Rain fell in silver threads that morning, streaking the windows of Edenvale High like the sky itself was weeping.
Kael stood silently by the window in homeroom, watching as clouds curled like bruises above the city. There was a heaviness in the air—a tug deep in her chest, as if something was trying to pull her back into the sky. Or tear her apart.
Ayden noticed. He always did.
"You okay?" he asked softly, nudging her shoulder.
Kael didn't answer right away. Her golden eyes shimmered faintly under the overcast light.
Then she turned and whispered, "Something's coming."
---
First Period – Literature
When the door opened, the class expected their usual sleepy old professor.
Instead, in walked a tall man with sleek black hair, an ageless face, and a silver pocket watch ticking too loudly in the silence. He wore all black—coat, gloves, even his tie. The kind of presence that silenced rooms and made hearts skip beats for reasons no one understood.
"Good morning," he said, voice like velvet layered in steel. "I'm Mr. Veylen. I'll be your substitute."
Kael's breath hitched.
That name.
Veylen.
Her knees wobbled slightly. She gripped the desk tighter.
Ayden noticed the way her face paled. "Kael?"
But she didn't answer.
Because Veylen was staring directly at her.
And he smiled.
---
Later That Day – Library
Kael paced between the ancient stacks in the school's forgotten wing, her breath shallow.
"Veylen," she whispered to herself.
He wasn't just a Stellar.
He was The Veiled One.
The Arbiter of Exiles.
The very being assigned to hunt and retrieve fallen Stars who broke the Law of Intervention.
Like her.
Her sigil burned.
"I should run," she murmured.
But her feet refused. Because somewhere deep inside her, a part of Kael didn't want to go back.
Not yet.
Not without understanding why her heart twisted every time Ayden looked at her.
Not without remembering what had truly brought her crashing to this world.
---
Meanwhile – The Boys' Locker Room
Ayden stared at himself in the mirror again, rubbing at his temple.
The scar burned.
And lately... things had been happening.
When he got angry, the lights in his room flickered.
When he touched water, it sometimes turned hot.
And last night, when he'd touched Kael's drawing—it had moved on its own.
"Am I going crazy?" he muttered.
Behind him, Zion stood in silence.
"You're not crazy," Zion said. "You've been altered."
Ayden turned sharply. "What does that mean?"
"When Kael saved you," Zion continued, "she didn't just stop your death. She transferred something. A part of her Stellar essence—into you."
Ayden blinked. "So what—you're saying I'm... glowing now?"
"Not yet," Zion said grimly. "But if she doesn't get it back, she'll fade. And if you keep it... you'll break."
---
After School – Rooftop
The sky turned blood-red as the sun dipped beneath the horizon.
Kael stood on the rooftop, wind pulling at her hair, eyes glowing faintly.
Veylen stepped into view from behind the stairwell.
"Still pretending?" he asked gently.
Kael didn't move. "I'm not ready."
"You interfered. You fell. And now... you love him."
Her jaw tightened. "I didn't mean to."
"But you did," Veylen said, stepping closer. "You've tangled the mortal's fate with your own. And now, the Void is watching. He is marked. You are hunted. I can't protect you anymore, Kaelith."
Her wings threatened to spark. Her soul begged her to choose.
"Give me time," she said, voice barely a whisper.
"I'll give you three days," Veylen replied. "After that… I return you to the stars. With or without your consent."
---
That Night – Ayden's House
Ayden opened the fridge. Found nothing.
He turned around—startled.
Kael stood there, soaked in moonlight, barefoot, eyes wide.
"Ayden," she said, voice shaking. "There's something you need to know."
He stepped closer. "What is it?"
And just as she opened her mouth— the entire house flickered.
Light pulsed through her skin.
Ayden's scar glowed.
And outside, across the street, a shadow stood on the lamppost—tall, hunched, eyeless, with a grin that split its head in two.
Watching.
Waiting.