The Light That Shouldn't Exist

For twenty years, Caeli lived hidden in a sanctuary deep within the mountains.
Obedient. Silent. Untouched by the world beyond the gate.
She never questioned why.
Until Kyota came back.
He had promised to return. He did - but different. Closed off, like someone who had learned not to want the things he used to want.
That same night, everything burned.
Now there are people crossing great distances just to find her.
People who seem to know exactly what she is.
Something she was never told.
Something that was hidden for twenty years.
And the way Kyota looks at her -
like she's something that needs to be protected,
or something that needs to be contained -
tells her he knows too.
protected by someone who learned to hate her.