Liora was in her new "sanctuary," a garden overflowing with glowing flowers that looked like they'd been designed by someone with a vendetta against subtlety. The sunlight hit the petals just right, making everything shimmer with holy excess. She sat on a marble bench, trying not to choke on the smell of purity and peace.
That's when she heard footsteps. Light. Careful. The kind that said "I want to make an entrance without looking like I want to make an entrance."
She didn't need to look up.
"Liora Hallow... or should I say 'Daughter of Light'?"
The voice was smooth, elegant—and packed with just enough arrogance to make her eye twitch.
She sighed and turned her head.
And there he was.
Luziel.
The same smirk. The same smug aura. Only now he was draped in silk robes and bathed in sunlight, like some tragic painting of an angel with too much free time. His golden hair fell in perfect waves, and his blue eyes gleamed with a familiarity that made her soul itch.
"Luziel," she said flatly. "Or should I call you... 'Apocalyptic Angel in Disguise'?"
He stepped closer, still smiling like he knew exactly what buttons to push.
"Still as charming as ever," he said. "Nice to see time hasn't dulled your fire."
"And nice to see your ego survived reincarnation," she muttered.
He laughed softly—smooth and disarming. The kind of laugh that could melt hearts.
Or, in her case, trigger a fireball.
"You haven't changed a bit, Liora," he said, voice low and confident. "Still sharp. Still impossible. And now? Daughter of Light. How poetic."
"I'm not the 'Daughter of Light,'" she snapped. "I'm just trying to survive this overly fragrant hell."
"You say that," he replied, "but the entire kingdom sees something else. A miracle. A legend. The star that fell from heaven."
He leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper.
"I always knew something incredible was coming… I just didn't expect it to be you."
Liora blinked, caught off guard. There was something too familiar in the way he said that.
Too honest.
"Enjoying reincarnation?" she said quickly, tone dry. "Divine wine? Holy fan club? Polishing your halo daily?"
"It's all going well," he said with a half-smile. "But something's missing."
She raised a brow. "What now?"
"You," Luziel said, without flinching. "I was always drawn to you, Liora. In the past life, I saw a power in you no one else did. You were different. Fierce. And now, even wrapped in light... you're still the same."
She tensed.
That wasn't what she expected. Not from him.
"I'm not interested," she shot back, stepping away. But Luziel only tilted his head, amused.
"You say that now," he murmured. "But what happens when you realize you don't want to run anymore?"
Her heart thumped. Annoyingly.
Infuriatingly.
"I don't care what you think," she said, forcing her voice to steady. "And if you're planning to stick around, then that's your problem."
He smiled again—this time gentler, but with a gleam in his eyes that sent shivers down her spine.
"We'll see, Liora," he said softly. "We always do."