CHAPTER 94: PEGASUS’S ABILITIES

Auren released a quiet breath as he gathered himself, letting the silver feather hover between his palms, its glow rolling in soft, uneven waves. The light wasn’t steady, it pulsed in a way that suggested something was interfering from far beyond their reach. Even so, he kept his focus fixed, shoulders stiff but determined.

Lucian stood a short distance away, arms crossed, his presence filling the room with an unmistakable chill. He wasn’t saying a word, but the tightness in his jaw and the stillness in his expression made it clear how thin his patience had grown.

Earlier, he had asked Sebastian to call Auren to the manor, hoping he would help. Pegasi were known for many things... speed, endurance, impossible stubbornness but among their lesser-spoken talents was the rare ability to reach into the spiritual plane. Not perfectly, not without risk, and certainly not without consequences, but enough to sense the presence of a wandering soul and, if luck allowed, brush against it.

Lucian was counting on that faint possibility now.

Auren shifted his stance slightly, the feather’s uneven glow reflecting across the frost-coated floor. His brows drew together, tension gathering around his eyes.

"You know..." he murmured without lifting his gaze, "I think this is not working."

Lucian’s reaction was immediate.

"What?" he moved closer in two quick steps, panic flashing across his face. "No—no, what do you mean? Don’t stop."

Auren grimaced, keeping his hands steady as the feather’s glow flickered again.

"It’s not that I want to stop. It’s just..." he hesitated, then turned slightly toward Lucian, "I don’t sense any movement anymore."

Lucian’s breath caught. "Movement?"

"I think... She’s still," Auren explained, rubbing his thumb over the feather as if trying to coax more response from it. "If she stays still like that, with her soul sealed and the barrier tightening every second, it becomes nearly impossible to locate her. I need even the smallest reaction to trace her energy back. But right now... it feels like she’s frozen in place."

Lucian’s frown deepened, his voice cracking with frustration.

"Then what should I do?! Tell me. Anything."

"Calm down!" Auren snapped back, his own breathing growing heavier from exertion. "I want her out too, Lucian! But sitting here trying the same thing for hours won’t magically break the seal. If there’s no movement from her, I can’t trace her. It’s like chasing a flame that isn’t burning."

Lucian shut his eyes for a brief moment, trying to rein in the storm swirling inside him.

Auren took a deeper breath before continuing, "Instead of wasting time, we might as well consider the other option... you let me talk to Elyndra."

Lucian’s eyes snapped open, icy and sharp. "Absolutely not."

"Well, we might have to," Auren pushed on, his chest rising and falling faster now as fatigue and urgency blended in his voice. "You told me everything she said, right? About pretending to be Celeste all this time?"

Lucian nodded stiffly, the frown on his forehead folding deeper with every breath he took.

"She said she occupied that body for... half a century."

"Then I’m the best one to talk to her," Auren said, and for the first time since he arrived, a spark of hope colored his expression. "I might be able to get more out of her than anyone else."

"No," Lucian snapped instantly, the rejection sharp enough to cut the air.

"Yes," Auren shot back without hesitation, matching Lucian’s intensity. "I’ve met her before, Lucian. More than once. More than you think."

Lucian’s head turned fully toward him, eyes narrowing with suspicion.

Auren’s casual admission had drawn a deep, rigid crease between his brows.

"You what?"

Auren immediately lifted both hands, palms raised as if asking Lucian to hold his explosion for later. "I can’t explain everything right now... we don’t have the time, and honestly, you’ll probably be angry before I’m even halfway through."

He hesitated, then added carefully, "But believe me, I know her better than you."

Lucian’s gaze sharpened dangerously, the kind of look that could freeze a river solid, "Explain."

Auren let out a long, frustrated breath, rubbing the side of his temple as if he could feel a headache forming. "I told you... later," he said, trying to keep his voice steady and patient despite Lucian’s piercing stare. "We’re short on time, Lucian. Every second we stand here discussing my history with her is another second Seraphina is trapped alone. And we have no idea what danger she might be facing the longer we wait."

He held Lucian’s gaze firmly this time, refusing to back down.

"She’s your wife. You think I don’t understand what’s at stake? But explanations can wait. Getting her out cannot."

Lucian’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t interrupt.

Auren continued his movement, lifting his hand slightly as he released the feather, not dropped, but letting go, as if dismissing a spell he no longer needed for the moment. The silver plume dissolved the instant it left his fingertips, scattering into soft flecks of light that drifted upward before vanishing into thin air. The air stilled after it disappeared, leaving behind a quiet echo of magic that shimmered faintly and then faded completely.

Auren drew in a steady breath, grounding himself again before speaking.

"That connection only works when Seraphina is moving," he said gently. "If she’s stopped, I can’t trace her. Not like this. So I need a different angle... one that requires talking to Elyndra directly."

He looked up again, calm but unwavering.

"It’s the fastest route, Lucian. And right now... speed is everything."

Lucian’s brows pulled together, tension carving a sharp line across his forehead. He didn’t answer immediately. The silence stretched, thick and heavy, before he finally exhaled and gave a clipped nod, "No touching is allowed."

Auren blinked, then scratched his temple with a sheepish awkwardness.

Lucian’s irritation spiked instantly.

"You did think of that, right?!"

He stepped forward, fingers twitching near Auren’s collar as if he was one second away from grabbing it.

Auren raised both hands in surrender, expression softening into an apologetic grin, "Relax, dragon. I’m just teasing..."

Lucian did not look amused.

Auren let out a small breath and shook his head, the teasing fading into sincerity again.

"I’ll try my best not to touch her... obviously. But Lucian..." He lowered his hands, his voice dropping into something steadier, more serious.

"I still strongly believe that being close to Elyndra or rather, to Seraphina’s body will give me a better chance to detect Seraphina’s presence. Her flame, her soul... whatever trace she left when she was sealed away."