VALERIE:Bonds of Fate

Valerie leaned against a low stone bench, staring at the glowing flowers that filled the space. The garden was beautiful, but the tranquility felt hollow, like an illusion barely holding together.

"How did I end up in the middle of all this?" She muttered to herself

As if summoned by her thoughts, a shadow moved in the corner of her vision.

Valerie turned sharply, her heart skipping a beat.

"Relax," Sky's familiar voice drawled as he emerged from behind a cluster of crystalline trees.

"It's just me."

"What are you doing back here?" she asked, folding her arms.

He smirked, leaning casually against a tree.

"You looked like you could use some company."

Valerie frowned.

"I thought Veader made it pretty clear the other day...he warned me about you."

Sky's smirk widened.

"Veader makes a lot of things clear. Doesn't mean I always listen."

She rolled her eyes, but her curiosity got the better of her.

"What's the deal with you two, anyway?"

Sky tilted his head, his golden eyes narrowing slightly.

"Nothing bad. Let's just say Veader and I… see the world differently."

"That's vague," Valerie said, raising an eyebrow.

Sky pushed off the tree and stepped closer, his expression turning serious.

"Veader is a good leader, but he's… rigid. Unyielding. He sees everything in absolutes—order versus chaos, right versus wrong. There's no room for compromise in his world."

"And you?" Valerie asked, genuinely curious.

Sky gave her a lopsided smile.

"I believe in shades of gray. Sometimes you have to bend the rules to get results. That's why he doesn't trust me, and why I don't care."

She studied him for a moment, unsure if she believed him.

"You don't strike me as the selfless type."

"I'm not," Sky admitted, his smile turning sly.

"But I'm also not as bad as what Veader thinks I am. I do what I think is best for Aeloria—and for the people in it."

Valerie hesitated, torn between skepticism and the strange sense of honesty in his words.

Before she could respond, the garden's tranquil hum suddenly shifted, the air growing heavy with an unnatural stillness.

"What's that?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Sky's expression darkened, his casual demeanor vanishing.

"Stay close to me."

Before Valerie could protest, a figure emerged from the shadows at the far end of the garden.

It was tall and cloaked in dark, tattered robes that seemed to writhe like smoke. Its face was obscured, but the air around it crackled with a menacing energy.

Sky stepped in front of Valerie, his golden eyes blazing with intensity.

"You're trespassing," he said coldly.

"Leave now."

The figure didn't respond. Instead, it raised a skeletal hand, and a wave of dark energy surged toward them.

Sky reacted instantly, drawing a curved blade from his side and slashing through the air. The blade glowed with a golden light, cutting through the dark energy and dispersing it in a shower of sparks.

"Valerie, run!" he shouted over his shoulder.

But Valerie didn't move. She couldn't. Her body was frozen, her mind racing as the figure advanced.

"Damn it!" Sky growled, grabbing her arm and pulling her behind him. "I said run!"

Another wave of energy shot toward them, and Sky raised his blade again, deflecting it with a grunt of effort.

The clash of light and darkness sent ripples through the garden, the once-serene space now a battlefield.

"Sky!" Valerie shouted, panic rising in her chest.

"I've got this," he said through gritted teeth.

"Just stay back!"

But the figure was relentless, its attacks growing stronger with each strike. Sky fought fiercely, his movements fluid and precise, but it was clear he was being pushed to his limits.

Then, just as the figure prepared to unleash another attack, a blinding surge of silver light filled the garden.

"Enough," Veader's voice boomed, the air vibrating with his power.

The figure froze, its dark energy faltering as Veader stepped into the garden, his presence commanding and unyielding.

"Leave this place," he said, his voice icy.

"Or be destroyed."

The figure hesitated for a moment before retreating into the shadows, its form dissolving into smoke.

As the tension in the garden eased, Veader turned to Sky, his silver eyes blazing.

"You should not have brought her here."

"I didn't bring her anywhere," Sky snapped, though there was a flicker of guilt in his expression.

"She was already here. I was protecting her."

Veader's gaze shifted to Valerie, his expression softening slightly.

"Are you hurt?"

She shook her head, her voice shaky.

"No, I'm fine. What was that thing?"

"A shadow from the Rift," Veader said grimly.

Sky sheathed his blade, his expression tight.

"Maybe you should tell her what's really going on, Veader."

Veader ignored him, his focus entirely on Valerie.

"Come with me. There's something you need to see."

She glanced at Sky, who gave her a faint nod, then back at Veader. Though her trust in either of them was tenuous, she knew one thing for sure: she was in far deeper than she'd ever imagined.