The rest of the day passed quietly.
Ayla and Ryker wandered through the palace grounds, taking in the beauty of Aetherion.
Every corridor seemed alive with history, every wall etched with delicate patterns that shimmered faintly under their touch.
From the high towers, they saw endless stretches of forests and rivers that sparkled like liquid light.
For a moment…
It almost felt like peace.
It was by accident that they found it.
Ayla had leaned against a carved panel on the wall
and it shifted.
A soft click echoed.
A narrow passage revealed itself.
They exchanged a look.
Curiosity won.
The passage led them deep beneath the palace, into a small, hidden chamber.
The air inside was different.
Older.
Heavier.
The room was filled with strange objects, glowing crystals, ancient relics, and devices unlike anything they had ever seen. Some pulsed faintly, as if alive.
Ayla stepped forward slowly.
"What is this place…?"
Ryker shook his head. "I don't know. But… it doesn't feel like something we were meant to find."
Still
Ayla reached out.
Her fingers brushed a crystal.
And
"Everything shattered"
Fire.
War.
Screams echoing across a battlefield.
A queen stood at the center power radiating from her like a storm.
Her sword burned with light, her presence commanding.
And behind her
A dragon.
Massive.
Ancient.
Unleashing destruction upon everything in its path.
Ayla gasped
The vision snapped.
"Ayla!"
Ryker caught her as she stumbled.
Her breathing was uneven.
"I saw something," she whispered. "A battle… a queen… a dragon."
Ryker frowned. "Who?"
She hesitated.
"…Eriol."
Silence.
"That doesn't make sense," he said. "She's powerful, yes but a warrior like that?"
Ayla looked back at the crystal, uneasy.
"It felt real."
Ryker's expression hardened slightly.
"We shouldn't be here."
She nodded quickly.
"And we don't tell her."
"Agreed."
They found Eriol in her throne room.
She sat poised, calm but her presence filled the space with quiet authority.
"Ah," she said, her eyes settling on them. "I trust your day has been… enlightening?"
Ayla forced a small smile. "It has."
Then her expression shifted.
"But we have questions."
Eriol's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Go on."
"The war… is it still going on?"
A pause.
"Yes," Eriol said. "It is."
Ayla swallowed.
"And my mother…?"
Silence.
A long, heavy silence.
Then
Eriol's voice softened.
"I'm sorry, Ayla."
Ayla's world stopped.
"No…" she whispered.
"She didn't survive."
The words didn't feel real.
They couldn't be.
Ayla staggered back
Then turned and ran.
Ryker didn't hesitate.
He found her in the garden.
The same place that had once felt peaceful.
Now it felt… empty.
She sat on the bench, her body shaking as silent sobs overtook her.
He sat beside her quietly.
Didn't speak.
Just stayed.
Time passed.
Eventually, her crying softened.
"Do you remember my wedding day?" she asked suddenly, her voice fragile.
Ryker nodded gently. "How could I forget?"
A faint, broken smile touched her lips.
"That was the last time I saw my mother."
Her voice cracked.
"She was so happy… she kept telling me how proud she was of me."
Ryker's arm wrapped around her shoulders.
"She meant every word."
Ayla leaned into him.
"But I never said goodbye…" she whispered. "I never told her I loved her one last time."
He held her tighter.
"She knew," he said softly.
"She didn't need to hear it again to know."
Silence settled again.
But this time
It wasn't empty.
It was shared.
Ayla pulled back slightly, her eyes still wet.
"Thank you… for staying."
Ryker gave a small smile.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Her heart tightened.
Something in his voice…
It felt steady.
Safe.
Real.
Before she could think
She leaned forward.
And kissed him.
Soft.
Hesitant.
But real.
Ryker froze for a split second.
Then gently pulled her closer, returning the kiss.
For a moment…
Nothing else existed.
Not the war.
Not the pain.
Not the past.
Just them.
When she pulled back, her cheeks flushed.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to"
"You don't have to be sorry."
His voice was quiet, but certain.
"I've wanted that… for a long time."
Ayla blinked. "What?"
Ryker exhaled softly, looking at her like he had been holding this in for far too long.
"I had feelings for you… even before everything."
She stared at him.
Confused.
"How is that possible?"
He smiled faintly.
"Do you remember the morning after your wedding?"
Her breath caught.
"You came to me," she said slowly. "You said you wanted to tell me something…"
He nodded.
"I was going to tell you then."
A pause.
"But we were interrupted."
Ayla's heart raced.
"All this time…?"
Ryker nodded.
"I didn't say anything because… you were already married to my brother.
And I wasn't going to be that person."
Her chest tightened.
"And now?"
He looked at her.
Really looked at her.
"Now everything has changed."
Ayla didn't look away.
She didn't pull back.
Because deep down
She knew it too.