C A S T L E  R U I N S

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ALTHOUGH THE EUPHORIC bliss of the sun against one's skin was a universal appreciation, Lucius knew that Adelia was not going to admit it out loud anytime soon. So instead of gloating in glee with the possibility of driving his new friend away, Lucius bit down on his pride and kept his lips glued shut.

He was content with simply watching her own expressions of awe, like how her lips would part in surprise at the sight of sunlight streaming through the emerald leaves or even how she giggled under her breath when the water caught the light's shimmer.

Lucius was not uneducated. He knew that the moon worked in the same way. However, the undeniable truth is that the moon steals its shine night after night from the sun only to shimmer just as brightly and beautifully. Yet, each time, the sun did not protest. He allowed the moon to purloin its radiance without any qualms or protest. That was because ultimately, in the books that Lucius had read, at least, the sun loved the moon and wanted her to glow equally as dazzling as he did.

Sadly, even though the sun was the brightest star of them all, the moon still loved the smaller ones that danced in the night with her instead of the sun that gave her a part of himself.

"This is amazing."

Adelia had her eyes closed shut, her chin tilted upward to the sky as she breathed in deeply. Lucius could see the light reflecting off of the high points of her face, making her look as though she had captured the entire night sky's worth of constellations in her features.

"You think?"

"I've never felt such blissful warmth against my skin. Not for a long time, at least."

It was only when she opened her eyes had Lucius noticed that her irises were the exact shade of the day-time sky. Bright and a baby blue that could entrap even the toughest of hearts.

"The night is always cold and unforgiving," she continued with a sigh. "It is beautiful but yet so lonely all the same."

"Perhaps you just haven't found the right person to spend it with." Lucius offered his own opinion, stepping beside Adelia as she shrugged.

"Perhaps," she echoed. "Over many years, I've come to realize that the night is temperamental. Although it is a constant, I do not think that everyone can enjoy it. It is...an acquired taste."

She shook her head, dark ringlets cascading over her face as she brushed them behind her ear.

"Enough about me. There must have been something wonderfully spectacular about Paradise for you to be so insistent in coming down here. So what is it?"

Clasping her hands together in front of her, Lucius thought that he had never seen such excitement in her features before today. Maybe it was because he did not even really know her for long but there was something nagging at the back of his mind that that was not the main reason.

There was an insistent nagging at the back of his mind, one that kept chanting over and over again that Adelia had always been so cold and distant. After all, most night angels were. Secluded away in the darkness, they did not have the boisterous energy of the day angels. They dwelled in twilight where the majority were asleep, creeping in the shadows with silence as their only companion. It would only be reasonable for Adelia to have never felt such a rush of excitement before simply because the night praised all that was calm and collected in contrast to the day's adventurous thrill.

"Everything about this place is a breath of fresh air, Adelia." Lucius was equipped with his brightest and most handsome smile, radiant as day and warm as the sun. His words held a little bounce, pure jubilant energy radiating from each and every enunciation. "But I did come across something that caught my attention. Come, follow me."

With wings a flutter, the two angels quickly rose to the skies. They flew high above the canopy of trees, the emerald green leaves worlds below them as they sped through the high heavens. The wind was in Lucius's hair, cold and harsh currents brushing against his skin that contrasted with the warmth of sunlight. He relished in the feeling, submitting himself to the mixed sensation as he let out a whoop of delight. From beside him, Adelia laughed in a melody.

From high in the clouds, Lucius quickly spotted what he had been searching for. He halted, hovering over the same spot in the air as he pointed off into a distance below the both of them. With exhilarated eyes, Lucius watched as Adelia followed where he pointed at, her own lips parting with amazement.

"There it is!" He cried out, ready to fly down.

They quickly descended from the clouds and the second where Lucius's feet touched the ground, he folded his wings behind his back once more. They were big and feathery, and though beautiful, they could prove to be a burden sometimes. It was more convenient to stow them away when they were not needed.

"What is that?" Adelia's voice was tinged with wonder as she took a step in front of Lucius, almost too eager to enter the foreign structure.

In front of them stood a towering castle in all of its glory. It had turrets that raced to the skies, gray stone tiles forming the majestic architecture. As beautiful as it was, the structure was still a deserted one. Green vines crept up the stone walls and towards the turrets, moss covering the huge wooden doors that served as a barrier. Against the sunlight, the castle was nearly haunting due to its isolation. It seemed too out of place.

"Who do you think built this?" Adelia whispered under her breath but Lucius was able to easily catch her question.

"I don't know." He shrugged, tilting his lips down. "I've actually never been inside before. I admit I've always gotten too scared to venture in. Imagine the secrets that this structure can hold!"

"Imagine indeed," Adelia agreed. "How are you not curious?"

Lucius shrugged. "The day taught me to be safe."

"And the night taught me to inquire," the dark-haired angel playfully quipped back. "The stars hold secrets and the moon is the secret keeper. I want to know the tales of each and every constellation. If I don't even know the contents of a simple castle, how would I be able to accomplish such a feat like unraveling the unknown of the cosmos?"

"How very profound." At that, the corners of Lucius's lips turned up into a grin, his eyes sparkling with newfound interest. "Let us explore the castle, then."

Adelia's lips were tainted a wine red, a dark splash of color against her skin that represented the enigma of the night. When she smiled, her eyes danced with a light Lucius never knew could exist. Yet, it had always been the same light that was in her irises, just more beautiful than he remembered it to be.

"After you, my lady," he said, to which, she obliged.

[A/N]:

[Kisses From Death] ranked at #1 in Thriller/Mystery on 4 December 2017, making it the first of my works to attain that ranking. Thank you so much to everyone that supported me.

A little rant: please do not compare an author's works with another that is more popular, be it movie/tv series or book. I am not speaking just for myself (since I saw a tweet about this from another author before, just can't remember who). It is flattering in the beginning but it can get really irritating. We write to create our own world and find our own flame, not live in the shadow of someone else's. 

If you've read [Kisses From Death], particularly the prologue's comment section, you'll know what I mean. It is particularly insulting to be accused of copying when I've literally created a different 'world' for the series. It took months of preparation for just the first draft so mind what you speak.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

xx aurora