The evening air was warm as dusk settled over the school, the sky streaked with fading color. The grounds were nearly empty, the last voices drifting away.
Celeste stood at the edge of the field, arms crossed, watching the horizon. She had messaged Orion, not sure he would come, but she wasn't surprised when she heard footsteps behind her.
"You like summoning me, don't you?" Orion's voice was laced with amusement, but there was something tired beneath it, something that told her he had been thinking about their last encounter just as much as she had.
She turned to face him. He stood a few feet away, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his hoodie, his stance relaxed but watchful. Always watchful.
"You came, didn't you?" Celeste replied, tilting her head slightly.
Orion huffed a quiet laugh but didn't deny it. He took a step closer, his expression shifting slightly as his dark gaze studied her. "So? What now? Another lecture about how I should play nice?"
Celeste shook her head. "No. I just… I think you deserve the truth."
Something flickered across Orion's face, something wary. He didn't speak, just watched her, waiting.
A beat of silence stretched between them. He didn't move, but something in his stance shifted, a subtle tension settling in his shoulders. "Truth," he repeated, skeptical. "Alright then. Let's hear it."
Celeste met his gaze head-on. "Not all mixed-bloods are the Eclipse child."
Orion stilled. The smirk vanished, replaced by a blank expression that looked carefully controlled.
She pressed on. "I don't know why I was chosen. I don't have all the answers. But I do know one thing is that being the Eclipse child isn't the only thing that gives someone a purpose."
He let out a quiet, humorless laugh. "That's easy for you to say."
Celeste shook her head. "No, it's not. You think I wanted this? You think I woke up one day and said, 'Yeah, sure, let's have my entire life torn apart by some prophecy I never even knew existed'?"
Orion's jaw tightened. He didn't answer.
"I've lost my parents, Orion," she continued, her voice softer but no less firm. "I've been hunted. I've been forced to fight for my place in this world. I know what it's like to have fate decide things for you, whether you like it or not." She hesitated, then added, "You're not the only one who's ever felt like they don't belong."
A flicker of hurt and anger passed through his expression.
Celeste took a slow breath. "With the Abyssals gone, the world is finally finding balance. Luminaries and Mortalis are learning to exist without war, without constant threats in the shadows. Maybe it's not perfect, but it's better."
Orion let out a slow exhale, shaking his head. "And where does that leave me?"
Celeste's gaze softened. "Wherever you want it to."
He went still.
"For the first time, you don't have to chase a fate that was never yours. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone. You get to choose what comes next."
Silence stretched between them, heavy. Orion's eyes searched hers, sharp and intense, as if looking for an answer or something to hold onto.
And then, he spoke.
"I actually felt something," he admitted, voice quieter now. "The first time I saw you."
Celeste's breath caught.
His gaze darkened, something raw flashing across his features. "I didn't want to," he continued, his voice edged with frustration. "I wanted to hate you. To blame you. But instead, I…" He trailed off, exhaling sharply as he ran a hand through his hair. "I felt it. Like some part of me recognized you before my mind even caught up."
Celeste swallowed, her heart pounding in her chest. "Orion…"
He laughed in short and bitter. "I was jealous of him, you know. Jase."
She blinked, taken aback.
Orion's expression twisted slightly, something unreadable settling behind his eyes. "He has what I don't. A place. A purpose. You." His lips pressed together. "And I hated that."
Celeste took a step closer, her voice gentle but unwavering. "Jase and I… we're soulmates."
Orion let out a quiet breath, his gaze dropping for the first time.
Celeste hesitated before reaching out, her fingertips barely brushing his sleeve. "You're a half-blood, Orion. Maybe that means your path is different, but that doesn't mean you're alone."
He didn't pull away.
"Maybe one day," she murmured, "you'll find your soulmate too."
Orion stared at her for a long moment, searching, like he wanted to believe her but didn't quite know how. Then, slowly, he exhaled, stepping back, putting space between them.
*****
The night air had cooled as Celeste walked back toward Jase's house, the city's noise fading into something quieter. Each step felt heavy, but not with doubt or regret.
Orion was gone.
She had told him the truth. That fate had chosen her, but not all mixed-bloods were meant to be the Eclipse child. That his purpose wasn't stolen and it was still out there, waiting for him.
And, for the first time, he had let go.
Celeste exhaled as she reached Jase's house, pushing open the front door without knocking. She barely made it three steps inside before she saw him.
Jase stood in the living room, arms crossed, his brows furrowed, waiting for her.
His golden eyes locked onto her the moment she entered, scanning her quickly, searching for any sign that something was wrong. That Orion had hurt her. That she had come back different.
But Celeste only gave him a small, tired smile. "He's gone."
Jase didn't react at first. His shoulders remained tense, his jaw still tight, as if expecting there to be more—as if he couldn't believe it was really over. "Gone?" he repeated, voice low.
Celeste nodded. "He's leaving."
Jase let out a breath, slow and heavy, his shoulders relaxing slightly but the storm in his eyes didn't fade. Instead of relief, something else flickered across his face.
He stepped closer, his movements careful but deliberate.
"You met him again," Jase said, his voice quieter now, controlled but edged with something deeper. "You went to him."
Celeste swallowed. "I needed to."
Jase's jaw clenched. "Why?"
"Because he deserved to hear the truth," she said simply.
Jase exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "Celeste, I—" He cut himself off, shaking his head, as if struggling to find the right words. "I don't get it. I don't get why you care so much about him."
Celeste frowned. "I wasn't choosing him over you, Jase."
He sighed, looking away for a moment before muttering, "Didn't feel that way."
Her chest tightened.
She stepped forward, slowly, reaching out to touch his arm. "Jase."
He didn't pull away.
"You're the only one I've ever chosen," she said, voice soft but firm. "You're the only one I will ever choose."
Jase finally looked at her again, his eyes searching hers, as if looking for the truth in her words.
Celeste gave him a small, tired smile. "Orion wasn't my story, Jase. He was just… lost. And now he has a chance to find his own path."
Jase exhaled, tension finally easing from his shoulders, but something else replaced it, something warmer.
His hand slid up to her face, fingers grazing her cheek as he tipped her chin up slightly. "And what about you?" he murmured.
Celeste's breath hitched.
She knew what he was asking. Not about Orion. Not about the past.
But about them.
She didn't hesitate.
"I already found mine," she whispered.
Jase didn't wait.
His lips crashed against hers, claiming her, consuming her, like he had been waiting for this moment and waiting for her. His hands gripped her waist, pulling her flush against him, his body heat sinking into hers as her fingers tangled into his hair.
Celeste melted into him, the world blurring at the edges, the only thing that mattered was this.
Him.
Jase.
Her heart thundered as he backed her against the couch, his hands tracing fire along her spine, his lips not nearly close enough.
He broke away just long enough to whisper, "Mine."
Celeste shivered, breathless, pressing her forehead to his.
"Always yours," she whispered back.
And in that moment, nothing else existed.
Just them. Just home.