Chapter 42
The night air greeted Rain like an old friend.
It prickled across his skin, raising goosebumps along his arms, sending a shiver down his spine that felt…
cleansing. Inside the estate, he’d felt numb; suspended in warmth and comfort that didn’t quite reach his heart.
But out here, beneath the moon’s silver glow, he felt alive. Present. Able to breathe.
He inhaled deeply, eyes lifting to the glimmering moon.
Questions vibrated in his chest; aching and unanswered. With every breath he exhaled, they drifted into the night like smoke.
Scarlet stood beside him, silent and steady, her aura a soft hum of hope and curiosity. Rain glanced at her. The moonlight kissed her dark skin, giving her a dewy glow. Her amber eyes shone bright and fearless, a small smirk tugging at her lips.
She looked like a creature born of starlight; someone who belonged to the night as much as he did. Someone who found comfort in the quiet, in the dark, in the vastness of the sky.
It warmed him.
It soothed him.
It reminded him why he had fought so hard to save her.
The haunted look she’d worn in the tower; that hollow, broken despair, flickered through his mind. He never wanted to see that expression again. Not on her. Not on any of them.
They stood together for a long time, letting the silence settle around them like a blanket. Rain waited, giving Scarlet space to soak in the moment, to let the night sky fill her with whatever she needed.
Eventually, he spoke.
“Let’s sit at the top of the steps,” he said gently. “I’ll explain why I brought you out here.”
He led her across the patio to the stone steps overlooking the sculptured lawn; a sea of native blooms glowing faintly in the moonlight.
“Don’t worry,” he added when her heart spiked nervously. “It’s nothing serious.”
She exhaled, shoulders relaxing.
“I want to practise some calming techniques with you. Things that helped me control my own emotions. Or… regain control, really. I think they’ll help you too.”
Scarlet nodded eagerly and sat opposite him, tucking her skirt beneath her legs and wrapping it over her knees for warmth. Rain sat cross-legged, adjusting the fabric of his trousers.
“Okay,” he said softly. “To start… can you tell me how you’re feeling right now?”
“Ummm… I am feeling… okay?” she said, confusion wrinkling her brow.
Rain smiled gently.
“As you know, my power lets me read people’s emotions. When you say ‘okay,’ I can feel that you’re confused by the question. A little scared. But underneath that… you’re peaceful. Happy. The night sky makes you happy.”
“Yes,” she said simply. “It does. And I do feel those things.”
“I asked because understanding how you feel helps you understand what you need to stay in control. Since you’ve been here, you haven’t felt frightened or anxious, right?”
She shook her head.
“When you do feel those things, your fire grows. And you struggle to stop it. I can relate to that, it happens to me too, but with emotions and energy, not fire.”
Scarlet lowered her gaze.
“I don’t think you can get as bad as me,” she whispered.
Rain reached out and took her hands gently.
“You’d be surprised,” he said softly. “I’ve been responsible for many bad things. That’s why I needed techniques to regulate. I know how hard it is to recognise when you’re about to lose control.”
Her eyes lifted, wide and searching.
“I think the teachers at the Order of Aurora will help you with that,” he continued. “Just like they helped me. Earlier today… I lost control too.”
He winced, realising his friends had likely felt every ounce of his heartbreak.
“Those around me felt my emotions. But nothing worse happened. I hope.”
Scarlet’s voice trembled.
“When I learn… I will still lose control like you did today? I won’t be cured?”
“No, Scarlet.”
He squeezed her hands, grounding her.
“You have nothing to be cured of. Your power is like…”
He lifted her right arm and wiggled it playfully.
“Your arm.”
She giggled.
“It’s part of you. It doesn’t need to be taken away.”
He leaned in.
“Does a baby come out of the womb walking on two legs?”
“I don’t think so… does it?” she asked, scrunching her face.
“No,” he laughed. “A baby learns slowly, with a lot of practice. They mistakes and it takes time. Our powers are the same.”
Her eyes widened as understanding dawned.
“Now,” he continued, “let’s talk about breathing.”
He placed his palms upward, and she rested her hands on his.
“The breath is one of the best tools we have. Close your eyes. I’ll guide you.”
She obeyed instantly; trusting him without hesitation.
Rain felt the weight of that trust like a hand pressed gently to his chest.
It humbled him.
It softened something inside him he hadn’t realised had gone rigid.
Trust had never come easily to him.
Not from others.
Not toward others.
Not even toward himself.
Most people flinched around him, even when they tried to hide it.
They feared what he could do.
What he had done.
What he might do if he slipped.
But Scarlet…
Scarlet didn’t flinch.
She didn’t hesitate.
She didn’t brace herself for pain.
She simply placed her hands in his and closed her eyes.
Like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Rain swallowed hard, a quiet ache blooming behind his ribs.
How could someone who had been locked away, starved, neglected, and burned by her own power still trust so easily? How could they still look at the world with hope instead of suspicion?
He guided her through slow breaths, muscle by muscle, feeling her tension melt beneath his palms. Her energy shifted, loosening and expanding before settling into something soft and open.
She slipped into a meditative state with surprising ease, as though her mind had been waiting for someone to show her how to rest.
She glowed in the moonlight, looking serene, regal and whole.
Rain felt a tug in his chest.
A glimpse of who she could become.
Who she deserved to be.
Who she should have been allowed to be all along.
And it hurt, in a quiet, aching way because he recognised that same stolen childhood in himself.
The same forced maturity.
The same fear of hurting others.
The same desperate need for control.
He inhaled deeply, letting the night air cool the raw edges of his heart.
He let himself join her.
Let himself breathe.
Let himself release the thoughts he’d been holding like shards of glass.
Forget the way the world had tilted beneath him.
Forget the hollow ache that had carved itself into his chest.
For a moment—just a moment—he allowed himself to feel nothing.
And then—He was there, in his mind-space.
Witnessing the white light that represented the presence of the Gods.
“True King of kings,” the many voices whispered. “We are happy to see you. We are happy with you.”
Their words echoed like ripples in water.
“You saved the princesses of Red from their horrific—”
repulsive
“—captivity, as we knew you would.”
An image flashed before him; the princesses, dressed in matching formal gowns, smiling boldly for a portrait. A future version of them, perhaps. A promise.
“Before we bring you to Princess Scarlet—”
Rain’s consciousness flickered.
Bring him to her?
What did that mean?
“We wish to direct you,” the voices continued. “Seek out the other five Aetherchrome. You must activate all eight. White, blue, and red are already within you.”
The light pulsed.
“Only when you have harnessed the eight will you be prepared to begin your journey to the Rainbow palace. Until then… there are other crowns for you to collect.”
A soft, eerie giggle echoed through the space.
Then the light shifted from white to a warm, glowing amber.
Scarlet’s presence bloomed beside him.
Rain’s heart clenched.
She was here.
In the mind-space.
With the Gods.
And she was so very vulnerable.
But they were the Gods, they wouldn’t harm her.
He hoped.
“Scarlet.” The voice that filled the space was nothing like the one Rain knew.
It wasn’t the layered chorus of countless beings speaking as one.
It wasn’t the echoing, omnipresent hum of the many-voiced Gods of Fate.
This voice was singular.
Warm.
Nurturing.
Almost… parental.
It wrapped around Scarlet like a blanket, soft and steady, vibrating with a deep, ancient heat.
Rain felt the difference instantly; the way the air thickened, the way the light shifted from white to a molten amber-red.
This wasn’t the collective.
This was someone.
A God.
A Red God.
Cyrrax.
He didn’t know how he knew but he did.
It pulsed through the space like a heartbeat.
“Fear not, sweet child,” Cyrrax soothed, the voice rich and resonant. “For I am Cyrrax, God of Flame and Fate. I come to you with a gift.”
Rain’s breath caught.
Scarlet’s aura fluttered with awe, but she remained calm, as though the warmth of this God felt familiar, like a fire she had always known.
“The same gift that was gifted to the True King,” Cyrrax continued. “King Rain.”
The space flickered — a quick flash of orange light, like a spark catching tinder. Rain felt a wave of contemplation ripple through the God, as though choosing its words carefully.
“I will heal the emotional wounds…”
A pause.
A soft hum of reconsideration.
“Heal the sadness,” Cyrrax corrected gently, simplifying the concept so Scarlet could grasp it. “The sadness that broke your spirit as a child. The sadness that stole your control.”
Scarlet’s presence trembled; not with fear, but with recognition.
“You will still learn great skills from King Rain,” Cyrrax said, “and from the Order of Aurora. But this gift will make your path easier.”
The space flickered again, like a candle flame dancing in a breeze.
“Hmmm… yes, child,” Cyrrax murmured, responding to something Scarlet said — though Rain couldn’t hear her voice. Only the God could.
“You and your sisters were saved by the one True King,” Cyrrax continued, tone swelling with reverence. “All hail King Rain Beau Royale, King of the Realm. He is the saviour of all that is, was, and will be.”
The space pulsed, animated, alive.
“Yes, our sweet child,” Cyrrax whispered. “Bow for the Rainbow King. All who bow shall be blessed.”
The amber light began to dissolve, melting back into the familiar blue-white glow of the collective Gods. Their breathy rhythm returned, cool and ethereal.
“Source the Aether, True King,” the many voices said in unison.
And then the light faded.
The space dissolved.
Rain’s awareness snapped back into his body, while Scarlet’s fingers twitched in his palms as she calmly returned to herself.
Rain ripped his eyes open, heart pounding, watching her closely.
She blinked slowly, adjusting to the moonlight.
Her aura was transformed; whole, powerful, fearless.
And her gaze… her gaze was fixed entirely on him.
It was as though she was seeing him for the first time.
Seeing him through Cyrrax’s eyes.
Through the eyes of fate.
Her lips curled into the biggest, brightest smile he had ever seen on her.
“Rainbow King,” she breathed.