Tower of Thorns Tower of Fangs Volume 5 Chapter 16

 "anywhere with you"

- First of Summer, Urbandub

Chapter 16  Summer

Summer arrived quietly at first, like a secret whispered through open windows. The air softened. Evenings stretched themselves thin across the horizon, unwilling to surrender to night. Trees stood greener than they had any right to be, and sunlight lingered on skin like a gentle promise. The world seemed to exhale after a long winter, and suddenly everything felt possible.

 Then came first love with the same slow magic as summer itself. A glance that stayed too long. A laugh that echoed long after it ended. The realization that one person could alter the color of an ordinary day. Every song carried their name between the notes.  Neither of them noticed when it happened. One day the forest was green. The next it was alive. Wildflowers covered entire hillsides. Silver rivers sparkled beneath endless sunlight. Warm winds carried the scent of pine and blooming flowers through the ancient wilderness. The sky seemed impossibly blue. The days became longer. The nights became softer. And somewhere deep within the heart of Elyria two boys slowly forgot the world was ending. Moon and Nico became inseparable. Neither planned it. It simply happened. Every morning Nico found himself wondering if Moon was awake. Every evening Moon found himself looking toward the forest path. Waiting. Soon waiting became expectation. Expectation became habit. Habit became necessity.

 They spent nearly every day together. The lake. The waterfalls. The old ruins. Flower meadows hidden between mountains. Ancient forests untouched by war. Every corner of the wilderness became theirs. Moon showed Nico places nobody else knew existed. A cave filled with glowing crystals. A hill where silver butterflies gathered at dawn.  A hidden grove where the trees bore fruit that shimmered like jewels. Moon loved beautiful things. Not because they were valuable. Not because they were rare. Simply because they were beautiful. Nico slowly began noticing beauty too. Not because of the flowers. Or the forests. Or the rivers. But because Moon noticed them. And somehow that made them important.Spending time together, There was something intoxicating about it an ache and a joy woven so tightly together they became impossible to separate. Hours spent together vanished like minutes, while minutes apart stretched endlessly. Their presence felt like sunlight after rain: warm, impossible to resist, and somehow essential.

The celestial could spend hours watching dragonflies. Hours watching clouds. Hours sitting beneath a tree listening to birds sing. At first Nico thought it was ridiculous. Then he found himself doing the same thing. Because Moon would smile. And suddenly watching clouds became the most important thing in the world. The realization terrified him. A little. Not enough to stop. Never enough to stop.

One afternoon they lay together in a field of white flowers. The grass swayed gently beneath warm winds. The sky stretched endlessly overhead. Moon rested beside him. Long black hair scattered across the grass like spilled silk. Several fairies slept in his hair. One rested upon his nose. Moon didn't notice. Nico spent nearly ten minutes watching. Eventually he removed it. The fairy looked offended. Moon laughed. Nico forgot what he was saying. Again. That kept happening. Moon's laughter became dangerous. The celestial laughed easily. Freely. Openly. Like someone who had never learned to fear happiness. And every time he laughed Nico felt something warm spread through his chest. Something frightening. Something wonderful. First Love.

And like summer, first love carried a quiet fear within its beauty. Every perfect evening arrived with the knowledge that night would eventually come. Every sunset was breathtaking because it could not last. Nico found himself wishing for impossible things, that the sky would stay painted in gold forever

Because first love is addictive in the way summer is addictive. It convinces you that life was always meant to feel this alive. It fills your lungs with warm air and your heart with impossible hope. It makes you believe that happiness can be held if only you grip it tightly enough.

One evening they sat beside the lake watching the sunset. The world glowed gold. Silver water reflected crimson skies. The forest burned with summer colors. Moon sat very close. Close enough that their shoulders touched occasionally. Neither moved away. Neither acknowledged it. Neither wanted it to stop. The silence between them had changed. In the beginning it was awkward. Then comfortable. Now it felt necessary. Words became less important. A glance. A smile. A gesture. Somehow they understood each other. Moon would point toward the horizon. Nico already knew what he wanted to show him. Nico would notice danger. Moon trusted his instincts without question. The connection formed naturally. Effortlessly. Like breathing. Like sunlight. Like summer itself. Even Eemil noticed. That afternoon he watched through the eyes of his shadow fox. Moon and Nico sat together beside the lake. Talking quietly. Smiling. Happy. Too happy. The sight made something ugly grow inside him. Jealousy. At first it had been simple attraction. A crush. Infatuation. Now it was becoming something darker. Because Moon smiled more for Nico. Laughed more for Nico. Waited for Nico. Eemil hated that realization. He hated it so much it hurt. Meanwhile Moon remained blissfully unaware. The celestial simply enjoyed Nico's company. He liked the quiet boy. Liked how calm he was. Liked how he listened. Liked how he never demanded anything. Moon had never met anyone like him before. Someone who didn't care what he was. Not a celestial. Not a future god. Not something beautiful. Just Moon. The feeling was precious. The feeling was rare. The feeling became important. 

So Nico lingers. walks slower beneath the fading light. He memorizes the sound of their voice. He collects moments like seashells, knowing one day they will be all he have left of that season.

And as the days begin to shorten, you find yourself looking at the glowing horizon and making the same silent wish, over and over: That feeling whenever they are alone together, him and Moon. Don't end yet. Not the summer. Not this love. Not this beautiful, unbearable feeling of being young and alive beneath a sky that seems determined to stay golden forever.

Nico felt perfect, just him and Moon together and all else is nothing. They lay there together in the field of yellow flowers and dandelions, They looked into each others eyes. The darkness of Moon's eyes seem to drink the color of Nicos blue eyes. It was addicting, the feeling. Intoxicating. Nico got drunk and high on the feeling, on happiness, in love. Day became night. They watched stars appear above the lake. Moon lay beside Nico. Looking upward. They were charting the stars together. The celestial pointed toward a constellation. Then another. Then another. Moon knew all of them. Names. Stories. Legends. The stars fascinated him. Eventually he pointed toward one particularly bright star. Then placed a hand against his own chest. Home. Nico understood immediately. The star wasn't a star. It was where Moon came from. The heavens. The celestial realm. The realization filled him with sadness. Because he understood. Moon belonged somewhere else. Not here. Not with him. The thought lingered. Heavy. Unwelcome. Moon noticed. The celestial turned toward him. Concerned. Those black eyes searched his face. Nico looked away. He couldn't explain. Couldn't tell Moon that the idea of losing him already hurt. Because they had only known each other a short while. Because feeling this much this quickly was ridiculous. Because he was afraid. Moon reached over. Gently. Carefully. His fingers brushed against Nico's sleeve. Nothing more. Yet somehow it made everything better. The stars shone above them. The lake reflected moonlight. Summer winds whispered through ancient trees. And for a little while the battle royale didn't exist. The chosen didn't exist. The future didn't exist. Only summer. Only starlight. Only two boys lying side by side beneath an endless sky. Neither realized it then. But years later when kingdoms had fallen. When gods ruled. When blood stained entire nations. Both would remember this summer. Because it would remain the happiest season either of them had ever known. And like all beautiful things it could not last forever.