The sobs ca harder now.
She crouched on the ground, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, the mirror still clutched between her trembling fingers.
She couldn't stop.
She didn't want to stop.
Because—
Because it was gone.
The pain.
The exhaustion.
The sickness that had chained her for years, that had clung to her skin like an inescapable curse, that had stolen so much from her.
Gone.
Completely, entirely gone.
A broken gasp escaped her, her shoulders shaking violently.
'All this ti…'
All this ti, she had been fighting it.
Every breath had been a struggle. Every step had been a battle. Every single day, she had lived knowing she was weak.
That no matter how much she fought, how much she wanted to live, her body would never let her.
She had been dying for so long that she had forgotten what it felt like to be alive.
But now—
Now, she was free.
A strangled cry broke past her lips as the realization sank deep, deep into her bones.
She could breathe.
She could move.
She could finally, finally—
Live.
Tears stread down her face, uncontrollable, unstoppable.
She was happy.
For the first ti in so long—
She was truly, completely happy.
And it was too much.
She sobbed into her hands, her body curling inward as the weight of it all crashed over her. The suffering. The hope. The despair. The relief.
Lucavion said nothing.
But he didn't leave.
Didn't turn away.
Didn't mock her.
He simply stood there—silent, waiting.
As if he had known all along that this mont was inevitable.
Her breath still trembled, but slowly—slowly—she raised her head.
Tears still clung to her lashes, warm streaks trailing down her cheeks, but she forced herself to look.
And there he was.
Lucavion.
Leaning casually against the cavern wall, his arms crossed against his chest, his black eyes gleaming in the dim light.
And—he was smiling.
Not his usual mocking smirk. Not the arrogant, insufferable grin that made her want to strangle him.
No—this smile was quieter.
Steady. Knowing. Amused, but not unkind.
He was simply watching her.
Watching her fall apart and co back together all at once.
And then—
Sothing inside her clicked.
Aeliana's amber eyes widened.
'It's thanks to him.'
Thanks to this man.
It was him who had fought against that impossible beast.
It was him who had refused to let her die.
It was him who had stood in front of her, bleeding, battered, but unmoving.
It was him who had given her hope.
It was him who had freed her from this curse.
It was him—
Who had given color to her aningless life.
Aeliana's chest tightened.
Her fingers curled, her heartbeat pounding, roaring in her ears—
And before she could even think—
SWOOSH!
She moved.
No—she leaped.
"Eh—?"
Lucavion barely had ti to react before her arms wrapped around him.
Tightly. Desperately.
The impact forced him back against the cavern wall, his body montarily tensing—because she never did this.
She never touched him first.
But right now—
Right now, she couldn't stop herself.
She buried her face against his chest, her fingers clutching at the fabric of his coat, her body shaking again—but this ti, not from sadness.
From sothing warr.
Sothing she didn't know how to na.
And then—her voice ca.
Soft. Fragile. Raw.
"Thank you."
Lucavion stiffened slightly.
But Aeliana didn't let go.
Her fingers tightened, her breath shaky, her tears wetting the fabric between them as she held on.
"Thank you for everything."
And for the first ti—
She ant it.
Lucavion stood still.
Aeliana's arms were wrapped around him, her body pressed against his, her warmth spreading through his coat.
He didn't move.
Didn't push her away.
Didn't tighten his hold either.
Instead, his arms hovered awkwardly in the air, his hands flexing slightly—as if unsure where to put them.
And then—
He spoke.
"Why are you thanking ?"
His voice was smooth, but beneath it—sothing else.
Sothing unreadable.
"Didn't you say you would never forgive ever again?"
Aeliana didn't answer.
Didn't even flinch.
She just buried her face deeper into him, snuggling closer, her breath warm against his skin.
Her fingers curled into the fabric of his coat, holding on as if she was afraid to let go.
He could feel her now.
Her soft, steady breathing.
The way her body lted slightly into his.
And yet—
Sothing was missing.
Sothing off.
Lucavion exhaled quietly.
His black eyes lowered, flickering with sothing that he refused to acknowledge.
"Hey…" he murmured, his voice dropping slightly.
His lips barely moved.
"Little ember."
Aeliana didn't react.
Didn't move.
Didn't pull away.
Lucavion tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable as his golden earring caught the dim starlight still lingering in the cavern.
"Are you not going to answer?"
Aeliana finally moved.
She raised her head slowly, amber eyes gleaming in the light—soft, yet burning.
Her chin rested against his chest, her breath warm against his skin.
Lucavion watched her—watched the way her gaze shifted, hesitated, searched.
And then—
She saw it.
A small spark in his black irises.
Fleeting. Subtle.
As if he was—
Waiting.
Or maybe…
Maybe it was just an illusion.
Lucavion tilted his head slightly.
"You?"
Aeliana swallowed.
Her throat felt tight. Her chest too full.
And then—
"I won't…"
Lucavion's lips twitched.
"You won't?"
Aeliana gripped his coat tighter.
Her voice was small, barely above a whisper, but unshaken.
"I will never forgive you."
Lucavion blinked.
Then—
His lips curled slightly.
"Is that so?"
Aeliana's breath hitched.
Her gaze flickered.
From his black eyes—to his lips.
Her heart pounded.
"I will never forgive you," she whispered again.
Lucavion's voice was low, smooth, unreadable.
"I get that."
"I will never forgive you."
"I see."
"You will never be forgiven."
Lucavion didn't reply imdiately this ti.
For a mont—
A brief, quiet mont—
His black eyes lowered slightly, sothing flickering behind them.
Then—
Aeliana inhaled sharply.
And finally—
She said it.
"That is why…"
Her fingers curled tighter.
Her breath brushed against him.
"You are always going to be stuck by my side."
Silence.
Lucavion's lips parted slightly, as if to say sothing—
But he didn't.
He only stared.
And then—
He smiled.
"You are quite a spoiled young lady, you know that right?"
"Hehehehe…"
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