Page 173 of Court of Aether and Shadows

The words hit me like a physical force, breaking down walls I'd built over centuries. Fresh tears fell, but these weren't born of pain or loneliness. They felt like release - like finally being able to breathe after holding my breath for far too long.

"Thank you," I whispered, the words carrying the weight of years of hiding, of pretending to be less than I was.

Helios simply nodded, understanding in his ancient eyes. Then his gaze shifted to the shadows near the door, a complex smile curving his perfect lips.

"Isn't that right, old friend?" he called softly.

Lord Aetheron materialized from the darkness, his golden eyes holding centuries of shared history as they met Helios's iridescent gaze.

"Always," he replied simply, the single word carrying more meaning than volumes of poetry could express.

And in that moment, watching the way shadow and light reached for each other across centuries of separation, I finally understood that being different wasn't a flaw to be hidden.

It was a gift to be embraced.

Celestial Revelations

~SPARROW~

Consciousness returned like starlight piercing through eternal twilight. The first sensation was warmth - not the fever-heat of magical exhaustion, but something more ethereal, as if I were being bathed in pure celestial energy. Around me, void magic danced in impossible patterns, creating auroras that shouldn't exist in any mortal realm.

"Welcome back, Lady Sparrow," Lord Helios's harmonious voice carried undertones that made the very air vibrate. The white fox perched regally atop his perfect hair, its ruby eyes gleaming with satisfaction as it batted playfully at his immaculate locks. The sight was so incongruous - the mighty Lord of Aether being used as a glorified fox pillow - that I couldn't help but smile.

"I am so sorry," I managed, heat flooding my cheeks as memory crashed back. "I didn't realize the magic had drained me so completely. After arguing with Liam, everything started spinning and-"

"And you performed feats of dimensional manipulation that most arch-mages spend lifetimes trying to achieve," he interrupted, his iridescent robes shifting through colors that somehow managed to convey both academic interest and barely concealed pride. "Tell me, Lady Sparrow, do you often casually bend reality itself while protecting stubborn wolves?"

The fox chirped what sounded suspiciously like agreement, causing another perfectly styled lock of Helios's hair to fall artfully across his forehead. Despite his formal demeanor, there was something almost soft in the way he allowed the creature its liberties.

"I don't understand," I admitted, watching patterns of light and shadow dance across the classroom's crystalline walls. "I just followed the pathways I could see. They were already there, like ribbons of possibility just waiting to be grasped."

"Exactly!" For a moment, pure academic excitement broke through his perfect composure. "Most realm walkers force their way through reality like bulls in an ethereal shop. You, however..." he paused, his iridescent eyes blazing with an intensity that made my newly awakened power stir, "you danced with it. As if reality itself recognized something in you worth answering to."

A presence shifted in the shadows, and Helios's perfect lips curved in a knowing smile. "Isn't that right, old friend? Or did you plan to lurk in the darkness all day, brooding dramatically as usual?"

Lord Aetheron materialized from the darkness, his golden eyes holding centuries of history as they met Helios's iridescent gaze. "I do not brood," he stated with regal dignity, though shadows curled affectionately around the fox as it chirped a greeting. "I observe."

"You lurk," Helios corrected primly, though something electric flickered between them. "Just as you did duringadvanced magical theory when you were supposed to be practicing light manipulation."

"Some of us," Aetheron's shadows danced with barely contained amusement, "preferred more subtle approaches than creating miniature supernovas in the practice halls."

"That was one time," Helios sniffed, his iridescent robes shimmering with what looked suspiciously like embarrassment. "And as I recall, you were the one who suggested adding void energy to the mixture."

"I suggested a controlled experiment," Aetheron countered, his perfect features arranging themselves into innocence that fooled no one. "You're the one who decided to 'improve' the formula with celestial fire."

Their powers sparked and clashed where they met, shadow and light creating patterns that spoke of intimacy long denied. The fox, clearly amused by their bickering, leaped gracefully from Helios's head to Aetheron's shoulder, somehow managing to convey decades of shared history in a single bound.

"Perhaps," Helios said, visibly composing himself as he turned back to me, "we should focus on Lady Sparrow's rather remarkable achievements today. Your ability to perceive natural pathways between realms is extraordinary enough, but to maintain such precise control while forcibly relocating an unwilling wolf..."

"Liam was resisting?" I asked, remembering how the shadows had fought against my pull.

"Quite determinedly," Helios's voice carried harmonics of disapproval. "His pride prevented him from accepting aid, even as his instincts should have told him to trust you." Something ancient and cold flickered in his iridescent eyes. "Some men, regardless of realm, struggle with accepting that power knows no gender."

Aetheron's shadows rippled with agreement. "The mundane realm has left its mark on him. He forgets that in this world, strength is not measured by physical prowess alone."

"Indeed," Helios's perfect features softened slightly as he studied me. "Lady Sparrow, what you accomplished today - creating stable pathways through multiple dimensional planes while maintaining protective barriers and participating in class discussions - that is mastery level work. Most realm walkers spend centuries learning to manipulate a single layer of reality. You wove through at least three simultaneously."

The fox chirped what sounded like approval, rubbing its head against both Lords' cheeks before settling between them like a bridge of pure starlight. The gesture seemed to carry meaning beyond simple affection, making both powerful beings shift almost imperceptibly closer together.

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