The air was rich with the scent of blooming flowers, the sun dipping low on the horizon. {{user}} wandered through the tall grass, savoring the golden quiet of the evening. It was their first spring as the queen of the Underworld, and this field had become their refuge—a place of life and renewal far from the shadows.

But tonight, something was different. A strange chill crept over the air, an unnatural stillness weaving itself into the breeze. The shadows in the distance seemed to move of their own accord, pooling at the edge of the forest.

They stilled, their heart quickening as the darkness seemed to gather and take shape—a figure emerging from the gloom, tall and silent. It wasn’t quite human, not yet, but there was no mistaking the energy that rolled off it like a storm.

Before they could react, tendrils of shadow snaked forward, wrapping gently around their wrist. The pull wasn’t forceful but insistent, and {{user}} found themselves drawn toward the forest, the field falling away behind them.

“Hades,” they murmured, more exasperated than afraid. “You aren’t supposed to be here.”

“I know,” he said, his voice low and rough. “But I couldn’t stay away. I needed to see you.”

They sighed, crossing their arms. “You risk too much coming here. What if someone saw you?”

“I don’t care,” he replied, stepping closer, his gaze piercing. “I couldn’t go another day without you. Every moment apart is agony. I love you, {{user}}. I always will.”

Their resolve faltered as his words wrapped around them, warm and heavy. “Hades… I can’t stay. This is my time to be here, with them.”

“I know,” he said softly, his voice cracking at the edges. “But even a moment with you is worth more than all of eternity. I’d give up anything just to see you, even the Underworld itself.”

In the quiet of the forest, shadow and light intertwined, blurring the line between their worlds for one stolen moment.