The sun rose slow and golden over the sea of clouds, casting long beams of light across the floating island below. Birds soared above like scattered music notes in a forgotten melody. Lucien stood silently on a cliff edge, overlooking the distant city nestled between waterfalls and ancient trees. His heart pounded, and not from fear or excitement—but anticipation. Today, everything would change.
He turned as Aeris approached, her silver hair tied in a loose braid over one shoulder, her commander's uniform neat but softened by the warm smile she reserved only for him. "You look like you're about to jump," she said teasingly.
Lucien chuckled softly. "Maybe I already have."
They met in the courtyard shortly after breakfast, the day already humming with magic. For the first time in a long while, there was no training, no war councils, no looming monsters. Just the two of them. Aeris had asked for a day off—an unheard-of request that stunned even her most loyal guards.
"Where are we going?" Lucien asked, eyes bright with curiosity.
"You'll see," she replied, lacing her fingers with his.
Their day began with a ride on a skiff that glided through the clouds, weaving between towering islands like dancers in a waltz. They visited a flower-covered cliff where Aeris once hid as a child, tasted sweet fruit from a local market, and even got caught in a summer rainstorm—where they danced barefoot in puddles, soaked and laughing under the gray sky.
By midday, they were on a secluded garden terrace, their clothes dried by magic, the scent of roses in the air. Lucien looked at her, and she at him, their gazes meeting with unspoken words trembling between them.
"I used to believe... that I wasn't allowed to be happy," Lucien whispered.
"You are," Aeris said. "With me, you always will be."
"I love you," he said, his voice low but steady.
Aeris blinked, then broke into a soft smile. "Took you long enough," she said, brushing her fingers against his cheek. "I love you too."
Their lips met—gentle at first, then deeper, like the harmonies of a symphony long awaited. And in that moment, nothing else mattered.
Not the past. Not the scars. Not even the shadows creeping just beyond the light.
Later that night, as they returned to her estate, they were ambushed.
Dark figures emerged from the skies, cloaked in corrupted mana and rags that twisted unnaturally. Aeris tried to conjure ice to shield them, but it shattered on impact. Lucien tried to pull her back, but they were overwhelmed, bound in black chains that burned against their skin.
"No!" he cried, reaching for her hand as they were dragged into the abyss.
They woke in a cold stone chamber, magic barriers pulsing like silent drums. Aeris was bleeding, her uniform torn. Lucien crawled toward her, but the chains wouldn't let him move far.
"They want my soul," she said hoarsely. "They know what I am…"
"What do you mean?"
"My bloodline… it's not just noble. It's ancient. The kind that can purify or destroy. They want it for power."
Lucien shook his head violently. "No. No, they can't have you. I won't let them."
One of the mages entered, sneering. "You're just a boy with dreams. What can your music do against the void?"
Lucien lowered his head—and began to hum.
The hum grew louder, rising into a melody that vibrated through the chains. The air shimmered, and with each note, a crack appeared in the magical restraints. The mage scoffed. "What is this? Some dying lullaby?"
But Lucien's voice didn't falter. The song twisted, turning heavier, deeper. His soul bled into every word, every note. The chains snapped.
A storm erupted from his chest—black chords of sound painted in silver light, crashing against the walls. The room warped into a virtual soundscape, shaped by his pain, his rage, his grief. Guitars wailed. Drums thundered. The melody took on a rock edge, fierce and unstoppable.
"Get the girl!" one of the mages shouted. "Kill the boy!"
They charged, but the very ground rebelled. Lucien raised his hand and struck down the first with a riff so violent it cracked the walls. The second tried to cast, but Lucien shouted—and the words were ripped from his throat by a chorus of fury.
"YOU TOOK HER FROM ME!"
Magic swirled around him in electric spirals. Every step he took echoed like a bass drop. The mages couldn't even scream before they were blasted back by waves of sonic destruction.
"I won't lose her... I won't!" Lucien roared, slamming his fist down. A wave of energy in the form of a giant music note tore the dungeon apart.
He ran. Through burning corridors, through collapsing stairwells. "Aeris! AERIS!"
He found her barely alive, bound to a stone altar surrounded by runes.
"Lucien…" she whispered, her voice thin.
"I'm here. I'm right here."
He rushed to her, breaking the runes with a cry of defiance. She fell into his arms, cold as the wind on a winter morning.
"Don't die. Please, don't die…"
Her hand lifted weakly. "Sing for me… one last time."
"No! You're going to hear me sing every day, every night, forever."
But her breath was slipping.
"I wanted… to spend my life with you."
"I wanted that too…" Tears slipped down Lucien's face, his voice shaking.
Then her hand fell still.
Lucien froze. The warmth of her fingers faded.
A silence heavier than death.
"…Aeris?"
He screamed. The sound shattered the sky.
Then, from that scream, a new song was born.
A mournful, raw, soul-ripping ballad poured from him. A cry to the heavens. To the gods. To fate itself.
"Even in another world… my music still cries…"
The floating castle above split apart, as if the very world grieved with him. The song carried far beyond the ruined fortress—through islands and skies, through hearts of strangers who would never know their names.
Lucien stood amidst the rubble, her body in his arms, the last notes fading with the wind.
He had found love in a world where he thought none existed.
And lost it all over again.
But her memory... her smile... and their final duet...
That would echo in him forever.