Semua Bab The Witch's Demon Mate: Bab 51 - Bab 60

Light fractured and drifted in slow, wandering patterns, casting distorted reflections across the crystalline haze. Everything shimmered, but nothing moved of its own accord—except the quiet, pressing weight of what had just happened.Aria sank to her knees, her hands trembling against the pale dust. Kael crouched beside her, voice soft, careful.“You’re… still here,” he said, almost more to himself than to her.“I think so,” she whispered, leaning against him. “But… it feels like pieces of me are scattered across the Glasslands. Pieces I’ll never fully get back.”Kael’s thumb traced circles over her knuckles. “You’re still you. Every part that matters is here.” His own voice faltered, though he hid it in the rhythm of the bond.They didn’t speak for a long while. The remnants of the shards that lingered after the Naming Rite hovered faintly, subtle echoes of the voices that had tried to claim her name. They seemed hesitant, watching, almost reluctant. Yet Aria could feel them, like t

Selene’s presence began as a flicker, a tremor in the mirrored haze — then coalesced into form at the center of the fractured plains. The Glasslands themselves bent inward as if bowing to her arrival. Her projection rose from the shards in a slow, elegant pull: molten glass weaving into limbs, her hair spilling like liquid obsidian, her eyes sharp, cold, and too knowing.“You’ve grown bold,” she said, voice slicing easily through the shimmering air. “Defiant, even.”Her expression softened into something far more dangerous.“And yet… you are still mine.”Aria pressed closer to Kael without meaning to. His arm immediately wrapped around her waist, anchoring her—not out of fear, but instinct. The bond thrummed in her chest, alive and protective.“We’re not yours,” Aria said, voice steady despite the tremor she felt under her ribs. “We’re us. Together. You can’t touch that.”Selene’s lips curved, amused. “You speak as though your togetherness is some… shield.”Her eyes flashed. “Shall I

The mist parted with a low, resonant hum—like glass vibrating under immense pressure. Aria froze mid-step. Kael’s hand snapped out, pulling her behind him just as the ground ahead split open, fractures spider-webbing in all directions. Light poured from the cracks, bright enough to sting their eyes. The air trembled. The reflections rippled. Then the Guardian rose. A towering figure of mirror and crystal, shaped like a humanoid but far too fluid, too shifting, its edges melting and reforming with every slight movement. Light pulsed from within its core—deep, ancient, and unblinking. Aria whispered, “What is that?” Kael’s expression darkened. “A Guardian of the Glasslands. They keep balance here… unless something has corrupted them.” The Guardian moved with impossible grace, its body bending like liquid glass. Its voice boomed in layered echoes: “Bond-bearers. Your presence distorts the lattice. Correction required.” Aria shivered. “It’s… speaking to us.” “No.

The walk had been quiet, tense, and long. Varuun led them through narrow, twisting paths hidden from the Glasslands’ reach, each turn marked by wards faint enough to be invisible, but strong enough to deter prying eyes. The fractured plains of Nareth faded behind them, shards of light dissolving into distant memory. By the time Kael and Aria stepped through the heavy archway of the safehouse, the oppressive chaos of the Glasslands felt miles away. Inside, the air was warmer, heavier with stillness, but it carried a fragile sense of freedom—not the freedom of surviving Selene’s illusions, but a sanctuary small and guarded enough to breathe. Kael’s hand stayed over Aria’s, his fingers flexing against hers as they walked. “We’re out… for now,” he murmured, eyes scanning the high, shadowed ceiling for any sign of intrusion. “Varuun said this place would hold,” Aria said softly. “We just have to stay alert.” She leaned against him, letting out a shaky breath. “It’s… strange. Quie

The safehouse remained dim, lit only by the dying embers of the lantern Kael had forgotten to extinguish. The air still held the warmth of their bodies—the echo of breathless whispers and the lingering glow of desire. Slowly, inevitably, the world began to seep back in.Aria lay curled against Kael’s chest, rising and falling with each breath he took. His hand rested protectively along her back, thumb tracing lazy circles along her warm, soft skin as though memorizing her.Her silver-flecked amethyst eyes were half-lidded, still hazy with affection and exhaustion. Strands of her deep, moon-dark hair draped over his chest, catching faint light like woven shadow silk. Her curves pressed gently against him—the soft, alluring warmth of a woman who carried both strength and tenderness in her shape. She looked at home in his arms, as if she had always belonged there.Kael didn’t speak at first.Didn’t move.He simply held her.The contrast of them was striking—Aria’s soft lines against Kael