Published at 21st of June 2023 08:01:02 AM

And he was far too fast to be human.Aden touched the engraving again.

People with foresight can share the same dream.Berthas words, and they led Ilyin swiftly to a conclusion.

Monsters that look human, but with the claws and eyes of monsters. Who wear only thin clothes in the winter regions coldest months. And who she can meet in her dreams and are forever engraved in the ruins of Milton.

It was Milton, she whispered, It seems they didnt go extinct.

I thought they did, Aden replied. But it seems Ill have to investigate.

There was hesitation in his voice. She looked at him, as though waiting for him to say more.

He always said he didnt care who she was. Her roots, where she came from . . . those things didnt matter to him at all. It was her eyes, the way she looked, her scent, every little thing about her that made him love her.

He didnt even care what the other houses thought of this bride. But what about her? Did she care?

He looked into her violet eyes. They werent like those of the Milton, whose eyes had been completely filled with dark violet.

No one in the warm region was known to have divine power. If anyone did, they would have shown up not just in the Arlen estate, but across the region. But the ability to see the future in dreams that had been passed down in Ilyins family was considered a curse, hidden, and cast away. That alone was evidence that the people of the warm region were unfamiliar with divine power.

And her family didnt know where that power had come from, just as they didnt know the origin of the mobile that seemed to be a sort of divine object of its own.

His eyes went back to the engraving, and something caught them. Something that validated his suspicions.

Look there, he said, pointing.

Ilyins eyes went to the wall, and saw what Aden had noticed, a very familiar object. She couldnt check the colors of an engraving, of course, but there rendered on the wall was her ten-color mobile.

She counted twice to be sure, and there were definitely 10 pieces hanging from the object in the engraving. Engraved on the wall of this monsters run was unmistakably the very mobile that hung in her bedroom right now.

You said Miltons could see the future as well? she asked. He nodded, knowing he couldnt hide this truth from her anymore. And even if he could, he wouldnt dare keep this from her any longer.

I heard there were a few different ways to look into the future, she said quietly, a faint smile forming.

Youd already guessed, he said.

Yes, she said after a moment of hesitation.

It all fits together. The unknown lineage on her mothers side, they must have been Miltons who came out of the winter region ages ago.

But Miltons were monsters. Her heart sank. What did it mean if she were a descendant of the Miltons? And what could it change going forward?

I didnt tell you because I wasnt certain until now, he said, turning to her. But no matter who you are, where youre from, whos descendent you are, I only see you.

Just the words she needed, as though he had read her mind.

Everything else is secondary to me, he told her.

So do not worry.He placed a hand on her shoulder, and even in the dream she could feel the warmth of him.

She smiled. He was always someone who would give her what she needed even before she needed it.

Thank you, she said, leaning her face against his hand.

She had always faced the uncertainty of the morning alone when she woke from a foresight. When she saw Sids future, and her mothers future, it had always been the same the jarring shift back to the present, newly burdened with both answers and questions from the foresight, which no one else could truly understand.

But today was different. When she opened her eyes, Aden was holding her. He opened and met hers.

Den, she said cautiously, Did you did you dream?

His eyes seemed too clear for someone coming out of sleep. Especially if she had a disturbing foresight, she was often confused or shaken when she woke. He seemed completely calm.

Had she imagined it? Had she just wanted to share a dream with him so badly she convinced herself?

Yes, he said. We were in the ruins together. I had the dream too, Ilyin.

And Im overjoyed,he thought.Im overjoyed that you finallydont have to tremble in fear all alone.

He held her closer.