Elyonari had reached the beach without a word. She had been furious just minutes ago but now her anger had softened into something far more complicated.
She stared out into the horizon and exhaled slowly as if the wind could carry away the knot in her chest. Her feet dug slightly into the sand as she stepped forward and folded her legs beneath her, lowering herself to sit just beyond the reach of the tide. The wind was gentle, as her long hair flowed in waves like the ocean beside her. She heard footsteps. She didn't turn around. Her voice was soft, like it hadn't fully decided if it wanted him to go or not. She has a smile on her face but he didn't see it.
"I want to be alone."
But she felt the weight of him settle beside her anyway, the warmth of his presence making the cold void in her heart just a little less consuming.
"Oh uh... okay then. Sorry, I'll go."
He was already pushing himself to stand when she reached over and grabbed his wrist firmly, her fingers trembling slightly.
"Don't. Please… stay."
He slowly sat back down, closer this time.
Elyonari leaned into him without ceremony, wrapping both arms around his torso and burying her face against his shoulder. Her voice was muffled as she inhaled his scene of peonies.
"You smell like peonies."
He chuckled lowly, his arms wrapping around her just as tightly.
"Yeah. I've been using peony again. The twins kept complaining I smelled like old time from the violex, whatever that means."
Elyonari laughed faintly through her nose but it faded quickly. She pulled back just enough to look at him, her hands still against his chest.
"Are you okay? Don't lie to me, Veneri. Not today."
His expression softened as he nodded. "I'm okay. Really. Just… fatigued."
"Fatigued?"
"I promise Denisia and Natalis have been giving me Divine Energy constantly. You know how rare their holy type is. Pure holy energy from them has been keeping me stable and the violex feeds on purity more than quantity. We've… been balancing it well."
He reached down and picked up a small pebble, rolling it between his fingers.
"Even though looping time requires a hell of a lot of Divine precision, especially within a set domain, the three of us could handle it. I limited the loop to the mansion. So I'm okay."
"But in battle?"
He shook his head.
"Divine Artifacts like the violex are too draining in open conflict. The more powerful they are, the less utility they have in dynamic combat. It has too much energy input and not enough return. That's why most Divines don't even use artifacts."
She blinked slowly, letting that sink in.
"What loop were you in when you stopped paying attention to me this morning?"
His mouth quirked slightly at the corner. "Around the twenty-second loop."
"And?"
"I answered you the first few times but after a while, I started skipping it. Not because I wanted to. I just... needed to shave off every second I could to restart the protocol."
Elyonari closed her eyes, her grip tightening slightly on his outfit.
"I didn't mean to ignore you but we did it. The Six Heavenly Circles, the Array of Purification, the Sapphire Array, they're all working. The Sacred Trial passed. The twins are about to Ascend."
She pulled back, just enough to look him in the eyes again.
"Why do you always go this far? Why is it always you pushing yourself until you break?"
"I didn't this time. I knew you and Adelasta would worry so I made sure I had buffers. The violex took the stress, the twins channeled the flow and I stabilized the loop domain. I'm fine. I really am."
She studied him. And then, slowly, as if gravity itself pulled her forward, she leaned in. Her lips touched his. Her hands reached up and cradled his jaw as he kissed her back, just as slowly. His hands settled on her waist and for a moment, the world around them disappeared. When they broke apart, she pressed her forehead against his.
"You're going to make up for this, Darling."
He smiled faintly, fingers brushing her lower back.
"How?"
"That will be up to me in the near future. But for now, just rest. No more circuits. No more countdowns."
He leaned back slightly, raising an eyebrow.
"So you're not mad?"
Elyonari snorted, brushing her knuckles against his cheek.
"I stormed out so you'd follow me. I needed to see if you'd come after me. And you did. That's all I wanted. And I'm glad, really. You didn't try something risky and almost die this time."
He chuckled again, more relaxed now, as he tugged her closer and let his head rest against hers.