A GLIMPSE OF ELSEWHERE
Morning came with a quiet kind of warmth.
The kind that settled into your bones and made everything feel… steady.
Aria woke before the rest of the camp, the soft light of dawn slipping through the trees.
For a moment, she just lay there.
Still.
Peaceful.
No alarms in her mind.
No tension in her chest.
Just… calm.
A rare thing.
A good thing.
She stepped outside, letting the cool air brush against her skin.
The camp was quiet.
Only a few early risers moved about.
In the distance, she spotted Lucian.
Already awake.
Of course.
He leaned against a post, watching the horizon like he always did.
She walked over without thinking.
“You ever sleep?”
He glanced at her.
“Sometimes.”
“That’s reassuring.”
A faint smirk touched his lips.
“You’re up early.”
“So are you.”
They stood side by side.
Comfortable.
Easy.
That same quiet connection settling between them like it belonged there.
Lucian spoke after a moment.
“…You seem better.”
Aria nodded.
“I am.”
And she meant it.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Just truth.
But then—
Something flickered.
Not around them.
Not in the camp.
In her.
A sharp pull.
Unexpected.
Her breath caught slightly.
Lucian noticed immediately.
“…Aria?”
She frowned.
Her hand instinctively moved to her chest.
“That’s new.”
“What is?”
She didn’t answer right away.
Because the feeling wasn’t pain.
It wasn’t danger.
It was… something else.
A distant echo.
Faint.
Unfamiliar.
Like a thread stretching somewhere far beyond her reach.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“…Something’s off.”
Lucian’s posture shifted instantly.
“Where?”
Aria shook her head slowly.
“Not here.”
Her gaze drifted past the forest.
Past the horizon.
“Somewhere else.”
—
Far beyond their world—
Where light barely reached…
Where the air felt heavier…
Where everything moved slower—
A different reality existed.
Not peaceful.
Not calm.
Controlled.
Cold.
And in the center of it—
He stood.
Kael.
But not the same as before.
His posture was rigid.
His expression… restrained.
Not calm.
Not free.
Bound.
A mark burned faintly against his wrist.
Dark.
Unnatural.
A bond.
Forced.
Beside him stood a woman.
Tall.
Sharp-eyed.
Her presence overwhelming in a way that pressed against everything around her.
Possessive.
Dominant.
Her fingers curled slightly around his arm.
Not gently.
Never gently.
“You’re distracted again.”
Her voice was cold.
Kael didn’t react.
“I am not.”
She tightened her grip slightly.
“You are.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Don’t forget your place.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Unforgiving.
Kael’s gaze shifted slightly.
Not toward her.
But beyond.
Like he was trying to see something far away.
Something he couldn’t reach.
“…I haven’t.”
The woman studied him.
Suspicious.
Then finally—
She released him.
“Good.”
She turned away.
“Because you don’t have a choice.”
The words echoed long after she left.
Kael remained still.
Unmoving.
But his eyes—
For just a moment—
Flickered.
Not with power.
Not with control.
But with something else.
Something rare.
Something buried.
Something close to… frustration.
Or maybe—
Regret.
—
Back in the forest—
Aria inhaled sharply.
The feeling vanished as quickly as it came.
Leaving nothing behind.
Lucian stepped closer.
“What was that?”
She blinked.
Then shook her head.
“…I don’t know.”
But her voice wasn’t fully convinced.
Lucian studied her carefully.
“You sure?”
Aria nodded slowly.
“Yeah.”
A pause.
Then she added—
“…It’s gone.”
The air around them felt normal again.
Calm.
Quiet.
Like nothing had happened.
Lucian didn’t look convinced.
But he didn’t push.
“Alright.”
Aria exhaled softly.
Letting it go.
Or at least—
Trying to.
Because whatever that was—
It didn’t belong here.
Not in this moment.
Not in this peace.
She looked at Lucian again.
Her expression softening.
“Don’t worry.”
He raised a brow.
“I always worry.”
She smiled faintly.
“I know.”
Then she stepped closer—
Closing the distance between them like it was second nature now.
“But you don’t have to right now.”
Lucian studied her for a moment.
Then nodded.
“…Alright.”
He reached for her hand.
And she let him.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Because here—
With him—
Everything still felt right.
Even if something, somewhere else…
Didn’t.