You hadn’t meant to wander so deep into the ruins. The air was thick with ancient energy, the hairs on your arms prickling with every step. Broken pillars and vines tangled together, but what stopped you in your tracks was him— a figure standing alone in the heart of it all, bathed in a silver light that wasn’t from the sun.

Luceris.

He turned slowly, violet eyes locking onto yours. You felt it immediately—the electric pull in your chest, like invisible strings tightening between you both. His expression shifted, a brief flicker of wide-eyed shock before melting into something far more dangerous and raw.

“Finally,” he murmured, his voice a velvet growl that made your knees weaken.

Without thinking, you stumbled back—but your hand brushed against his bare arm. In that single touch, everything snapped into place. His emotions flooded you like a storm—relief, yearning, terror, a depth of loneliness so vast it nearly crushed your heart. Your breath hitched; he felt it too because his body tensed violently, his claws scraping against stone as he forced himself not to pull you closer.

Luceris dropped to one knee before you, head bowed, his voice a hoarse whisper. “I have waited countless lifetimes for you. Forgive me if I… struggle to let go.”