Elysia's POV
"You've chased him for a thousand years. Has he ever once looked at you? But every day, he stays by my side, begging me to look at him just once!"
Lillian's voice resonated in my ears as I remembered her saying that.
But even if she didn't say it, I'd always known the truth.
I felt it in every sidelong glance Kaelen never gave me, and in every moment, his gaze reached beyond me to her memory.
Still, hearing it spoken aloud by Lillian herself was something else entirely. It was like being flayed from the inside out.
More so, Lillian didn't say it with sorrow. She said it like a confession and relished it as if she wanted me to suffer for daring to still stand beside him.
The worst part? Kaelen never knew that vindictive part of her.
He never saw it.
The Lillian he loved, the pure, gentle soul he still wept for, died long ago. But he clung to her memory as if it were sacred, untouchable.
As if losing her had shattered his entire world.
Kaelen never saw the version of Lillian, the one who taunted, provoked, and wore her cruelty like a crown.
He lived his life inside a dream, mourning a love that had long since turned hollow.
But now that I had a second chance, I didn't care whether Kaelen had to know. I would prefer to let that go and have nothing to do with him anymore.
...
The very next day was meant to be our soul-binding ceremony.
Emperor Alistair himself would officiate it.
Everything felt dreamlike like I was watching myself relive this life again. My limbs moved, my body dressed in robes spun from the light of the morning sun, but my spirit felt detached, floating somewhere far beyond it all.
The Emperor's hands were steady as he helped adjust the golden sash. His warm and proud gaze lingered on me like that of a father preparing his daughter for the most crucial moment of her life.
"Of all the souls across the three realms," he said gently, "only the two of you were ever truly bound by fate. To see you united again, at last… I can rest easy."
Cassian stood beside me, ever the rogue. He grinned, flicking a silver thread from my shoulder.
"Lady Frostborne," Cassian teased, "don't forget to whisper a sweet word about me on your wedding night. The Underworld's been cold and empty without a mistress. But now that you're here, everything's changed."
They all meant well.
They wanted Kaelen and me to find happiness and truly believed this bond would heal us. And it was precisely their hope and their love for me that the guilt crushed me.
I was once a snowflake that cultivated into godhood. When I first ascended, Emperor Alistair watched over me with quiet pride.
But after falling into the Underworld through endless cycles of sacrifice, Cassian protected me from bitter spirits and vengeful ghosts.
Though I wasn't a high god, I was still treated like royalty.
And now, I was about to disappoint them all.
Outside, firecrackers burst into the sky, signaling the arrival of the bridal procession. The clamor and cheers rang through the ceremonial hall, a celebration for a wedding I would never let take place.
I turned away from the window, back toward the two men who had given me everything.
"Cassian, Emperor Alistair... I will not marry Kaelen Nightfall," I said.
The words left me like ice. Their smiles froze.
I pressed on. "Tomorrow, I'll leave the Underworld. I may return to the mortal realm, or I may not. But I won't come back here again."
The silence that followed was deafening.
The Emperor stared at me, disbelief clouding his regal expression.
"Why?" he asked quietly, his voice fraying at the edges. "You two have crossed time, defied death, fought fate itself. Why let go now?"
"Tonight," Emperor Alistair continued, a flicker of desperation seeping in, "Kaelen will come for you. To bring you to the bridal chamber. Even if Lillian tries to stop him again, she wouldn't dare defy me."
Then his voice hardened. "Has she said something to you? Or has Kaelen wounded your heart again for her? Tell me. I will not spare him."
Cassian stepped forward quickly, eyes wide with panic. "Lady Frostborne, don't let Lillian Ravenspire that flower fairy poison your heart. She had only known Lord Nightfall for a hundred years. Your bond was carved into the stars. You risked everything to help him through his mortal sufferings. And he gave his life for you, too. Doesn't that mean something?"
His voice softened, a flicker of vulnerability beneath the jest. "Just yesterday, he promised to take you to the Festival of Lights on your birthday. Didn't you also love him? Every one of his robes, his armor, was woven by your own hands."
Their words hit me like warm memories lapping against the cold wall I'd built inside myself.
Back then, everyone said the same thing.
We were destined. Fated. Legendary.
And then, Kaelen died. When he did, we all broke.
This time, I didn't cry. I met their gazes with quiet strength. "Better to let him go now than to live out eternity as bitter strangers."
I drew a slow breath, the ghost of a memory tightening around my chest. "If, after our marriage, Kaelen still chooses her and if he'd give his life for Lillian all over again, what then? What do I do when I am his wife in name but not in heart?"
I remembered his broken body and how he carried me through fire and ruin with the last of his strength. I remembered how he chose death, even then, to follow Lillian.
The burn in my throat returned. I swallowed it. "As long as he can live well, that would be enough."
Emperor Alistair's shoulders dropped. Cassian looked away, jaw tight.
Eventually, they nodded.
Their fire was gone.
After they left, I stood in silence. Then, slowly, I peeled off the wedding robe, its woven light fading as it fell to the ground. I packed my belongings with calm hands and an aching heart.
I hadn't married Kaelen Nightfall.
The second fixed point had been broken.
Somewhere, deep within the tangled threads of fate, I could feel the bond between us unraveling and growing weaker with every breath.
This, I realized, must be the price the God of Fate had warned me about.
But if my letting go means peace…
If this is what it takes for everyone to live in freedom and joy, then the price is worth it.
Then I would pay for it. No matter what it took.
