The streets of Alas were quiet at night. Everything felt a little unreal—like the world had paused, leaving her alone with nothing but her breath and the mess of thoughts she couldn't shake.
No matter how hard she tried, the day kept replaying in her mind. Jase. Just thinking his name sent a strange chill through her, breaking down the walls she'd spent years building.
Why had he talked to her?
Luminaries didn't notice Mortalis unless they had to. And when they did, it was always distant, polite—cold. But Jase hadn't been like that. He'd looked for her. Spoken her name like it mattered. Like it meant something.
And when he looked at her... it wasn't the way others did. It was like he was trying to see something deeper, something even she didn't fully understand.
She'd spent the whole evening pretending she hadn't noticed the way his voice had softened when he looked in her eyes or how he watched her with a focus that made her skin tingle. But what stayed with her most was the way he'd said her name before leaving. There had been something in his voice, something that sent a warmth rushing through her before she could stop it. Her face flushed just thinking about it, and she shook her head quickly, trying to push the feeling away before it could sink in any deeper.
This was dangerous. Letting her mind wander to Jase, wondering why he had come looking for her—it was a risk she couldn't afford. She'd grown up knowing exactly where she stood in the world, knowing the line that separated Luminaries from Mortalis. A line that wasn't meant to be crossed.
And yet, she couldn't deny that something had changed.
It wasn't just that he had spoken to her—it was that, for the first time in her life, a Luminary had looked at her not with dismissal, not with superiority, but with curiosity. With recognition. And that terrified her more than anything else.
Lost in thought, Celeste took a while to realise that there were heavy footsteps behind her. Unhurried. Each one thudding softly against the pavement, growing closer.
The sound sent a chill racing down her spine.
A split second too late, she realized—she wasn't alone anymore.
A rough hand clamped over her mouth before she could scream, yanking her backward with terrifying force. Celeste froze, her body going rigid as panic shot through her like ice.
Everything around her blurred—the quiet street, the glow of the lights—twisting into a mess of motion and fear as she was dragged into a narrow alley.
No. No, no, no.
She fought back, kicking and clawing, her nails digging into the hand covering her mouth. But he was too strong. His grip didn't budge.
She could smell him—sweat and something sour—and feel his hot breath near her ear as he let out a low, cruel laugh that made her stomach turn.
"Hey, pretty," he murmured, his voice dripping with something vile, something that made her stomach churn. "Where are you going? Let's have some fun together."
She struggled harder, heart pounding in fear, but his grip only grew tighter, his body pinning her down like a suffocating weight.
"Stop fighting," he growled, irritation lacing his words. "No one's coming to save you."
The words sent ice slicing through her veins, a helpless realization settling into her bones. She was alone. No one was coming. No one ever came.
And then—
The air shifted.
A strange wave of energy pulsed through the alley, faint at first—like the tension before a storm. It made Celeste's spine tingle. Then, suddenly, the grip on her vanished.
She stumbled forward, gasping, finally able to breathe as the pressure around her mouth disappeared. Her lungs burned as she pulled in air.
She barely had time to think before she spun around, heart pounding. The weight that had been holding her down was gone. Just like that.
And the man—
He wasn't on the ground.
He was pinned against the brick wall, feet barely touching the ground, his body jerking and twisting like something had grabbed him by the throat. His hands flailed helplessly, eyes wide with panic as he struggled for air that wouldn't come.
Jase stood in front of him, calm and still, his hand raised slightly, fingers curled like he was barely trying. But Celeste knew—he was the reason the man was choking, the reason he couldn't break free.
Jase wasn't even touching him. It was all power.
Celeste's heart pounded in her chest, her breath coming fast and shaky. She had heard stories about what Luminaries could do, seen hints from afar—but never anything like this.
Not like this.
Not for her.
Jase didn't even look at her. His eyes stayed on the man still hanging in the air, calm and unreadable. There was no anger, no emotion—just quiet control. What unsettled her most was how easy it was for him. He wasn't struggling. He wasn't even trying hard. He was simply holding him there, deciding.
The man gasped again, a strangled, pitiful sound, his body writhing, his legs kicking uselessly against the night air. He was terrified. He knew, just as Celeste did, that Jase could end him with a mere flick of his fingers.
Jase tilted his head, his voice quiet, almost bored. "I would think twice before touching someone who doesn't belong to you."
The man let out a strangled wheeze, his head jerking in frantic, desperate nods.
Jase didn't need to say anything else.
With a simple motion of his hand, he released him.
The man dropped to the ground, coughing and shaking like someone who'd just come up for air. He scrambled back, eyes wide with fear as he looked between Jase and Celeste. Then, without a word, he turned and ran, his footsteps echoing down the alley as he disappeared into the night.
Celeste stood frozen, her body trembling, her mind still trying to catch up with what had just happened. The weight of it all pressed down on her, and the sound of her attacker's gasps still hung in the air like a shadow.
Her breath hitched as she turned back to Jase, her wide eyes locking onto him, searching for answers she wasn't even sure she wanted. He let out a slow breath, lowering his hand, his fingers uncurling with the same effortless control that had just suspended a grown man in the air.
His golden eyes finally met hers—steady, unreadable, intense. He seemed to be watching her reaction, waiting to see if she'd run. But she didn't move. She couldn't. Neither of them spoke right away, the space between them charged with something she couldn't name. Jase had saved her. Jase had used his power for her. Celeste tried to understand what had just happened—why he was even there, why he had stepped in. Luminaries didn't get involved in Mortalis matters. But he had.
The realization sent a shiver through her, but not from fear. She swallowed, her throat dry, and finally managed to say the only words that made sense in the chaos of her thoughts.
"Are you following me?"
Jase ran a hand through his hair, exhaling lightly, as though debating whether or not to answer, before finally murmuring, "I just… had a feeling something might happen." His voice was calm, but there was something else beneath it, something uncertain, as if even he didn't quite understand why he had been compelled to be there.
Her fingers curled slightly at her sides, her pulse still uneven as new thoughts rushed in. Why was he protecting her? Was it pity? Duty? Or something else entirely?
The question stirred a strange warmth in her chest, mixing with the leftover adrenaline still racing through her.
She glanced toward the empty alley where the man had vanished, the fear not quite gone—but something new had taken its place.
Safety. Not because she got away, but because Jase had been there. She turned back to him, her voice quiet and unsure, but honest.
"…Thank you."
It was all she could say. The only thing that felt right. And somehow, it still didn't feel like enough.
"You should be more careful," he said softly, his earlier edge gone, replaced with something gentler.
Celeste nodded slowly, though her chest still felt unsettled. Why was she reacting like this? Why did his voice, his presence, make her pulse race—and not from fear?
Logic told her to step back, to remember that Luminaries and Mortalis didn't belong in each other's worlds. But instead, she found herself speaking before she could stop.
"Is sensing danger… your power?"
She didn't know why she asked. Maybe she just wanted to understand. To know how he had shown up before she even knew she needed help.
Jase glanced at her, pausing for a second before shaking his head. "No," he said, his expression unreadable, though something flickered in his golden eyes, something she couldn't quite place. "It's weird… but I just felt it. On you."
Celeste's heart skipped a beat.
Jase didn't elaborate, didn't explain, but his words lingered in the space between them, stretching out in a silence that neither of them knew how to break. Finally, he took a step back, his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer before he turned, walking away without another word. She watched him disappear into the night, and even after he was gone, she still felt the weight of his presence.
As Jase left, he couldn't shake one lingering thought.
For the first time in his life, he had used his power for a Mortalis.
And instead of feeling like he had crossed a line…
He felt at peace.
As if it had been the most natural thing in the world.