All Chapters of Crimson Bloomed: Ascend: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Chapter 11: The Way Her Cold Felt WarmThe hum of the heater was the first thing Aria heard when she opened her eyes.Then came the weight. Not just the blanket pulled up to her shoulders, or the soft cotton sheet twisted around her legs, but the warmth tucked in against her side. Well — warm was the wrong word. Selene never felt warm. Even now, curled around her like a second spine, Selene's body was impossibly cold, and yet it didn't make Aria shiver. Somehow, it steadied her.Aria blinked slowly at the ceiling. She could tell the electricity was still working — the glow of the lamp on the nightstand cast a soft golden light across the room. Outside the window, rain tapped a steady rhythm against the glass, but inside it was quiet. Safe.She exhaled, and it fogged just slightly in the air.Selene shifted behind her, just a small movement, but it sent a rush of awareness through Aria. Her heart tripped. Selene's arm was around her waist. Her leg was tangled with hers. Her breath, col

Chapter 13: The Night She Kept Burning Selene didn't sleep. She sat on the edge of the bed, spine straight, arms resting on her knees, eyes fixed on the shadows curling across the hotel's peeling ceiling. The faint hum of electricity still ran through the old building, just enough to keep the lights buzzing, just enough to keep the illusion of normalcy. But outside, the world wasn't quiet. The city kept moaning — low, guttural sounds like metal twisting underwater, like streets trying to shift themselves back into place. Rain tapped against the windows in a rhythm too steady to be natural. It wasn't water anymore. Not really. Aria slept beside her. Tangled in the thin hotel sheets, one arm curled under her head, her lips slightly parted. She breathed like someone still halfway between dreams and remembering. Her skin glowed faintly in the flickering light, hair splayed across the pillow like spilled ink. Selene watched her. Not in a romantic way. Not in that easy, storybook kin

Chapter 15: When the Door Cracks Open Selene woke up the second she realized she was alone. The blanket Aria had been curled under was still bunched on the floor, warm in the center, but empty. The couch beside it sat silent, the air already colder without her. Selene was on her feet before her mind could finish forming a thought. Her coat slipped off the hook with a practiced flick. The world outside the studio windows was pale, gray with early light, and buzzing with that eerie stillness cities got just before they tipped into chaos. She scanned the room. No signs of struggle. No blood. No broken glass. Just the soft imprint of Aria's presence fading like a breath on cold glass. Selene closed her eyes and exhaled once, sharp. Aria had wandered. Alone. She moved quickly, steps silent, slipping down the warped stairs of the old studio and into the half - lit streets. Her breath clouded in the air, not because it was cold, but because it was wrong. The temperature was fluctuating

Chapter 17: When Dreams Taste Like HerAria didn't remember falling asleep.One second she was curled up on the stained plush suede bench in the back of the gallery, Selene's coat draped over her, her body still flushed and restless from their last words in the dark."Don't look at me like that," Aria had whispered, eyes half - lidded as Selene leaned against the edge of the bench."Like what?" Selene had smirked, tilting her head. "Like you're the most dangerously kissable thing in this city?"Aria had rolled her eyes, but her blush betrayed her. "You're annoying.""You're obsessed," Selene shot back, lips twitching."In your dreams," Aria had murmured, but she'd been smiling when she said it, fingers brushing Selene's without thinking.Aria's body finally surrendered to sleep, breath evening out as the tension faded from her limbs. One hand twitched softly against the mattress, fingers curling near her collarbone, as if reaching for something even in unconsciousness. Her lashes flut

Chapter 19: What We Gave to TimeAria didn't know when her body had started shaking, but it wasn't fear. It was something else. Something deeper. Like her cells were trying to remember something her brain had no access to.Selene noticed. Of course she did.She moved closer, wrapping her cold fingers around Aria's. "Hey," she whispered, like the air itself might shatter if she spoke too loud. "You're here. You're safe."But the truth was — it didn't feel like safety anymore. Not when every corner of her mind felt like it was glitching. Like pieces of a puzzle had been forced into the wrong timeline."I saw something," Aria said suddenly. Her voice was tight, like it wasn't sure if it wanted to cry or scream. "When I closed my eyes. Just for a second."Selene's expression changed instantly. Her grip didn't loosen. "What did you see?""Chains," Aria whispered. "Around someone's arms. Gold ones. I think she was trying to break free"Selene's silence confirmed it wasn't just a dream.Aria