Where were you?

He'd only seen her eyes flash with rage once before.

Sorein noticed the tension in her body. Iliya's hands stayed clasped behind her back firmly, an absent finger playing with the ring on her forefinger. Her knees remained locked as she stared at the sky before them.

He minded his business most of the time, careful not to cross the lines she set.

If they weren't speaking, he wouldn't ask questions.

If they weren't to associate, he'd keep his distance.

How could he do anything else?

All Sorein could think about was how she was right, how he should've been there to intercept the hostile Lord. He almost felt sick to his stomach considering if things might've been worse.

Above them, sparks of twinkling flame burst to life. Tiny blinks of red, orange and purple streaks, not to mention the endless swirls of blue.

Small images began dancing in the lights. One cast a sword, the other filled the sky with flowers. Each flower exploded into various different colors in wild succession, filling the air with loud cracks and shots.

As the glittering lights rained down, they transformed into petals.

A gust brushed several past Iliya's hand, the scent of wild roses and lilacs wafting past them.

Sorein watched as Qudja's giant grin blossomed into a laugh. She reached up and caught one of the petals between two fingers. It smoked and glittered before puffing into dust.

"We don't have spectacles like this in my country," she murmured.

He thought about it, gaze tracing the beautiful lights above. "Chiori is special," he agreed, nodding. "Azuris certainly doesn't possess anything so pretty."

The tiniest hint of a smirk tugged at Iliya's lips, a massive weight sliding off Sorein's chest.

She could smile, she'd come to laugh. No matter what, she didn't hate him.

Qudja on the other hand began laughing, casting a carefree glance back to them before she reached out again, touching more petals.

A blinding light echoed and radiated throughout the sky, flashing as brightly as the sun for moments. Sorein had to cover his eyes, wincing as it burned.

"It's time," Iliya whispered.

He smiled faintly. Indeed it was.

Slowly, one by one, hands began to rise into the night, Their lanterns began to stretch and glow, different colors for different souls.

Sorein lifted his arm. His mana began to stir inside him, wisps of purple forming through his fingers. They looked like small storm clouds, radiating with electricity.

Taking his free hand, he summoned a bright lavender orb and cast it into the lantern.

In the flash of light that followed, he noticed the Princess's attention.

Wicked, flaming threads of golden light wove around her palm. The tendrils wrapped together, lifting from her outstretched hand and morphing into a molten sun.

Though, instead of flame, the sphere shined with metallic ripples, flowing like water.

Iliya spun it around in her hand for a moment before gently pushing it into her lantern. The light softened with it.

Neither of them saw Qudja cast her mana, but her lamp hummed to life with a forest inside. Shadows and shapes ebbing with greens and blues, flickering.

Music played softly through the air, the same prayer songs from Aida's temple.

Sorein relaxed even more, exhaling.

He felt something brush into his shoulder, glancing down to see a lime green stare looking back.

Freezing, Sorein waited.

"Thank you," she whispered to him.

His brows furrowed. The last thing he anticipated was gratitude. "For what?"

"For bringing me here," she said. "For making me leave."

He nodded, warmth flooding between them before the tension broke through again.

She leaned away, looking at the ground.

Sorein returned his attention to the sky.

And one by one they released their lanterns into the night.

~ 🔮 ~

The Ceremony of Lights offered new stars to the Afterlife. These were gifts from Aida to Kolida, for the last two centuries, serving the will of both life and death. Each flicker of light, every last ember of mana went to honor those lost in the passing years.

In this crowd, Iliya knew her mother, cousin, and even her best friend might be respecting the lives they'd lost in life. She wished to do the same every year, to mourn and love the people who were lost.

This was her first time in several years, just before she gave up on the country itself.

She had smiled, watching each little lantern gather together in a beautiful array of stardust and magic before each one burst into the silver light waiting for them above.

This warmth, the feeling in her chest had been everything Iliya could dream of.

Qudja smiled and excused herself just after the Ceremony ended. The young Lady of Toskapel offered Iliya a tight hug before weaving through the crowd.

She watched her leave, the way no one glanced at her for even a moment and it left Iliya feeling both sad and jealous of Qudja.

Iliya watched as Sorein's jaw continued to work itself to death, teeth grinding as he minded his distance to her. The more he kept a wide berth from her, the worse she felt for lashing out at him.

He'd offered a hand once to help them off the pavilion, but when he'd let go of her, he hadn't drawn near again.

Sorein ensured they left the Ceremony early enough to avoid the worst of people. Together they dodged the drunk and the sober, the young and the old, slipping away to the path they'd followed.

Iliya's eyes landed on the palace grounds far off to the north, realizing just how long Sorein would continue to drag her through these hordes of people in uncomfortable silence.

"I'm sorry," she said, breaking the tension. Iliya could feel each one of her nerves buzzing, anxiety roaming loose through her veins. She had to make it better. "For earlier... What I said, I didn't mean it... I was just angry and hurt and I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

Sorein's brows rose as he huffed a quiet laugh.

"Please forgive me," she tried again, feeling panicked.

The Prince looked at her with a strange expression she couldn't quite read and wasn't used to. He seemed amused, curious, and caught off guard.

"Don't worry," he stated, fighting a chuckle. "It will be the last time I force you into anything."

Iliya's face burned, the intense heat of embarrassment reddening her cheeks. "No, no, I..."

She didn't know how to finish. Her mind went blank as a stupid smirk lifted his lips.

"You what?" He questioned playfully. "You enjoyed it?"

Her stomach knotted, tingling. Perhaps she shouldn't have apologized at all, then she wouldn't be stuck mastering this wicked uneasy vine clenching her heart.

Iliya nodded and continued following him, unsure of what to say. He seemed satisfied enough though, Sorein's attention returned to the road ahead of them, making sure to avoid the main traffic and staying close to the river.

She noticed, more so felt, two figures following them. Shadows with eyes, stalking them through the bumbling bodies and stray incantations. People celebrated, still cheering and casting sparks into the air.

Iliya pretended to stumble or falter to catch glimpses of the pale human, tall, blonde and timeless freeze in his tracks.

The other male, his skin a soft, warm brown against the flames, stalked them with more predatory grace. He'd side step into gatherings of people to avoid her glances.

Noah Whitecross and Jeremy Tattone.

Watching after Sorein like guards.

Iliya tripped again, this time by accident. She grunted as her hair hooked onto one of the buttons on Sorein's shoulder.

"Your immortal Grace is rather clumsy tonight," Sorein chuckled.

He slowly eased the piece of her hair over the edge of his button, raising a brow at her.

"I'm not immortal," Iliya mumbled back.

There it was, laid out before them.

The stale, rotting corpse of their decaying argument. Tired and worn. To mention it was to destroy the delicate peace they maintained, something Iliya instantly regretted.

She tried to ignore the growl she heard rumbling through Sorein's throat, reminiscent of the first time she dared mention her plan.

The first time she chose to trust him wholly.

"Nor will you ever be," he mocked, mostly hissing the words in the tone she'd once used.

"Is two hundred years with me not enough, Prince?" Iliya challenged, the sarcastic purr falling short. Her heart burned even trying to make light of their former blowout.

Sorein let go of her, using the hand to point at her chest and lower his eyes into slits. "You choosing not to seal yourself is no business of mine."

"You seem to care a lot for someone who claims otherwise," she retorted, raising her eyes to his with a steel defiance.

Iliya knew the males behind them - now halted and shocked - would be beside themselves. She accidentally unveiled their layered and complex ties, while also hinting towards the facade of the man they knew.

Though it hadn't been her intention, attempting to cleave the strange, familiar friendship between them soothed some agitated itch in her soul.

The nagging urge to remove herself from his life welled in her chest, burning her into motion.

"I don't know what you're insinuating," Sorein said through his teeth. He was standing on an edge, reigning in the last tethers of his temper. She could see it. Even as his cadence remained calm and even.

"I think perhaps you do care," Iliya countered. "I think when you went behind my back and informed my family, telling my entire court, you knew exactly what you were doing."

The words fell from her lips like an avalanche of rage, every ounce of anger she harbored for two years sputtering out.

Sorein took a step back, glaring.

"You ruined everything," Iliya snapped, pointing right back at him. "You manipulated me. This was all just a failed attempt to change my mind!"

Her breathing was harsh, her fingernails shredding through the calluses she'd been earning for months.

"They care about you," he scolded her, looking away. "They deserved to know."

"Oh? Because you know so much about family?"

It was as if she hurled a dagger straight for his chest. Iliya watched the hurt flare in Sorein's eyes, witnessing them harden and close off.

"At least I don't escape my problems by choosing death," he accused. "All you've ever done is run away, Iliya!"

She gasped, arms closing around her chest tightly. Truth or lie, the words stung and carved out any semblance of sanity. The screaming, the yelling, throwing her weapon at the door behind his head, nearly slicing off his ear. Every moment of their fight two years ago plagued Iliya's mind.

Her body trembled, so weak and overwhelmed Iliya didn't know how much longer she'd be able to withstand the aching terror swarming through every inch of her body.

Admittedly, she was tormenting herself. She knew she'd asked for his rage. Iliya tried and failed not to think about the ways she'd baited him, wounding him.

The abyss struck between them stretched deeper and wider with every painful second.

Her gaze flashed back to the lingering eyes, both Jeremy and Noah standing in the open now. Iliya hadn't heard them move. How they'd managed to avoid drawing the attention of wandering passers was only thanks to the side roads Sorein guided them through.

His friends would know now, understanding every missed interaction and seeing through each carefully sewn lie.

Iliya had done the damage her thundering heart had hoped for.

But he knew.

Sorein's eyes searched hers for only a second before he read every sentence left lying between them.

Iliya swallowed uncomfortably, watching him flash those stormy eyes behind them and then back at her.

Tipping his head down slowly, his demeanor changed. He closed the distance between them, peering down at her and whispered something as quiet as the wind itself. "Two can play that game."

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

Sorein paused, considering his words. After a moment, the last of the light she'd seen left his eyes.

"Andrin sent me to Chiori for my Ritual," he answered, a chilling cold filtering into his voice. "I will be Sealing myself at the Final Ceremony. My fathers already spoken with Destry."

The void enveloped Iliya's entire body, gravity giving way to the emptiness.

"Oh..."

Beneath them, the ground began to shiver. Tiny cracks began to form in the ground as tears flooded her eyes, blocking Iliya's vision. The panic, the fear, the wild, unruly emotions began to consume her.

She panicked.

Not again, not again, not again...

"Iliya, what's-"

The earthquake rocked the ground, disrupting trash, leaves, and bending a nearby park bench.

Stop... Stop!

Iliya felt a sharp stab throbbing inside her skull, the rings on her fingers burning through her skin.

The searing fire scarring her flesh intensified until she could feel nothing else.

Only relieving as her world faded to black.