Volume 1: Path – [Awakening Arc]
Chapter 4: Uriel Evernight
He saw a girl with a soft, regal presence, no older than sixteen in appearance, standing at around 5'4" with a slim, elegantly poised frame. Her skin was porcelain fair, perfectly even with not a blemish in sight. Silvery platinum blonde hair flowed down to her mid-back in smooth, slightly wavy strands, parted neatly to the side. Her face was oval-shaped, high cheekbones lifting her serene features, and her nose was small and refined.
Her eyes were almond-shaped and glowing with vivid gold irises that seemed to quietly hold galaxies, framed by long, naturally curled lashes and delicately arched brows. Soft pink lips, medium-full with a clean cupid's bow, completed the gentle expression that masked something deeper.
She wore a white, minimalist jacket-dress hybrid that struck a perfect balance between form and function. Tailored but not tight, the material shimmered subtly under the light with gold accents and fasteners that hinted at quiet luxury. A small butterfly emblem sat neatly at the collar. Around her neck hung a delicate gold chain, and a metallic butterfly hair clip gently pinned one side of her flowing hair.
She exuded soft confidence, the kind that made her presence felt without effort. A quiet, noble air that could not be ignored.
When he saw this girl on his bed, Caelus froze as he looked at her, pointing the index finger of his right hand at her and shouting, "How the hell did you get inside my room?"
She turned around to face Caelus from her right side with a happy smile and a joyful expression and said, "You forgot to close your door, so I just came in."
As she spoke, she got up from the bed and started walking towards Caelus, who remained frozen in place.
"How much time has it been since you came inside the room?" Caelus asked as he placed his towel on a chair to his right, where the chair was leaning against the wall.
He didn't bother placing it outside on the hanger because he was lazy, and he needed to ask her his question first. She had used this reason a lot of times this month to come into his room, and he still vividly remembered that he locked the door with his keys, and that he only had one pair of them with him.
"It has just been five minutes. While you were bathing, I felt bored standing outside for so long, so I came into your bedroom. Did I do anything wrong? Will you punish me for entering without your permission?" The girl tilted her head and looked up at Caelus with big, shimmering puppy eyes, her voice soft and sweet voice.
When he looked at her like this, Caelus felt his heartbeat speed up, thudding against his chest with a soft ba-dump ba-dump. He knew exactly why.
'Damn it... she's just too cute. I can't even be mad,' he thought, a conflicted smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
He quickly masked the expression with a sigh and said aloud, "Of course you need a punishment. For the whole day today, you have to take me to the amusement park. No complaints."
The girl's expression brightened instantly. Her eyes shimmered with excitement as she clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward slightly. "Which one? There are only three amusement parks in the city right now. One of them was rebuilt just two days ago, and we already visited the other two. That means we should go to the new one, right? But… are you sure? Your parents were also caught in that bombing, weren't they? Only a few people survived, including you..."
Her tone softened as she said it, concern flickering in her golden eyes.
Caelus looked at her for a moment before slowly shaking his head. "That's all in the past. Who cares about that now? Whether my parents are dead or alive, I know one thing for sure. They'd want me to be happy. That's all that matters. Living for the present."
He gave her a smile—gentle, genuine, and maybe just a little sad.
"So… you're coming with me, got it? That's your punishment, Miss Trespasser."
"Of course I am going to. What can I do about it, hmph." She puffed out her cheeks slightly, her voice playfully defiant. As she spoke, she pulled out her phone with a graceful flick and glanced at Caelus. "Let me call the butler and tell him to book the tickets."
"Sure, take your time. We still have an hour before the amusement park opens," Caelus replied as he made his way to the bed. He sat down and then gradually let himself fall backward, resting against the mattress with a soft sigh. His gaze drifted to the ceiling—until something felt off.
There was a change in texture beneath him, too subtle to notice at first but due to his sensitive skin he felt the texture change even though he wore dress. His brows furrowed slightly. The bed... felt different.
Shifting his head to the side, he glanced down with his right eye and caught sight of it—a new bed sheet, one he didn't remember putting on. His eyes narrowed slightly in realization.
'It must have been her,' he thought.
His gaze shifted over to the girl, who was now standing by the window, phone pressed gently to her ear, casually chatting with her butler in a authoritian tone which is quiet contrasted with the quiet mischief and cheerfullness she always seemed to carry with her.
As he looked at her, he felt something tighten in his chest. Even with her standing just a few feet away, it felt like she was a world apart. They were close, shared moments, laughs, even silences that stretched comfortably. But somewhere along the way, something inside him shifted. It had started as a faint flicker, a small warmth he mistook for gratitude. But now, every glance she gave another boy made his heart twist in quiet agony.
Uriel Evernight. The daughter of the Evernight family, one of the wealthiest families in the entire world, ranked in the top two of the global economic billboards with huge wealth and influence. Everyone knew their name. Everyone bowed before it. And standing beside her, Caelus felt like a misplaced shadow, like he didn't belong in the light she carried.
That was why he never told her. Not because he couldn't find the words, but because he was afraid of what they might cost. Losing a friendship that meant everything to him was more terrifying than any rejection.
Her family hated him. They offered him money to stay away, to disappear from her life without explanation. He had refused. Not because he believed he deserved her, but because he couldn't lie to himself and pretend she didn't matter. And every time he tried to walk away, every time he built the courage to vanish for her sake, she would reach out and bring him back like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Maybe what they had was enough. Maybe that friendship was all fate would allow.
But when he looked at her now, he couldn't stop the ache in his chest. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Sometimes he wondered if she was even real. There might be women out there with features more flawless, but none of them compared to how she made him feel. In his eyes, Uriel was the most beautiful girl in the world.
He didn't want to grow old wondering what could have been.
Even if she never felt the same, even if her heart was never his to hold, he just wanted to tell her.
Because even if she chose someone else, even if her future never had space for him in it, he could accept it—as long as she smiled and lived without regret.
And maybe, just maybe...
As if sensing his gaze on her, she turned around with a soft smile as she ended her call. Her voice, calm and pleased, rang gently through the room as she said, "My butler booked us two VIP tickets. We won't need to stand in any long lines. We can go wherever we want without waiting."
Caelus returned her smile, but his eyes didn't quite match the joy on his face. "That's great," he said quietly.
She walked over to him and, without hesitation, reached out and pulled him up from the bed. "The amusement park opens early for VIPs, so let's head out now," she said, her tone warm and bright.
He stood beside her, letting himself be led, but his heart weighed heavier with each passing second. He glanced sideways at her as they moved. The corners of her eyes shimmered faintly in the morning light, her smile so pure it made his chest ache. That smile was the reason he couldn't speak the truth.
He only had ten more years to live. He knew that. Ten short years before everything faded. If he confessed now and she accepted his feelings, she would only be left with pain when he was gone. But if he stayed silent, she might never know, and maybe, she would move on without the burden of loss. It was a cruel balance. A quiet torment.
The fear of hurting her was stronger than the fear of rejection.
His mind spun endlessly between two impossible choices, both of which ended in heartbreak.
"Let me at least get my keys," he murmured, his voice almost a whisper as he turned back toward the bedside table. There, beside the neatly stacked cotton he removed out of the drawer, his keys lay in plain sight.
He remembered putting his key inside the drawer of the table, and the second pair somewhere outside the room where he had carefully hidden it. He had done that just in case he ever lost his keys somewhere—so he could still get back into his room without trouble. It was a small precaution, one of the many habits he had formed to keep control over his fragile routine.
"I must have put them there and forgotten," he muttered, reaching for them slowly.
The sunlight had grown stronger now, golden beams spilling into the room through the uncovered window, casting long shadows against the wooden floor.
He looked at Uriel again.
She stood near the door, waiting patiently for him, radiant in that soft light.
And all he could think was:
Maybe love isn't something meant for me—not in this life.
[End of Chapter 4]