The impact was sharp and immediate.

  Cold water crashed around Eve like a thousand gss shards. Her breath fled her lungs as she plunged into the depths. The world around her was murky, bubbles rising past her face.

  Her body no longer falling, but suspended in stillness.

  For a heartbeat, she stayed there, motionless, unsure if she was alive or dreaming.

  Then something grabbed her arm.

  A hand.

  It yanked her upward with strength and urgency, and she broke the surface with a gasp, coughing and choking for air. Moonlight shimmered on the water as her vision cleared—and she saw Levi beside her, his arm still around her, pulling them both through the water toward a distant shoreline.

  They both crawled onto the shore, muscles shaking, water dripping from their soaked clothes. Exhaustion hit like a second wave.

  Eve colpsed onto the ground, coughing up the st of the water from her lungs, her breath coming in sharp, ragged bursts. Beside her, Levi sat back, chest heaving, his dark hair clung to his forehead.

  He turned to her, his voice low but urgent. "Are you okay?"

  His features were sharper in the moonlight—eyes intense, cut through with concern.

  Eve nodded slowly, wiping water from her mouth. "Yeah, I think so. What happened? Where are we?"

  Levi shook his head once and raised his wrist band, tapping through the interface. His expression darkened. "No signal. Comms are down. Navigation’s not responding either."

  They both took a moment to look around.

  They were on the edge of a vast, silent body of water, waves pping gently behind them. Beyond the shoreline stretched a dense rainforest—towering trees draped in glowing moss, the foliage vibrant and wet with mist. The air was warm and humid, thick with the earthy scent of vegetation.

  Strange animal calls echoed from the trees. The distant croak of something unseen. The flit of glowing insects.

  And the faint luminescence of the pnt life—soft blues and purples—flickered all around them like scattered stars.

  They were alone.

  Surrounded by wildness.

  Eve sat up a little, rubbing her hands down her arms. "I think we were on Earth for a second," she murmured, eyes still wide. "This doesn’t look like any pce on Earth I've seen. I don’t know how we got here."

  "I think we’re back on Terra," Levi said after a long pause, scanning the treeline. Levi narrowed his eyes at the terrain. "If I had to guess... somewhere south of the Erin Lake. The climate fits. Humid. Dense vegetation. Far from any city." He looked back at Eve, urgency sharpening his voice. "Figuring out how we ended up here can wait- we need to make contact with someone and get out of here. We need to get moving ."

  Eve gnced toward the forest again.

  Levi shifted, kneeling beside her. "Are you able to walk?"

  She nodded, though a little unsteadily.

  His eyes caught on her neck. Bruising was beginning to show where the vine had wrapped around her. He reached up slowly, pcing a hand just under her ear, fingers careful, gentle.

  "Let me see,"

  Eve tensed, flustered by the closeness, but the warmth of his touch steadied her.

  He tilted her chin just enough to examine the marks, his eyes darker with quiet worry.

  For a long moment, neither of them moved.

  The humid air pressed around them, thick with the scent of wet earth and wild flora. Eve’s breath slowed, matching the gentle rhythm of the waves behind them. Levi’s fingers lingered a second longer than necessary against her jaw, his touch gentle and grounding.

  Their eyes met—close enough to see the flecks of silver in his blue gaze, close enough for Eve to feel the faint warmth of his breath on her damp skin.

  Neither spoke.

  Levi exhaled slowly and dropped his hand, stepping back just enough to give her space again, his face unreadable—but something had shifted between them.

  They stood slowly, wringing what water they could from their soaked clothing. Levi cast a brief gnce at the sky, tracing the scattered stars with his gaze, searching for navigation markers. Without a word, he started moving northward, following the shoreline.

  Eve fell into step beside him, the damp sand soft underfoot, the crash of distant waves their only companion.

  It wasn’t long before Levi spotted something ahead—a silhouette against the treeline.

  As they drew closer, it revealed itself: an old, weather-beaten structure, half-hidden by vines and overgrowth. It looked like a fishing hut, abandoned long ago.

  They approached cautiously.

  The shack was simple, small building with wooden walls faded by time and salt air. The door hung slightly ajar, branches and panels of wood colpsed against the entry, prompting Levi to use his energy in a sharp blow to force the door open. Inside, it smelled of damp wood and moss, but everything inside seemed untouched—nets still draped over hooks, a cracked ntern still hanging from the ceiling, a pair of worn boots tucked neatly by the door.

  It was as if the person who lived here had simply vanished, leaving everything in pce.

  Levi pushed the door open wider and stepped inside first, scanning the shadows.

  "It'll do," he said quietly.

  Eve hesitated for a moment, then followed him in.

  Levi immediately began surveying the inside. In one corner, he uncovered an old wood burner, brushing away a thick yer of dust. He traced the flue upward, checking where it exited through the roof. More or less intact.

  He rummaged around a bit more, finding a small stack of dried wood blocks tucked behind a leaning cabinet, along with a gss bottle that rattled with matches—miraculously still dry. Nearby, he found a rusted tin marked with old fuel insignias.

  He tested the burner, pouring a bit of the remaining fuel and striking a match. A few tense moments—and then the fire caught, flickering into a steady, welcoming glow.

  Smoke didn’t fill the hut. A good sign.

  Levi looked at Eve, the firelight warming the sharp lines of his face. "This should help us dry out. Take off your jacket."

  He shrugged his own off, wringing out what he could before draping it over one of the old fishing nets stretched across the wall.

  Eve peeled off her soaked jacket and sat down by the fire, catching her breath and trying to digest everything that had happened. Her long hair clung to her skin, still wet from the plunge, strands pstered against her cheeks and neck.

  Levi stayed in motion, still in survival mode, rummaging around the hut.

  "What are you looking for?" she asked, voice soft.

  "If I'm right," he replied, "there should be some stuff left behind that might help us."

  His search led him to another door, half fallen in on the far side of the hut. He pulled it open with a grunt, pushing debris aside. Under a weathered tarp, he uncovered an old radio and communication equipment—dusty but intact.

  He grabbed the equipment and brought it over near the fire, setting it down with a hopeful glint in his eyes.

  Eve watched silently as he began fiddling with the battered controls, her heart quietly willing the ancient tech to spark to life.

  After a long moment, Eve spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "This is all my fault. I'm sorry..."

  Levi stopped what he was doing.

  He turned to face her fully, giving her his undivided attention. His expression softened, sincerity fshing across his usually guarded features.

  "It’s not your fault," he said, his voice steady and low, carrying more weight than the words alone.

  "This is just where we are right now. We’ll get back to the others and figure it out."

  Eve nodded softly.

  Levi turned back to the equipment, channelling his energy carefully to ignite what was left of the depleted batteries. After a few moments, the radio sparked to life with a dim flicker. Static hissed through the speaker.

  He pried off the back of the unit and attached a wire to his wristband, trying to amplify the signal. His hands moved quickly over the worn buttons, most of the bels long faded.

  After about 10 minutes of working in silence, he finally spoke again.

  "I think I’ve managed to send out a signal," he said, not taking his eyes off the controls. "I suspect they’ll be looking for us. Someone should pick it up soon... hopefully."

  A few moments passed in the quiet, broken only by the occasional crack of the fire. Then Levi, still sitting near the equipment, gnced toward Eve again.

  "What happened back there," he asked, his voice low. "In the chamber of the temple."

  Eve sat still for a long moment, eyes on the fire.

  "It was like... I wasn’t even in my body," she murmured. "I was in the stars, and I saw her—Solestus."

  She looked up, meeting Levi’s gaze. His eyes had widened at the mention of a Celestial—of Solestus—flickering with something between recognition and disbelief.

  "It felt... like a dream," Eve said, her face tightening with fear as the memory surfaced. "But then... everything changed. The stars went dark. And something found me. Red eyes..."

  Levi didn’t say anything for a moment.

  Eve tilted her head slightly, watching him. "Who is Solestus?"

  Levi finally broke the silence, his voice low but edged with something deeper. "It’s said that the Celestials created Terra—and all life that came with it. But more than that, they shaped our societies thousands of years ago. Most of the major elite families today are descendants of the Celestials you've heard about from the Academy aready-Eris, Caedros, Sevine, and Lytheria. Our continents, the way they’re divided, even the way our powers are tied to the elements—it all links back to them."

  He leaned forward a little, his voice dropping. "Solestus was said to be the creator of light. Most believe she's just a myth now. The story goes that she was destroyed in a battle against the dark thousands of years ago, and that loss kept Terra in bance all this time. But in the st few decades... something has been decaying. From within."

  He trailed off, his eyes searching hers.

  "But you are somehow connected to her..."

  Eve took a deep, shaky breath, wrapping her arms around her knees. The fire crackled between them, casting shifting shadows on the walls.

  "What does all of this mean?" she whispered. "What am I supposed to do? I feel so lost."

  Levi’s expression softened further, a rare tenderness breaking through his usual restraint. He didn’t answer immediately. He just stayed there, steady, the quiet anchor she hadn’t realized she needed.

  "We'll figure it out," he said finally, his voice low—almost a promise. "You're not alone in this."

  Eve shivered slightly, holding herself closer, whether from exhaustion or the lingering dampness clinging to her skin. Levi noticed immediately, his brow furrowing.

  “You’re shivering, Eve,” he said quietly.

  Without hesitation, he shifted closer, closing the distance between them. Levi knelt in front of her, catching her chilled hands in his. He gnced up at her, his touch careful.

  “Give me your hands,” he murmured.

  Eve hesitated, then let him take them fully. He cupped her fingers gently, bringing them closer to the fire. His palms were rough, warm, steady. He lowered his head slightly and blew warm air over her hands, the heat and his breath chasing away the lingering chill.

  Their eyes met over the space between them—closer now, facing each other directly. The firelight danced across Levi’s features, and Eve could feel her heart thudding harder with every second of their quiet connection.

  She’d never thought the person who had trained her so rigorously, who had always kept a measured distance, could be like this—so gentle, so close right now.

  The moment was intimate—quiet, intense. The fire crackled nearby, but the warmth Levi offered seemed to burn brighter.

  After a few moments, Eve, feeling the intensity coil tighter around them, gently pulled her hands back. She retreated slightly, wrapping her arms around herself once more, trying to collect her racing thoughts in the small, fragile space that now existed between them.

  "I think I'm warmed up now," she said softly. "Thank you."

  Levi offered a small smile in return, a rare, quiet moment of tenderness passing between them.

  He shifted slightly, settling beside the fire but keeping a respectful distance. After a beat, he spoke, his voice lower, curious. "What was it like?" he asked. "Life... in your world."

  Eve shifted slightly, her gaze drifting toward the fire. "Different," she said quietly. "No powers. No creatures. Just... normal things. School, jobs, cities full of people rushing around."

  "Did you have people there waiting for you?" he asked, more carefully now.

  Eve hesitated, a lump forming in her throat. "No. Not really."

  She gnced at him, offering a small, vulnerable smile. "In some ways, it feels like I was already lost before I ever came here."

  Levi studied her, the firelight catching in the deep blue of his eyes. There was no judgment there—only quiet understanding.

  Eve continued, filling the silence "Sometimes it doesn't feel real," she admitted.

  "All of this... it's so different." Her gaze dropped to her hands, as if sifting through memories she hadn't touched in a long time. "It feels like the dreams I used to have."

  Levi's brow furrowed slightly, curiosity fshing across his face. "What were your dreams?" he asked.

  Eve tucked her knees closer, her voice thoughtful as she searched her memories. "Since I was little, I would have these vivid dreams of a pce that wasn't home...It felt like I woke up in this different pce. I could feel the air."

  She hesitated, then continued, her voice soft. "There was one dream that always stuck out to me. I was walking through a forest, not unlike this pce—the luminance of the pnt life, the energy around me. I think I was lost, trying to find someone... trying to get back home. I couldn't wake up."

  Eve's brows knit together as she recalled more. "I think I vaguely remember someone there, someone telling me where to go... but by then, I think I woke up."

  She offered a small, almost embarrassed smile. "My mother found me in the garden. I guess I was sleepwalking too."

  Levi furrowed his brow deeper, as if the dream Eve described stirred something familiar within him—a distant memory he couldn't quite pce. His gaze lingered on her a little longer, thoughtful and unsettled.

  They spoke quietly for a while longer, their conversation patient and unhurried, filling the long, uncertain hours as they waited for rescue. The fire burned low, casting a soft, steady glow over the crumbling walls around them.

  At some point, Eve must have dozed off. She woke to stray sunlight rays peering through the cracks of the structure they had taken refuge in. The air was crisp and still.

  Levi sat up beside her, awake and alert, his gaze shifting toward her as she stirred. Eve found herself lying down, wrapped loosely in a discarded jacket that smelled faintly of cedar and smoke.

  For a moment, neither of them spoke. The world beyond their fragile shelter felt distant, like a different pce entirely.

  Eve sat up slowly, brushing sleep from her eyes. Levi offered her a small, reassuring nod, a quiet understanding passing between them without a word.

  Levi shifted beside her, his voice low but steady. "Looks like no one's found us yet."

  Eve gnced toward the broken entrance, uncertainty fshing across her face. "Should we try and find help ourselves?"

  Levi shook his head slightly, offering a calm, reassuring look. "They'll find us. We just have to be patient."

  They sat together in the gentle hush of morning, listening to the faint rustle of wind slipping through the broken walls. Time moved slower here, measured only by the drifting beams of light and the steady rhythm of their breathing.

  "Are you alright?" Levi asked after a long moment, his gaze catching hers again.

  "Yeah," Eve said softly. "Tired. But alright."

  She leaned back against the wall, letting her eyes drift closed for a second longer, feeling strangely safe despite everything—because Levi was here.

  The silence was broken by the deep hum of a rge engine from outside. Levi immediately jumped to his feet, his instincts sharp. He reached down and helped Eve up without hesitation.

  They both hurried out of the structure, following the sound toward the shoreline. As they stepped onto the beach, Eve noticed a small fire still smoldering—it seemed Levi had started it while she was asleep, a signal to guide rescuers to their location.

  Above them, a sleek, dual-rotor aircraft hovered overhead, its engines roaring against the quiet shoreline, its powerful turbines stirring the sand and surf into a chaotic dance. Levi turned to Eve with a sheepish, relieved smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

  "Told you they'd find us," he said, a small ugh escaping him. "Just took a little longer than I thought."

  Two officers, cd in the armor of the Guard, descended from the hovering craft using ropes, nding firmly on the shore. They rushed toward Levi and Eve, relief fshing across their faces as they recognized them.

  One of the guards, a tall man with a firm voice, addressed Levi quickly. "Sir, we have medical units on board. Do you require any attention?"

  Levi shook his head once, gncing briefly at Eve before answering. "We're fine. Just get us out of here."