Help! My Moms Are Overpowered Tyrants, and I'm Stuck as Their Baby!-Chapter 158: Velmorian Bedtime, Part II

I turned my head slowly.

The surface was still. Perfect. Empty.

No distortion. No figures.

No glowing-eyed version of myself whispering cryptic messages. (Progress!)

I narrowed my gaze.

"I'm not scared of you," I whispered, pointing at my own reflection.

The mirror, to its credit, did not respond.

Still, I stood and tugged my cloak off the back of my chair. It was nearly midnight. I had a library to sneak into. And probably… a girl to face.

Stars help me.

The halls of Arcanum at night were a different beast entirely.

Gone was the murmur of student voices, the chaotic flurry of daytime spells, the constant background hum of overworked teachers and under-rested teenagers. Now, the corridors breathed softly lit only by drifting wisps of magefire that pulsed in time with the castle's heartbeat.

I walked carefully, steps light on the stone floor, cloak drawn close, my hair braided back in a way I hoped said mysterious and noble, not terrified and panicking.

Every few steps, I paused. Listened. Not for ghosts, but for witnesses.

…Because I had the unnerving feeling I wasn't alone.

Unfortunately, I was right.

Behind me though invisible Aria was following.

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Poorly.

It was the faint puff of sound. The scuff of a boot. The slight shimmer of magic in the air that gave her away. Not even the best invisibility spell could completely suppress the smug excitement of a 10-year-old convinced she was tailing someone to a secret midnight rendezvous.

I sighed internally and decided not to acknowledge it.

If I stopped and turned, she'd probably drop a flash bomb and scream "ROMANCE!" like some kind of overly enthusiastic pixie. Best to let her tire herself out.

Or get eaten by the library ghosts. Whichever came first.

The Grand Library of Arcanum was easily the oldest part of the school. It didn't just smell like books it reigned with it. Rows upon rows of towering shelves stretched into the shadows, packed with ancient volumes that muttered to themselves and hexed you if you bent their spines too far.

I stepped into the central hall, where moonlight streamed in through glass domes above, painting everything in silver and blue.

It was breathtaking. Haunting. Romantic.

I wanted to punch myself in the face.

"She's just a classmate," I muttered under my breath. "Just a complicated, powerful, frustratingly kind-of-beautiful classmate who held your hand that one time and now lives in your skull rent-free like a smug heir to the emotional apocalypse."

Still, I moved quietly to the far alcove, the one behind the statues of the Founding Seven where the moonlight didn't quite reach, and shadows draped over the chairs like sleeping cats.

I sat. Smoothed my cloak.

Waited.

And tried to ignore the way my heart was pounding faster than Smaug spotting an unattended buffet table.

I counted breaths.

One. Two. Three hundred.

Still no Elyzara.

What if she changed her mind?

What if she didn't come, and I was just a delusional vampire with unresolved feelings and a flair for dramatic lighting?

What if—

"Velka."

Her voice was soft, hesitant like moonlight itself had spoken my name.

I turned, and there she was.

Hair braided, cheeks flushed from the night air, eyes lit with too many emotions to name.

And she had that look the one that meant she was equal parts curious, concerned, and possibly preparing to set something on fire.

My heart did something very stupid.

"Hi," I said, standing too quickly and nearly knocking over a pile of cursed grimoires.

She blinked at me.

Then smiled.

"Hi."

Her smile made my ribs feel like they were rearranging themselves to accommodate a second, much louder heart.

Elyzara stepped forward, the moonlight catching the silver in her hair, her gaze steady on mine. I couldn't look away not without losing something I didn't know I'd been holding.

"I wasn't sure you'd come," I said, trying to sound casual and failing completely.

She tilted her head. "You left me a magically glowing note in the middle of the night and told me to come alone. That's either a trap or a date."

My eyes widened. "It's not a date!"

"Relax." She smirked, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I said or."

I might've died a little inside.

Elyzara moved closer, close enough that the scent of her lavender and storm-warmed fire made me forget how to stand properly. She glanced around, noting the shadows, the hush of the library, the flickering candles enchanted to burn without wax.

"So," she said, more gently now, "what's going on?"

I stared at her.

There were a hundred things I could've said. A thousand ways I could've deflected, changed the subject, pretended I was just here to talk about spooky magical dreams and vampiric lore. I could've even lied and said I was sleep-cursed.

But I didn't want to lie to her.

Not when she was standing in front of me like that. Not when her voice had gone soft, like she was ready to listen and actually stay.

My hands fidgeted with the hem of my cloak.

"I… I think I've been remembering something," I said slowly, careful with each word like they might catch fire if I let them fall too fast. "But also… maybe feeling something too."

Elyzara blinked. "Feeling?"

Oh stars, I should've said it better. Or not said it at all. Or just jumped out the window. That would've been faster.

I cleared my throat. "I mean, I've been acting weird, right?"

"You've been acting like someone shoved ice cubes down your uniform every time I walk into a room."

"Exactly," I groaned, covering my face. "That's not normal. I'm not normal. You make me weird."

There was a long silence.

I peeked between my fingers.

Elyzara was grinning.

Not laughing. Not mocking. Just… smiling.

"I make you weird?" she repeated.

"You make me" I lowered my hands, cheeks on fire "want to be near you. Even when I don't understand why. Even when it's really, really annoying."

She stepped closer again, expression softer now. "It's not annoying."

"It feels like my chest is too small for my heart," I muttered, scowling at the floor. "And sometimes I think I liked you in a life I don't remember."

Elyzara didn't laugh.

She didn't tease.

She just whispered, "Yeah. I think I did too."