(Echoes of Love, Part II)
The rain had stopped, but the silence that followed was louder than thunder.
Tokyo's skyline lay beneath a crimson moon, painting the streets in blood-tinted light. Toshio Shinji sat by the hospital bed, his hand clutching Airi's limp fingers. Her skin was cold, but her pulse—gentle, fragile—told him she was still there.
He hadn't slept. Not since she fell into his arms the night before, her voice overlapping with the goddess's echo. Every few hours, her eyes flickered open, glowing faintly with silver light, whispering fragments of languages he couldn't understand.
Yet each time, just before the glow faded, she'd murmur his name.
"Toshio..."
It was enough to keep him anchored.
A Fragment of Her
The door opened quietly. Aya stepped in, carrying a thermos of tea and a small bento box. Her hair was tied in a loose braid, her uniform wrinkled, eyes heavy with exhaustion. She'd stayed too—just in the next hallway.
"You should eat something," she said softly. "You look like death."
He smiled weakly. "I'll eat later. She moved again earlier."
Aya sighed, setting the thermos down. "Shinji... she's not just sick anymore. You saw what happened last night. That wasn't human."
"I don't care what she is," Toshio muttered. "She's Airi. That's all that matters."
Aya bit her lip, her fingers tightening around the thermos lid. "And if the goddess takes over completely? What if the Airi you love is gone?"
Toshio turned to her. His eyes—red from sleepless nights—were steady, defiant. "Then I'll find a way to bring her back."
Aya wanted to yell, to tell him that love couldn't fight gods. But she couldn't. Because deep down, she saw something divine in his stubbornness too—a light that could either save or destroy them all.
She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out an old charm. "This was found at the shrine ruins yesterday. The priest said it belonged to the Goddess Tsukiyomi's guardian. Maybe... it can help."
He hesitated before taking it. The charm pulsed faintly, reacting to Airi's presence. "Thank you."
Aya smiled faintly. "Just... promise me something, Shinji. If she turns into something dangerous—if you ever have to choose between saving her and saving yourself..."
He didn't let her finish.
"I'll save her. Always."
Aya's expression broke, a shadow crossing her eyes. "You really are hopeless."
The Whispering Moon
That night, the blood moon swelled larger than ever. Toshio dozed off briefly beside Airi's bed, her hand still in his.
Then, the air shifted.
A faint hum filled the room, like the sound of glass trembling. The moonlight thickened, crawling across the floor until it reached Airi's face. Her lips parted—softly, painfully—as she whispered in that divine tongue again.
"Toshio..."
He jolted awake. "Airi?"
Her eyes fluttered open—half silver, half brown. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"It's... so hard to remember... your voice... your name..."
He grasped her hand. "Don't force yourself. I'm here. I'll remind you as many times as it takes."
She smiled faintly, even as pain twisted her features. "You always say that... even before..."
"Before what?" he asked, heart pounding.
But she didn't answer. Instead, the monitors began to spike again. The window cracked. The moon outside seemed to tremble.
The goddess's voice layered beneath hers.
"The time draws near. The mortal promise will break under the crimson night."
Toshio stood, defiant. "No. I'll never break it."
He didn't notice the shadow behind him—forming from the reflection in the glass. A tall, slender figure cloaked in moonlight stepped into view, eyes the color of dusk.
"So... the human chosen by the goddess still breathes," the stranger said. His voice carried both amusement and disdain.
Toshio turned, his pulse freezing. "Who are you?"
The man smiled faintly, tracing his gloved fingers along the cracked window. "I am Noctis, the God of Dusk. Her consort. The one she forgot when she fell into your world."
The Rival of the Heavens
Noctis moved like mist—every step echoing without sound. His presence filled the room, pressing on Toshio's chest until he could barely breathe.
"You—You're lying," Toshio stammered.
The god chuckled softly. "Mortal, the goddess you hold in your arms once ruled beside me. She was not meant to love another. When she fell and bound herself into flesh, I waited through centuries... and now you dare touch what was divine?"
A surge of cold power erupted, flinging Toshio across the room. He crashed against the wall, coughing.
"Don't touch her!" he shouted, stumbling up.
Noctis tilted his head, amused. "You would defy a god for a girl who may never remember you?"
Toshio wiped blood from his lips. "I already am."
Noctis smiled—an expression both cruel and pitying. "Then you'll suffer the curse of devotion. The moon will test your resolve. Each night that she breathes, a part of you will fade."
The god reached toward Airi, his fingers almost brushing her cheek—
—but she stirred.
Airi's eyes flashed open again, fully silver this time. Power erupted from her body, shattering the restraints.
"Enough, Noctis."
The air froze. The god paused mid-motion.
"You shouldn't be awake," he said softly.
"You shouldn't have followed me here."
The goddess's voice and Airi's tone blended perfectly—divine yet trembling.
"This mortal... is under my protection."
Noctis frowned. "You would defy your own nature for him?"
Her expression softened as she looked at Toshio. "I already did, long ago."
For a fleeting second, he saw it—the goddess's memory flashing through her eyes: a vast celestial sea, her hand in his, though they were different forms. Two souls reborn again and again, always meeting, always torn apart.
Noctis's face darkened. "Then so be it."
He raised his hand—and the moon outside flared blood-red.
The Promise Beneath the Blood Moon
Light consumed everything.Toshio threw himself over Airi as the god's energy surged through the room. But instead of obliteration, warmth flooded his chest.
He opened his eyes to see her—Airi—glowing faintly, her power forming a protective barrier around them.
"Toshio..." she whispered weakly. "Run... please..."
"I'm not leaving you."
She smiled sadly. "Then hold me... and remember this."
The light engulfed them both. Toshio's mind filled with voices—echoes of past lives, of promises whispered beneath countless moons.
"When the blood moon rises, I'll find you again."
"Even if it takes a thousand lives."
When the light faded, Noctis was gone. The room lay in ruins, but they were alive.
Airi collapsed against him, her glow fading.
"The goddess... she's weakening," she murmured. "But I don't know how long I can keep her at bay."
"Then I'll stay by your side. Every moment. Every breath."
Her eyes met his—half divine, half human. "Promise me... if I forget you again, you'll remind me."
"Always," he whispered. "Under every moon."
And as he kissed her forehead, the blood moon shone brighter than ever, as though the heavens themselves were watching—and mourning.
[Quest Updated: Survive the Blood Moon's Trial — Remaining Nights: 3]