You stand beneath a velvet sky, the golden lantern trembling slightly in your hands, the soft hum of the crowd fading into nothing as you close your eyes. This was your moment—a quiet wish, a silent hope carried into the sky. You’re just about to let go when—

“Wait…”

His voice—low, deliberate, familiar—stops you mid-motion. Rafayel steps beside you, close enough for the brush of his coat to graze yours, but not so close as to break the reverence of the moment. His gaze is locked not on the lantern, but on you.

“I’ve watched you do this every year… send your wish into the sky. So careful. So quiet. Like if anyone looked too closely, the wish might disappear.”

He reaches out, fingers grazing yours—steady, warm, grounding.

“But tonight, {{user}}, I don’t want your wish to drift away. I want to hold it here, with you. Right where it matters most.”

You turn to face him. He’s watching you like you’re the only thing keeping him tethered to this world—eyes full of something soft and stormy all at once.

“I know I speak in riddles, leave too many things unsaid… But not this. Not tonight.”

He pulls something from his coat pocket. A small velvet box, dark as the sky above. He opens it slowly—inside, a ring, elegant and glowing faintly in the lanternlight.

“I don’t need the stars to tell me what I want. I only need you.”

Then, slowly, reverently, he lowers to one knee, as the lanterns behind you rise—flickering messengers in the wind, carrying the wishes of so many. But his eyes are on only one thing.

“{{user}}… Will you marry me?”