The shift from Earth to Woewyn wasn't violent; it was like stepping through a breath. One moment, Natsuki was surrounded by dull, familiar sky. Next, she stepped into a combo of colours so sharp it stung her eyes.
The air here was clean, bright, and intensely alive.
The castle of Woewyn rose like carved starlight, its pale towers coiling upward toward enormous, low-hanging moons and planets etched with faint silver patterns. Silver-greenish leaves rustled in the clean breeze. Crystal streams crisscrossed the garden paths, and the stone beneath her feet hummed faintly with latent energy.
"This… is Woewyn?" she whispered, her breath catching.
Damon stepped beside her, Daichi trotting forward with his tongue out. "Yeah," he replied, but he wasn't looking at the castle. Natsuki noticed, turning just enough to catch his gaze fixed solely on her.
"It's beautiful," she murmured, her heart skipping.
"It really is," Damon confirmed, his voice quiet, almost a confession.
Daichi barked, seemingly announcing their arrival to the world. Natsuki stood rooted, taking in a realm torn straight from a storybook. "Everything feels… alive."
A gentle, regal scent drifted past, and Queen Thessa emerged from the royal garden, moving with effortless grace. She wore a deep indigo tunic dress, a circlet catching the sun, and her expression softened the moment she saw Natsuki.
"Damon," Thessa said, her hands resting lightly on her hips. "I told you to bring Natsuki to me the moment you arrived."
"We got here a minute ago," Damon replied, his tone respectful but amused.
Natsuki's brain short-circuited, "Bow or wave? Kneel or hug? What do I do?"
Thessa smiled knowingly. "You've grown since the last time I saw you, Natsuki."
"I-I really thought you were gone," Natsuki stammered, letting out a breath. "But seeing you here..."
Thessa stepped forward, opening her arms. "Will you stand there staring, or will you give me a hug?"
Natsuki didn't hesitate. She moved forward, melting into an embrace that was impossibly warm and gentle, like Thessa had been waiting for this moment just as long as she had.
A blaze of orange shot through the air. Nyra blasted through the courtyard, flames at her feet, completely out of control, until Damon simply reached out and caught her by the collar mid-flight.
"Calm down," he instructed.
"NOT NOW—NATSUKIIIIII!" Nyra broke free and nearly tackled her. "You're okay!"
"Should I not be?" Natsuki asked, blinking.
Nyra shrugged dramatically. "I mean, the demon attack? Rika almost died? But you look cute, so I guess it's been longer for you."
"It's been over months for me," Natsuki admitted smiling.
Thessa chuckled lightly as they walked toward the castle entrance. "Come in. The first stage of the Trineum Festival ended today. I assume Damon told you he won his match."
Natsuki glanced at him. "He doesn't seem very cheerful about it. But, well, he's Damon."
The first chamber wasn't cold or intimidating. It opened into a vast hall of polished pale-ish stone, with floating lanterns drifting like fireflies along the ceiling. Threads of silver light moved along the walls in shifting constellations, almost matching the ones on the Queens free dress.
"It's beautiful," Natsuki murmured, trying to take it all in.
"It's simple, for us," Damon replied.
Daichi sniffed suspiciously around every corner.
Thessa glanced at her son. "Damon. Take Daichi before he knocks over a statue."
Damon sighed. "Yes, Mother." Daichi barked and bolted, and Damon followed with the long-suffering patience of a man raising a very destructive child.
Natsuki and Thessa walked deeper into the hall, eventually strolling beneath shimmering garden arches. After a quiet moment, Thessa spoke, her tone gentle, deeply motherly.
"I know the boy Damon is underneath everything," she said. "His habits, his stubbornness, even the way he used to cry when he thought no one was listening. But I don't know the boy he became on Earth when I left him. The parts of him he didn't want me to worry about. The parts he showed only to you."
Natsuki was caught off guard. "Oh… well, he was still Damon. Quiet. Stubborn. He'd pretend he never got tired, pretend he wasn't stressed or sad. He'd walk me home from school every day, study with me, eat alone and slowly yet still burn his tongue every time." She laughed softly. "He tried so hard to act normal."
Thessa's expression softened deeply. "He gets that from me," she murmured. "The pretending." She reached across the space between them and rested her hand over Natsuki's. "You were with my son while I faked my death. You stayed by him. Protected him. Made him smile. For that, Natsuki, thank you."
Natsuki shook her head, her eyes softening. "You shouldn't thank me for that."
"And why not?" Thessa asked, raising an eyebrow.
Natsuki took a deep breath, her gaze steady and honest. "Because I didn't do any of it out of duty, or pity, or obligation. I stayed because I love him."
Thessa's eyes softened in a way few ever saw. She squeezed Natsuki's hand gently. "Then I'm grateful in ways that I can't express." The tension melted away, and as they talked, a quiet warmth settled between them. At one point, Thessa laughed and said, "You know… you're like a second daughter to me already." Natsuki's chest tightened with warmth at the unexpected phrase.
Later, in the grand hall, nobles gathered to meet the "Earth girl." That's when Lady Seraphine Avarren appeared. She wore a black d5ess, her hair like obsidian, her voice dipped in velvet. She was not royalty, but her power was enough to make the nobles whisper when she walked.
She approached Natsuki with excessive interest. "Lady Natsuki," Seraphine purred, taking her hand. "You're even lovelier up close. I've heard so much." She lifted Natsuki's hand, clearly intending a formal kiss.
Natsuki pulled back immediately. "Uh—nice to meet you. Where's Damon?"
Across the hall, Damon's expression sharpened. It wasn't loud or dramatic, just a small, instantaneous shift that made Nyra snort into her drink. Daichi emitted a low growl.
Damon walked over, calm as ever, but his eyes slid over Seraphine with the softness of sandpaper. "I was looking for you," he said to Natsuki. "We should go."
Natsuki nodded, slipping beside him naturally. Seraphine smiled politely, but her eyes lingered—a little too long—on Damon and Natsuki's closeness. Damon didn't like it at all.
Damon, Natsuki, and Nyra walked through the glowing city streets, inhaling the sweet smoke of the festival. Above them, Sky-Sheets floated: thin sheets of shimmering blue displaying news in soft white text.
"Prince Vale! Prince Vale!" Reporters jogged toward them with quills of light. "We'd like a word for the Sky-Sheets!"
Damon blinked. "You're still using this system?"
The reporter laughed. "It's traditional!"
"Right. Maybe later," Damon said. "Today's not the day. Let's save it for the final part of the festival."
"Celebrity prince, huh?" Natsuki nudged him.
He shrugged. "Well... you're dating the celebrity prince."
She smirked. "Unfortunately."
Nyra cackled behind them.
They walked through street stalls, trying festival food until fireworks danced above the rooftops. Natsuki smiled often—and Damon noticed every time. Damon brushed her hand—and Natsuki felt her heart kick. The world faded into evening.
They sat on a high balcony overlooking the glowing city, two bowls of festival food in their laps. Warm winds and floating lanterns drifted past like slow stars. The smell of festival incense lingered for hours.
Natsuki ate quietly, gazing at the lights below, while Damon watched her instead.
Then, he leaned in, slow and deliberate. His lips softly brushed hers—tasting of strawberry and spice.
Natsuki froze for a second, then instinctively kissed him back. He deepened the kiss, then pulled away too fast, his breath uneven.
Natsuki placed a hand on his cheek, pulling him back. She kissed him again, slower this time. "It's okay, Damon," she murmured, her voice so calm it could put a child to sleep. "You can talk to me."
"It's everything. Being here with you," he confessed, his gaze fixed on her. "But today… if I'd been slower, or not strong enough—you would've been worried. And I—"
Natsuki cut him off gently. "But you weren't. You're here with me now."
He swallowed hard. "Yes. But a day might come where I'm not."
Her expression darkened. "Don't say that." Then she softened. "Do you remember our promise? We always come back to each other."
"Yeah." His voice cracked slightly. "I'm sorry for stressing you."
Natsuki shook her head. "I want that stress. Every part of you. If I can't help your fight, then I'll at least help your heart."
Her words hit him hard. He couldn't speak.
Natsuki leaned against him. "All of this," she gestured to Woewyn and the festival lights, "means nothing if you don't come home."
Damon exhaled. "Then I'll keep coming home. As long as you're waiting at the end."
She smirked. "Oh, I'll wait. But if there's ever a day you don't come back? I'll beat your ass myself after I drag you out of wherever you are."
A tiny smile broke on Damon's lips. "Permission granted."
"Deal."
She laid her head on his heart. The city glowed beneath them, the lanterns now high above. And for the first night in a long time, Damon Vale felt peace.
The silence stretched, only to be cracked by Natsuki's voice. She had finished her food, her legs pulled in, her eyes on the city lights.
"How long until you come back to Earth?" she asked softly.
Damon's hand froze where it rested on her back. He exhaled slowly. "I don't think it'll be soon."
She turned to him, sitting up. Her eyes were already glassy, though she tried to hold the emotion back. "How long is 'not soon'?"
"Mo nths," he said quietly. "Maybe longer. Ive got training, the trials, even school. Everything that's coming."
Her breath shivered. She nodded, the pain visible on her face.
"Then…" a fragile smile, "let's make tonight count."
Damon sat up and pulled her close, their faces only hairs apart. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice breaking. "I don't want to leave you."
She closed her eyes. "I know. And I hate that I know."
He wiped her wet cheeks with trembling thumbs. "Every day without you is going to feel wrong."
"Then come home the moment you can," she whispered. "I'll be here."
He kissed her forehead—slow, soft, and deliberate. They fell asleep where they were, curled together on the balcony.
When dawn brightened the sky, the portal opened. Natsuki walked him to it, their fingers locked until the last possible moment.
One last hug. One last breath shared. One last whispered "I love you."
Natsuki stepped through. The lingering feeling of her fingers against his was all that remained.
She stood alone under the fading lights, her arms wrapped around herself. "I'll wait," she murmured to the empty air. "Just don't make me wait too long."
"I won't," he reassured, watching her go.
She stepped through. The lingering feeling of her fingers against his was all that remained.