As Ren Zian stood on the Moonwatching Pavilion balcony, looking at the infinite tapestry of stars, the air was heavy with unspoken things. The lanterns in the temple below flickered like fireflies in a wind, their light too brittle to dispel the darkness that was encroaching on him.
Soft footsteps behind him. He did not turn. The change in the silence, the softening, the intimacy, told him who it was. Lyra.
"You're avoiding me," she muttered.
Curling around the stone railing was Ren's hand. "I'm not."
"That night was the last time you looked at me."
that evening. The memory was as clear as fire: her skin against his, the way the world had vanished until only their breathing was in time, the way her voice trembled when she called his name. Then he had departed, terrified of what it meant, terrified of the desire that seemed too perilous to touch.
He whispered, "You shouldn't have followed me here."
"However, I did. because it appeared as though you were going to vanish.
Finally, he turned. Her robe, loosely tied, suggested the warmth beneath, and her hair was a little blown by the wind. Her eyes were filled with confusion and a need that reflected his own, but no accusation.
"Lyra, I can't shield you from what's about to happen. The gods are requesting something from me. from our end."
She took a step forward. "Then I can decide to remain by your side. even in the event that it burns.
His heart pounded. Now she was too near. Too courageous.
There was no denying the spark that ignited between them as her fingers touched his wrist. As though their connection was acknowledged by the air itself.
She muttered, "You believe you bear all the burden by yourself, but I'm the one who hears your name while I sleep. I reach for you when I wake up.
Ren lost his resolve. His face was buried in her shoulder as he drew her near. She saw him as a man shattering centuries of silence, not as a hero or an emperor.
He questioned, "What if I ruin you?"
"Then destroy me. I will always be yours.
The line between restraint and surrender started to blur at that very moment.