The stars had never looked so bright over Liora Village.
The fires from the earlier beast raid had dimmed, leaving the sky unmarred by smoke. Kenzo stood on the outskirts, watching the moonlight pool across the fields. The wind was cool, brushing over him like a whisper from another life. A life long gone.
He barely heard the soft steps approaching from behind. But he felt her before she even spoke.
"Kenzo?"
He turned, and there she was Akina, bathed in silver light, her red hair loose for the first time since he arrived in this world. The way the wind moved it around her shoulders, and the gentle vulnerability in her green eyes… it left him breathless.
"I couldn't sleep," she admitted. "I kept thinking about… how close I came to never seeing you again."
Kenzo offered a soft smile. "I'm just glad I was able to protect you."
They stood there for a long moment, the silence between them warm instead of empty. Then, without thinking, Kenzo spoke.
"You're… beautiful tonight."
Akina blinked, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.
"You really think so?"
"I know so," he said, eyes locked with hers.
She took a step closer.
Another.
Until she was right in front of him, her gaze flicking between his eyes and his lips. Kenzo felt his heart pounding in his chest. She was so close he could feel her breath, warm and uncertain. His hand moved instinctively, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face.
Akina leaned in.
Their lips met as it was soft, hesitant, but filled with unspoken emotions that had been building since the day they met. The kiss deepened, and Kenzo pulled her gently closer, his arms wrapping around her waist.
She didn't pull away.
Instead, her hands moved up his chest, her fingers trembling just slightly. Kenzo felt the softness of her body press into him, her warmth overwhelming all thought. He lifted her chin, looking into her eyes again, breathless.
"Is this, okay?" he asked softly.
Akina didn't answer with words.
She kissed him again, deeper and slower this time. Her fingers slipped under the hem of his shirt, and her touch left sparks in its wake. There was hunger now, yes, but something tender beneath it. Need… and trust.
Before long, the night pulled them further inward into the warmth of her small cottage, into the soft hush of blankets and breath, and into something neither of them had truly felt before. A closeness that went beyond the physical. A sense of finally being seen.
Later, as they lay tangled in each other beneath the sheets, the soft sound of water flowing from the cottage's wash basin filled the room. Akina rested her head on Kenzo's chest, her fingers lightly tracing his collarbone.
"I was afraid," she whispered. "That this was all a dream. That you'd vanish one day… like a memory."
Kenzo held her tighter.
"You don't have to be afraid. I'm not going anywhere."
She looked up at him, eyes full of fragile hope.
"I want to believe you. I really do."
He hesitated, then decided.
"I need to tell you something," Kenzo said, brushing her hair behind her ear. "One of the powers I received… it's called Eternal Devotion. It lets me seal a bond. It only works on someone who truly loves me."
Akina's expression changed and now she's curious and cautious, but not frightened.
"And if I let you… mark me," she asked quietly, "what does it mean?"
Kenzo looked into her eyes, serious now.
"It means your feelings won't waver. You'll be mine. Completely in body and soul. But I'd never force it. I'd only do it if you chose it."
She swallowed hard, then reached up and touched his face.
"Then mark me," she said. "I want to believe in this. In you."
Kenzo placed his hand gently over her chest and right above her heart. The magic surged like a heartbeat in sync with his own.
[Eternal Devotion: Target — Akina. Consent Confirmed.]
[Marking in Progress…]
A soft glow spread across her skin, settling over her right side. When the light faded, a faint, elegant symbol remained just over her right breast. A radiant glyph shaped like a blooming flower made of blades and stars.
Akina looked down at it, then back up at him.
"Does this mean I'm yours now?" she whispered.
Kenzo kissed her forehead. "Only if you still want to be in the morning."
"I will," she said. "I already know."
And in the quiet that followed, nothing else needed to be said.