Episode 38 – Hearts & Spellbooks
[Scene: Shadowbound High – Library (Afternoon)]
Kael sat beside Lana, both hunched over a book of celestial magic. Well—Kael was hunched, focused. Lana… was pretending.
Instead of reading, her eyes traced his face—his strong jawline, the way his hair flopped when he got frustrated, the scar just beneath his ear.
He looked up, catching her gaze.
"You're staring."
She blinked. "You're glowing."
He smirked. "That's just how I look."
Lana rolled her eyes but smiled. "Show-off."
There was a pause. A slow silence. She reached across the table, placing her hand on his.
"I was scared," she said softly. "When you died. Everything in me cracked."
Kael swallowed. "I felt you. Even in the dark. Your voice… pulled me back."
She leaned closer. "Then let me pull you closer again."
And just like that, their lips met. Slow. Soft. Like the quiet after a storm. Her hand slipped into his hair as his fingers brushed her waist. It was no longer pain driving them together—but love.
The library whispered around them, pages fluttering. But in their little corner of the world, it was only Kael and Lana.
---
[Scene: Magical Training Room – Meanwhile]
Tunde strutted up to Rhea, holding a wilting flower he definitely didn't pluck from the school garden five minutes ago.
"Rhea," he said, sliding in beside her like a bad soap opera character, "is your name a spellbook? Because every time I look at you, I feel enchanted."
Rhea didn't even look up. "That was worse than the hex I got in fourth grade."
Undeterred, he flipped through her open notes. "So… what's this one? A love potion? Want to test it—with me?"
She sighed. "It's a paralyzing curse, Tunde."
"Oh." He paused. "Still romantic."
---
[Scene: Garden Courtyard – Sunset]
Kael and Lana walked side by side. He had his arm around her waist. She leaned into him.
"I've never really done this," Kael admitted. "The whole... peaceful, hand-holding, not-fighting-demons part."
"I like it," Lana said. "You being mine without the world ending."
He pulled her closer. "I was always yours. Even in the chaos."
She stopped, turning to face him. "Promise me something."
"Anything."
"Whatever comes next—don't shut me out. Not even if it's scary."
Kael nodded. "Only if you promise to stop scaring everyone in the library."
Lana laughed. "No promises."
They kissed again. A little more heated this time. Her fingers slipped beneath the collar of his shirt as his hands gripped her waist. She broke the kiss with a breathless laugh. "We should head back before I forget we're still technically in school."
"Technically," Kael teased. "We've already saved it. We deserve some rule-breaking."
---
[Scene: Dorm Hallway – That Night]
Tunde walked by Kael's room, heard muffled giggles, and paused dramatically.
He pressed his ear to the door. "Kael… bro… are you—?"
BOOM!
A small magical pulse blasted the door open and knocked him backward, charring his shirt.
Lana stepped out, unfazed, fixing her top calmly. "Next time, knock."
Tunde coughed up a smoke cloud. "Next time, warn me! I just got a new hoodie!"
She winked. "Not my fault your fashion can't handle romance."
---
[Scene: Common Room – Midnight]
Rhea sat reading when Tunde plopped beside her again.
"I may not be a prince of darkness," he said, holding up a chocolate bar, "but I come bearing offerings."
She looked at the chocolate, then at him. "Fine. Sit. One hour. No flirting."
Tunde grinned. "Deal. But I can't promise I won't fall in love with you all over again in that hour."
She groaned. "One hour and no talking, then."