The ceremony began.
The ceremony was a bit different from the human world. The priest, an elderly man with silver hair and kind eyes, stepped forward wearing long black robes embroidered with silver moons and stars.
He raised his hands, and the music faded into silence.
"Welcome, shadows and stars, kin and kindred," the priest began, his voice deep and resonant. "We gather here today beneath the eternal sky, between the worlds of light and dark, to bind two souls as one."
He looked at Dante, then at Alina.
"In the Shadow Domain, marriage is not merely a contract of love. It is a binding of souls. A promise that transcends time, death, and distance. Once spoken, these words cannot be unspoken. Once joined, these souls cannot be parted."
Alina's heart pounded, but she did not waver.
The priest gestured, and two attendants stepped forward carrying a silver cord. It was thin and delicate, woven with dark threads that shimmered like starlight.
