Chapter 35: The Unraveling Thread
The hum of distant streetlights spilled through the narrow window, painting the room in soft shades of violet and gold. Aria's lashes fluttered against her cheeks as she stirred, the last wisps of sleep slipping from her grasp. Her body ached faintly, a whisper of the power that had surged through her veins not long ago. The blanket tangled around her legs carried a fading warmth, already losing its battle to the chill creeping in from outside.
The sky had deepened into a shade of aching purple, heavy and still. Everything outside the window seemed to hold its breath. Aria pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders, blinking into the quiet dimness, trying to remember how it had all unraveled so fast — how her body had become a conduit for something ancient, wild, and unrelenting.
The silence in the room was sharp. Not empty — no, it vibrated with presence. Across the room, a figure sat in the half - light. Still. Watching.
Selene.
Aria's pulse skipped as her gaze locked onto her. Selene was seated by the window, one knee drawn up, her arms draped loosely around it. Her features, half - lit by the faint golden spill of light, looked sculpted from shadow and memory. She hadn't changed clothes. Her coat hung off one shoulder, forgotten. Her face betrayed nothing — but something about the curve of her lips, the tension in her fingers, told Aria that the ice was cracking.
Aria shifted, the blanket slipping down her arm as her feet touched the cold floor. The chill bit instantly, but she barely noticed. Her focus was locked on Selene.
As if on cue, Selene's head turned.
Their eyes met. A breath passed between them. Then another. A silent kind of gravity drew Aria forward.
Selene stood slowly. Her movement was fluid, controlled, like a predator deciding whether to pounce or retreat. Her eyes tracked every inch of Aria's approach with that same impossible stillness — like she was memorizing her.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," Aria whispered, unsure why her voice trembled.
"Maybe I have," Selene murmured. Her gaze dropped to Aria's bare feet, then flicked back up, unapologetically slow. "Or maybe I'm seeing something I thought I lost."
Aria's breath hitched. She felt too warm and too exposed, standing there in an oversized sweater and nothing else, the hem brushing mid - thigh. Her fingers curled around the fabric instinctively.
Selene took a step closer. The distance between them evaporated too quickly.
"Still hiding?" she said softly, a teasing edge curling her voice.
"I'm not hiding," Aria muttered, eyes darting down. "It's cold."
Selene's smirk deepened. "Is that so?"
Without warning, her hand reached out, brushing a loose strand of hair from Aria's cheek. Her fingers lingered — just barely — against her skin. They were cool, a startling contrast to the heat rising in Aria's chest. She stiffened slightly, unsure whether to move forward or run, but Selene was already reading her again, reading every nervous twitch and flicker.
"I felt your power," Selene said quietly. "It wasn't supposed to happen like that."
"I know." Aria barely breathed the words. "It… hurts. It's like something inside me broke open."
"It did," Selene said. "And now it's spilling out faster than you can control it."
She stepped away before Aria could reply, walking back toward the window. Aria hated the space between them now. It felt cruel.
"Why me?" she asked suddenly, surprising herself. "Why was I the one meant to hold it all?"
Selene didn't turn around. "Because you were born to unmake this world and rebuild it."
"That's not comforting," Aria said, her voice wobbling between sarcasm and fear.
Selene did turn then, slowly, and the intensity in her expression made Aria forget how to breathe. "It wasn't meant to be. Nothing about this is easy. But you weren't chosen because it was easy — you were chosen because even when you fall apart, you find a way to stand."
Aria swallowed. "I don't feel like I'm standing. I feel like I'm sinking."
"Then let yourself sink," Selene said, her tone unexpectedly gentle. "Let it break you. Let it tear you down. And when you're ready, I'll help you build again."
The words should've been terrifying. Instead, they felt like a lifeline.
Aria moved before she thought about it, stepping closer until their shadows overlapped.
"Will you stay with me?" she asked, her voice low. "Even while I fall apart?"
Selene didn't answer with words. She reached out again, tucking her fingers under Aria's chin and lifting her gaze. Her touch was firmer this time, more certain. Her thumb brushed along Aria's jawline — cool and deliberate. Maddening.
"Don't you see?" Selene said, her voice barely more than a breath. "I already am."
Their faces were close enough that Aria could feel the absence of warmth between them — Selene's breath didn't heat the space; it misted faintly in the cold air. Her pulse thundered in her ears. She leaned in — just slightly, uncertain — but Selene didn't move away. She tilted her head instead, her mouth nearly brushing Aria's.
Aria's heart lurched wildly.
"Are you going to kiss me?" she whispered.
Selene smiled — devastatingly. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
She leaned in closer, lips brushing the corner of Aria's mouth. Just there. Barely anything. Aria gasped, and Selene pulled back with a wicked gleam in her eye.
"You tease," Aria breathed, half - dizzy.
"I'm giving you something to hold onto," Selene said, her tone feigning innocence. "Consider it motivation."
Aria laughed — soft and breathless. "That's cruel."
Selene raised an eyebrow. "You like cruel."
Aria looked away, biting her lip. "Maybe a little."
Selene moved again, closing the distance entirely this time. Her hands settled lightly on Aria's waist, fingers slipping beneath the hem of her sweater just enough to make Aria jolt. Her skin burned where Selene touched her — cold fingers igniting fire.
"You're still shaking," Selene whispered, leaning close again, her nose brushing Aria's cheek without warmth. "Are you scared of me?"
Aria closed her eyes. "No. I'm scared of what you make me feel."
"And what's that?" Selene breathed.
"Like I'm not alone."
Selene stilled. Something in her eyes softened.
Then, without warning, she pressed her lips to Aria's forehead — a slow, reverent kiss that made Aria's knees buckle. Her hands tightened slightly at Aria's waist, holding her steady.
"You're not," Selene said quietly. "You never were."
Aria clutched at her sweater, blinking back the sting in her eyes. "Then why did you keep pushing me away?"
Selene hesitated. Her hands dropped, slowly, fingers grazing down Aria's arms before falling away.
"Because I'm selfish," she said finally. "Because I was afraid that if I let myself want you, I wouldn't be able to stop."
The confession hit Aria like a wave.
"You want me?" she asked, blinking up.
Selene stepped close again, her hand returning to Aria's cheek. "Does it surprise you?"
"Yes," Aria said honestly. "Because I always thought you saw me as… a burden. A responsibility."
Selene gave a low, rueful laugh. "You are the most dangerous thing I've ever wanted. And the only thing I'd ever choose again."
This time, it was Aria who leaned in first.
She kissed her.
It wasn't desperate. It wasn't even planned. It was soft — tentative at first, like a question with no answer. Selene's lips were cool, steady, patient. She didn't rush. Didn't take. She just… kissed her, and the world went quiet.
When they broke apart, Selene rested her forehead against Aria's.
"Well," Aria whispered. "Now I'm never sleeping again."
Selene smiled faintly. "Then I've done my job."
Aria let out a soft laugh and leaned into her touch again. "I don't know where this goes."
Selene tilted her head, brushing a second kiss just below Aria's ear. "Neither do I. But I want to find out."
Outside, the wind whispered through the city. The lights shimmered like stars caught between buildings. Inside the room, the silence had changed. It no longer felt like waiting.
It felt like beginning.
Aria didn't move when Selene guided her back toward the bed. She let herself be held — just for a while. Not as a warrior. Not as a vessel for impossible power.
Just as a girl.
A girl learning, finally, that she didn't have to face the unraveling alone.