The air burned. The Emperor's flames rippled across the park, stretching shadows like claws. Trees bent under the heat, leaves shriveling and falling as black ash. The ground itself seemed alive, pulsing with golden cracks that spread beneath their feet.
The girl clutched his hand tighter. Her whole body shook, but she refused to let go. "Please," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Don't let him take you."
He turned to her, his face pale, but his grip was iron. "I told you… I won't leave you. No matter what."
The Emperor's voice thundered, shaking the air. "You were born for the throne. You were never meant to live among mortals. I have been patient, but your defiance ends here."
The boy took a step back, shielding her with his body. His words were sharp, filled with fear but also with strength. "I told you already. I won't go unless she comes with me."
The Emperor's eyes narrowed, glowing like burning suns. "Then you will learn that love does not matter before destiny."
He raised his hand, and fire burst forth. Chains of pure light erupted from the sky, wrapping around the boy's arms and chest. He gasped, his knees buckling under the sudden weight.
She screamed and tried to pull him back, digging her heels into the ground. "Don't let go!"
"I won't!" he shouted, his voice raw with pain as he strained against the chains. The heat scorched his skin, but his fingers clung desperately to hers. "I promised you!"
The Emperor's flames tightened, dragging him upward. His body lifted from the ground, his feet scraping against the gravel.
"No!" she cried, clutching at his arm with both hands. "You can't take him! Please, he belongs here! He belongs with me!"
The Emperor's gaze flickered to her, cold and unmoving. "He belongs to the Sun. And the Sun does not share."
Her skin burned against the searing light, but she refused to let go. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she pulled with all her strength, her sobs filling the night.
The boy's voice broke through the fire, desperate and trembling. "I love you! Remember that!"
Her chest ached so deeply it felt like it might split in two. "Don't leave me! Please!"
The chains yanked harder, pulling his body upward. His hand slipped in hers, their fingers sliding apart, clinging until only their fingertips touched.
He shouted one last time, voice torn with pain. "I'll come back for you!"
Then the light swallowed him whole.
Her hands closed on empty air.
The fire vanished. The sky sealed itself, the golden crack fading into a starless night. The Emperor's presence disappeared as if he had never existed. The park was quiet again.
Only the broken bench. Only the faint smoke from the burnt grass. Only her.
She dropped to her knees on the gravel, her hands trembling, her breath sharp and shallow. The world felt hollow, the silence louder than thunder. Her tears fell fast, soaking the dirt where he had stood.
Her voice was weak, but it escaped her lips anyway. "You promised… You promised you'd never leave me."
The cold wind moved through the trees, carrying her cries into the night.
He was gone.
And she was alone.