Chapter 80 – Beneath the Eternal Night
The world could wait.
The whispers of kings, the plotting of emperors, the shifting tides of war—none of it mattered here.
Here, in the depths of the Night's Queen's domain, where time itself seemed to slow beneath the eternal glow of the moon, there was only them.
Leonhardt stood on the balcony, the cold wind ruffling his ashen-black hair, catching the strands of deep red in the moonlight. His fiery-red eyes, flecked with gold, reflected the silver glow above.
Behind him, Aetheria approached, her silvery-white hair shimmering like liquid starlight, her violet eyes watching him with a gaze that only he had ever truly understood.
"You've been silent for a while," she murmured, stepping closer.
Leonhardt tilted his head slightly, a smirk ghosting over his lips. "And you've been staring."
Aetheria scoffed softly. "Have I?"
He turned to face her fully, their bodies mere inches apart. "Yes."
Aetheria's gaze lingered on him, searching, as if memorizing every part of him once again.
"I still can't believe you're real," she admitted, her voice softer than usual. "After all those lifetimes. After all that time apart."
Leonhardt exhaled, lifting a hand to cup her face, his touch warm against her cool, flawless skin.
"I was never going to let fate take you from me again." His voice was a promise, dark and unyielding. "Even if I had to tear apart the heavens themselves."
Aetheria closed her eyes briefly, leaning into his touch. "You always were too stubborn."
He chuckled, the sound rare and low. "You loved that about me."
Her violet eyes flickered open, piercing and knowing. "I still do."
A breeze passed between them, rustling their clothes, carrying the scent of night-blooming flowers and ancient magic.
And then—without hesitation—Leonhardt leaned in, capturing her lips with his.
It wasn't gentle.
It wasn't hesitant.
It was fierce, as if trying to make up for every stolen moment, for every lifetime they had spent apart.
Aetheria responded in kind, her arms winding around his neck, pulling him closer, deeper into her world—where he had always belonged.
The moon shone brighter, the stars seemed to pulse in time with the beating of their hearts.
For the first time in 800,000 years…
They were together again.
And they would never let go.