That night, still buzzing with post-battle adrenaline and the strange melancholy of survival, they gathered in Echo's room.
No words were needed.
They came together not in celebration, but in affirmation—of life, of warmth, of connection in a universe that bred only cold consumption.
Leyla kissed Echo with desperate hunger, her claws tracing his back without breaking skin. Mira's hands were gentle, mapping his body as if memorizing him. They undressed each other slowly this time, armor plates giving way to skin, the scent of sweat and violet ichor replaced by their own familiar warmth.
Echo laid Mira back on the bed, entering her with a deep, reverent stroke as Leyla pressed against his back, her teeth on his shoulder, her hands roaming his chest. It was a tangle of limbs, a fusion of breaths. Leyla's moon-energy silvered the room; Mira's spatial awareness made the air thrum.
They moved in a slow, undulating rhythm, bond-energy flowing between them like a circuit of power and pleasure. Echo felt Leyla's fierce joy, Mira's tender awe, and his own fierce protectiveness blend into one overwhelming wave.
[ Triple Bond Synchronization: Post-Combat Clarity ]
[ Emotional Depth: Maximum ]
[ Bond Points +12 ]
[ Leyla: Moonstalker Stage 2 progression +25% ]
[ Mira: World-Walker Stage 2 progression +25% ]
[ Echo receives: Battle-Sync – after combat, next bond-based ability costs 30% less energy ]
After, they lay spent, a damp, breathing tangle under the soft glow of the academy's artificial night cycle.
Leyla nuzzled Echo's neck. "We lived."
"We did," Mira whispered, her hand over his heart.
Echo kissed each of them. "And we'll keep living. Together."