The chamber was quiet, washed in the pale silver glow of the moon. The battle was behind them now; the Hunter's shadow gone, if only for a time. Yet the memory of crimson eyes lingered.
Andy lay back on the bed, his body still aching, scars raw, but his heart alive. Alive because of her. Nia sat at his side, her silver hair falling loose, eyes shimmering with exhaustion and relief. For a long moment, neither spoke. They didn't need to. The silence carried every unspoken truth: fear, gratitude, longing.
Andy reached out, fingers trembling, brushing her cheek. "I thought I'd never see you again," he whispered.
Tears welled in her eyes, but she smiled faintly, leaning into his touch. "Then look at me now. I'm not going anywhere."
Their lips met—soft at first, a brush of warmth, then deepening with every heartbeat. The kiss grew desperate, not of lust alone but of hunger to prove they were still here, still alive, still together. When they parted, breathless, Andy's golden eyes burned with something deeper than fire.
"Stay with me tonight," he murmured.
"I'll never leave," Nia breathed, and drew him close.
Clothes loosened, barriers fell away. Their bodies met with tenderness, every touch slow, reverent, a vow repeated without words. Andy's wounds throbbed but Nia's touch soothed them, her light sinking into his skin like healing flame. They moved as one, a dance of relief and devotion. It was not rushed. It was a rejoining, a promise etched in warmth. Nia's quiet gasps and Andy's whispered reassurances filled the chamber, mingling with the crackle of dying candles.
The System stirred faintly.
> [Shared Intimacy Detected]
Eternal Oath pulses brighter. Bond reinforced.
They rested briefly, bodies entwined, foreheads pressed together as their breaths steadied. Andy laughed softly, hoarse but real. "You're too good for me."
Nia, flushed and smiling shyly, shook her head. "Then prove it again."
Her lips found his once more, urgent this time, pulling him back into her warmth. What had begun as gentleness now flared hotter, each kiss deeper, each touch bolder. The fear that had haunted them spilled into passion, their movements fierce and unrestrained. Andy held her tighter, his fire answering her starlight. Their union this time burned—an affirmation that they still desired, still belonged wholly to one another.
Exhaustion would have claimed ordinary bodies, but their rings pulsed, the Shared Heartbeat sustaining them. Nia's eyes gleamed like twin moons, Andy's flames flickered low but steady. "Every time," Andy whispered, his lips grazing her ear, "I feel closer to you. Like I'm not just alive… I'm whole."
Nia shuddered against him, her voice breaking in a plea, "Then don't ever let go."
They moved together again, slower but deeper, their souls syncing with each heartbeat. It was more than passion; it was resonance. Their rings glowed fiercely, casting starlight across the chamber as if the constellations themselves bore witness.
> [Soul Resonance Strengthened]
Affinity Efficiency +10%
Their cries and whispers echoed like vows beneath the stars.
At last, they collapsed into stillness, bodies slick with sweat, hearts pounding as one. Nia lay across Andy's chest, listening to the steady rhythm beneath her ear. She traced lazy circles across his skin, smiling through tears. "This time," she whispered softly, "you're not allowed to slip away from me."
Andy kissed her forehead, arms tightening around her. "If death comes, it'll have to tear me from you. And I won't make it easy."
The rings pulsed one final time, faint light lingering on their joined hands.
> [Eternal Oath Enhanced]
Bond stability increased. Emotional resonance sealed.
Outside, the stars burned bright in the heavens. Inside, two souls had become one, bound not just by the System, but by choice, by vow, by love.
They drifted into sleep, tangled together beneath the sheets, their rings glowing like twin stars—silent promises that no shadow could ever break.
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