But tonight, here in the quiet of our first night of freedom, all I needed was this: his hand in mine, his shadow wrapped around my light, the promise of a life we would shape together.
I smiled, my voice soft but certain. “Then let’s not fear it. Let’s walk into it—together.”
And in the silence that followed, I felt it again—that heady, terrifying, beautiful truth.
I was free.
And I was in love.
Chapter 26: Dario
The forest stretched wide and endless before us. I moved through the landscape beside Elena, feeling the cool earth beneath my feet, the scent of pine and damp moss thick in the air.
I could hear the soft rustling of leaves as a gentle breezewound through the forest, a quiet, natural music that was soothing in its simplicity.
Since leaving Solaris, every day felt like a gift, an opportunity to breathe in this life fully, free from the shadows of the past.
I glanced over at Elena, who was walking a few paces ahead, her silver hair catching the sunlight as it filtered through the trees, her face filled with a quiet, unbreakable peace. She looked radiant, at ease in a way I hadn’t seen before, as though the weight she’d carried for centuries had finally lifted, leaving her free to explore the world as she chose.
My clothes were simple—a black tunic and trousers lined with silver stitching at the cuffs and collar.
No more did I cloak myself in my shadows. I would explore the world in sunlight, a gift from Elena that I would always be grateful for.
I reached out, my fingers brushing against the rough bark of a towering oak tree, feeling the cool, solid surface beneath my hand.
The sensation was grounding, a reminder of the new life I was building, step by step, choice by choice.
“Dario,” Elena’s voice broke through my thoughts. She had stopped a few paces ahead, looking back at me with a smile that made my chest ache with a fierce, unbreakable love. “Are you lost in your thoughts again?”
I smiled, moving to join her, savoring the familiar warmth of her presence beside me. “Perhaps,” I admitted, my voice low, as I reached for her hand, feeling the comforting warmth of her skin against mine. “I was just… thinking about how different everything feels now. Walking here with you, in the sunlight, free of the curse. It’s as if I’m seeing the world anew.”
She squeezed my hand, her smile softening. “I know what you mean. For so long, everything felt like a duty, a responsibility. But now…” Her gaze swept over the forest, her eyes shining witha quiet wonder. “It’s as though we have all the time in the world, as though every moment is ours to claim.” She smiled. “And we have a whole world to explore.”
“You’re right.” I tipped my head back, letting the light rest on my face. Heat on skin. A golden weight sinking into muscle and bone. For so long the sun had been something I could only look at from afar, a cruel gift the world denied me. Now it poured over me like a benediction.
“Elena,” I murmured, unable to keep the awe from my voice, “you’ll never tire of hearing it—but this… this is your gift to me. All of this.”
She slowed, her silver hair catching fire where the light struck it. “Not mine, Dario. Yours. You fought for it as much as I did. The curse was never stronger than you were.”
I almost laughed. “I assure you, it was. You were just stronger than both of us.”
Her answering smile undid me. It always did.
We wandered deeper, our fingers linked—light and shadow walking side by side, not as enemies, but as halves of a whole.
At midday, we found a clearing carpeted in soft grass. Birds flitted above, and Meryn circled before swooping down to perch nearby. I set down my satchel, unfolding bread and cheese, honey, and dried figs. Simple food we’d picked up in the village we’d passed through the day before. But eaten here, with her? It might as well have been a banquet.
Elena looked up, meeting my gaze, and I saw a flicker of curiosity, a question she had yet to voice.
“What is it?” I asked, my voice soft as I tore off a piece of bread, dipped it in the honey, and offered it to her.
She took the bread with a small, appreciative nod, her fingers brushing mine, sending a warm thrill through me that lingered, a spark that seemed to settle deep within my chest. She ate some and then threw a bit to Meryn, who swooped down from theskies to take the offering before retreating again with a hoot.
She took the next piece of bread I offered her, a soft smile playing at her lips.
“Do you realize,” Elena said between bites, “that your eyes change in sunlight? They’re not just silver. They catch gold too. Like molten metal.”
I blinked at her, startled. “And here I thought you preferred me brooding in shadow.”
