Chapter 2

“No ... this can’t be happening.” Lyra whispered to herself between sobs, her tears falling onto her trembling arms. “The prophecy was right. I am the Moon Witch who will bring disaster to everyone.”

“Lyraaaa!”

Caelum’s roar pierced through the howling night wind. Lyra jolted, her head snapping up from her knees. Through the thick veil of swirling snow atop the hill, a figure was sprinting toward her, completely reckless in the face of the worsening storm.

Caelum wore nothing but a thin shirt, now drenched from melting snow. His breath came in heavy, ragged white puffs, and his face was etched with deep, raw panic.

“Caelum? Why are you here? Stay away from me!” Lyra screamed hysterically, a fresh wave of terror crashing over her heart.

Driven by sheer panic, Lyra instinctively lashed her hands forward. Her blue magic reacted instantly to her panic, unleashing a wave of razor-sharp ice that formed a thick blockade between them.

“Don’t come any closer! Get away, Caelum!” Lyra cried from behind the icy wall, her hands shaking violently as the blue sparks at her fingertips burst wildly again. “My magic is out of control! I’ll hurt you!”

Yet Caelum didn’t slow down for a second. Without a moment's hesitation, he leaped forward and swung his fist, slamming it bare-handed directly into the wall of ice Lyra had created.

CRACK!

The ice wall shattered into jagged fragments. The skin over Caelum’s knuckles ripped open, bleeding from the violent impact, but he didn’t even flinch. Forcing his way through the shower of sparkling frost, he strode toward Lyra, who sat collapsed on the snow.

Before Lyra could form another barrier, Caelum grabbed her shoulders and pulled his wife into a fierce embrace.

Caelum’s broad chest became Lyra’s sanctuary. Radiant warmth radiated from his sun-kissed skin, seeping directly into her freezing flesh. Magically, the natural heat emanating from Caelum’s body felt like a bright sunbeam in the middle of a blizzard. The wild bursts of blue magic at Lyra’s fingertips gradually subsided, fading into nothingness.

“Let go of me, you foolish Craftsman!” Lyra yelled, her voice raspy as she balled her fists and pounded against Caelum’s chest—though her strikes carried no strength at all. “You could die standing this close to me!”

“Hush, Lyra,” Caelum growled softly against her ear, tightening his hold to leave no room for her to escape. “I don’t care if you’re a witch, a fugitive, or whatever label you give yourself. You’re my wife. I’m not leaving you.”

Lyra’s breath hitches against Caelum’s chest. The warmth soothing her cold blood felt too perfect—too seamless. Slowly, she lifted her head. Her soot-dark eyes locked onto the sharp line of Caelum’s tensed jaw before drifting up to meet his warm brown gaze.

A terrible, heavy dread clawed its way back into her mind, making her swallow hard.

How can an ordinary man suppress a Moon Witch’s magic with just a light touch?

“Caelum.” Lyra’s voice trembled, her panic attack still lingering beneath her skin. “Why can your body quell my magic?”

Caelum remained silent, looking down at her without offering an answer.

“Answer me!” Lyra demanded, her fingers clutching the damp fabric of his collar. “The ancient prophecy states that only descendants of the Sun Faction can neutralize the power of a Moon Witch. The very lineage destined to hunt my kind to extinction.”

She held her breath, her pale lips quivering uncontrollably. “What if you are the Sun from that prophecy? What if ... you were created just to kill me?”

Caelum’s expression didn't shift. There was no panic, no confusion in his eyes. Instead, the broad-shouldered man took a long, deep breath and let a soft, utterly genuine smile touch his lips. With his calloused thumb, he gently brushed away the tear track on Lyra’s pale cheek.

“Prophecies are always written by fools. Always, Lyra, always!” Caelum said with absolute conviction, his voice cutting through the roaring night wind. “If I am the sun and you are the moon, the Sun’s purpose isn't to destroy or shatter the moon, Lyra. The Sun’s duty is to give it light so that it can shine.”

Lyra froze, her eyes blinking in utter disbelief as she processed the unshakeable words from the man in front of her.

“I don’t care about ancient prophecies or preordained fates,” Caelum continued, his warm palms cupping both of Lyra’s cheeks, forcing his wife to look straight into his eyes. “If the entire world or whatever Sun Faction you speak of tries to hurt you, they’ll have to fight me and step over my dead body first.”

The high walls of Lyra’s pride crumbled in an instant. Her lips curved down into a helpless, sorrowful smile she could no longer hide.

“You truly are the most reckless, foolish man I’ve ever met, Caelum,” Lyra whispered, burying her face into Caelum’s warm embrace. Her blue magic had completely died down, replaced by a soothing warmth spreading through her body.

“And you’re stuck with this foolish man forever,” Caelum replied with a soft laugh. He leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss onto the crown of Lyra’s blonde head amid the waning blizzard. “Let’s face this destiny together.”

Lyra clutched his shirt tightly. That night, atop the freezing hill, she finally stopped running from her past.

“Tell me what made you run up the hill in the first place, sweetheart,” Caelum coaxed gently once her tears had finally dried.

“You know how the snow turns into a blizzard up there.” She gestured toward the opposite ridge. “I was trying to contain the blizzard so it wouldn't hit the villagers. I tried to redirect its path. My power was stable at first, but then ... I lost control out of nowhere.” Lyra rambled without catching her breath.

“Whoa, easy, Lyra. Take a breath.”

“And the blizzard got trapped, my magic surged, exploded, and the storm dumped all that snow right over the main path.” The Moon Witch held Caelum’s hand, pulling him to look down at her mess. “The main road is completely blocked by snow.” She looked up at her husband with an innocent, guilt-ridden gaze.

“The village chief will probably ask us to help clear it tomorrow. It’s no big deal, Lyra. We can handle it together.”

Caelum pressed another kiss onto Lyra’s forehead, completely unaware of what lay hidden beneath his collar.

As Caelum leaned down, the neck of his shirt shifted slightly. Right at the base of his neck sat a faint golden birthmark—a sun crown emblem identical to the ancient illustrations etched within the sacred scriptures of the Moon Witches.

Lyra’s magic may have settled, but the real danger ... was only just beginning.

***