Chapter 5 Tides Beneath the Surface

Kieran paced the kitchen, the air thick with unspoken questions. "What was that?" he asked, finally breaking the silence. "Why did she look at you like you were some kind of" He stopped himself, unsure whether he sounded paranoid or perceptive. Selara stood near the window, arms folded, her expression unreadable. "Because she sees the truth. Even when she doesn't understand it." Kieran frowned. "What truth?" Her gaze met his, and in that moment, she looked both fragile and unbreakable. "That I'm not from this world, Kieran. Not entirely."

Kieran leaned against the counter, processing. He was a man of science, of logic yet everything about Selara had defied both. Her silence, her strength, her otherworldly presence. "You're not dangerous... are you?" he asked softly. Selara's lips parted slightly, the question hitting deeper than he realized. "Only when I'm hunted," she replied. It wasn't a threat. It was a warning born of pain. Kieran nodded slowly, choosing trust even as the memory of Jules's narrowed eyes haunted him. He knew her too well. She would dig until she found blood.

Back at The Order's compound, Jules slammed her blade into a wooden table, splinters flying. "She's one of them," she hissed to her commander. "But she's different. Controlled. Hidden. Possibly even exiled." The commander, a tall man with pale eyes and a face carved by time, folded his hands. "We don't act without confirmation." But Jules wasn't waiting. Her instincts screamed louder than orders. Something was stirring in the air not just Selara, but something darker. And if she was right, this wasn't just about one Luna. It was about war.

That night, Selara stood on the rooftop, the city humming beneath her, and the moon half hidden by clouds. She could feel it the pull of something ancient. A ripple in the boundary between realms. Kael was stirring. She knew the signs too well: a storm of magic building behind shadows, a call meant only for her ears. Her exile was not the end. It was the beginning of something much more dangerous. And if Kael found her here... no human would be safe. Not Kieran. Not Jules. Not even herself.