Page 397 of Axis of Fire

I didn't answer.

A ridiculous spark of jealousy flickered somewhere deep inside me.

This place was far too romantic.

There was no way he'd spent every festival here alone.

"It would make the perfect place for a date," I said, trying to sound casual.

Trying far too hard.

"I'll keep that in mind," Airis replied simply.

My lips pressed into a thin line, but I forced myself to focus on the spectacle unfolding above us.

Airis had told me he wanted all of me—not just my body.

And yet...

Sometimes his words left me questioning everything.

High above us, the dragon came to a graceful halt.

Its glowing form dissolved as each point of light separated, transforming into twelve different creatures.

Some belonged only to ancient legends.

Others were familiar.

A serpent.

A roe deer.

"The Twelve primal forces that created Noveris," Airis said quietly.

I barely had time to take them in before the fireflies rose from the lake.

Thousands of them.

Each glowing a different color.

They swept across the sky in a shimmering wave, hiding the stars from view—

Only to create something even more breathtaking.

For a fleeting moment...

It felt like the performance existed for no one but us.

Light rippled across their delicate wings, shifting from one color to another like liquid light.

Then the entire swarm climbed higher, moving together in graceful waves across the night.

By the time they drifted away...

The twelve celestial figures had vanished.

"It really was incredible," I whispered.