seal?"
He fell silent.
"I used to think you were beneath me," Lin whispered. "Now I think I might be chasing your shadow."
Kael didn't know what to say. All his life, he'd grown used to hiding. Pretending. Surviving underestimations. But Lin had always been the untouchable one—the unreachable star. And now she stood before him, admitting doubt. And… admiration?
"I'm not your shadow," he said at last. "I'm just trying to survive."
She reached out and gently touched his arm. "You don't have to do it alone."
He stared at her hand, then into her eyes. "You said you didn't want this engagement."
"I still don't know what I want," Lin admitted. "But I know I don't want to lose what might be growing here. I don't want to regret pushing you away."
Kael's heart stirred, something unfamiliar swelling in his chest. He'd been so focused on his cultivation, his secrets, his revenge… he hadn't thought about feelings. About connections. About Lin.
"I can't promise anything," he said.
"Then promise me one thing," she whispered. "Promise me… if you ever truly trust someone, let it be me."
He nodded, slowly. "I'll try."
They stood together in silence, beneath the moonlight, not as fiancés by obligation, but as two cultivators—two souls—beginning to understand one another.
Far below the tower, hidden in the shadows, a figure cloaked in darkness observed the scene. He frowned, eyes gleaming with disdain.
"The forgotten heir… is starting to bloom."