Twenty-Three

Alizeh keeps vigil over an unconscious Cyrus after Iblees’s prolonged torture in a now-moonlit flower field. She cleans the blood from his face with her dress and tears, battling fear that he might be dead until she finds a faint pulse. Unable to leave him, she stays, conflicted by unexpected tenderness.

Cyrus stirs into a half-dreaming state, asking Alizeh to touch him and responding to her presence with vulnerable affection. Still asleep, he shifts closer, his hand straying beneath her skirt, forcing Alizeh to attempt to wake him despite fearing the effects of lingering dark magic.

When Cyrus startles awake, he is disoriented, mistaking the field for his own room and addressing Alizeh with unguarded endearments. He admits to being unwell and alludes to a recurring “cycle” tied to magic, suggesting his condition follows predictable, enchanted episodes. His delirium deepens as he leans against Alizeh, professing he would never hurt her.

Seeking safety and warmth, Alizeh pleads for him to return them to the castle. Cyrus agrees in his muddled state and triggers a shift. Instead of the broader palace, they rematerialize in his private quarters, with Alizeh landing on his bed—an unintended outcome that heightens their precarious intimacy and foreshadows complications.