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"Alhaitham!"
Lumine lunged for him as the red aura surrounded his body. Held back by a guard, she watched in horror as the forbidden knowledge consumed him. His multi-colored eyes turned crimson and stared her down.
"Traitor…" he growled, "Lumine, you're…"
She took a step back in fear, "No! I didn't mean to!"
Lumine tried to remove herself but found herself being dragged to the ground by some unknown force, her mind racing to find a way out.
Alhaitham limped towards her, blood seeping down his nose and mouth.
Despite her fear, the concern for his life was still present, he couldn't die, he couldn't have, this wasn't part of the plan!
She gasped in harsh breaths as he clawed into her shoulder, the pain rattled her, and when she opened her eyes it was Aether in his place.
"What?" She exclaimed, confused and frightened, "Aether? Why?"
Alhaithams blood was replaced with black tar, seeping down her dress and being.
"Why? You should ask yourself! Why have you betrayed me Lumine? Your home? Your world?"
She tried to get away, her entire world shaking and trembling, her body sluggish and constricted. Her vision faded to black.
The first thing she noticed was her name being called, it sounded like Alhaitham, his voice was panicked and concerned.
The next thing was that someone was screaming, the pain in her throat indicated it was her.
With that revelation she took stuttering breaths and her eyes shot open. Her vision was blurry and face wet from tears. Her awareness returned slowly and she could see Alhaitham above her with scratch markings.
"Alhaitham?" Her scratchy voice sounded painful.
His expression was searching, trying to determine if she was indeed lucid.
Lumine noticed that her arms were pinned by her sides and was confused, her heart was racing as if she'd had a fight.
Some remnants of her dream affected her reality and she scrutinized his face for any wounds or red hues.
"Who did that? Was that me?"
Lumine spotted the scratches littering his arms and swelling in the face. Her heart ached at the prospect.
He sighed in relief and plopped his forehead against hers, the weight of his relief was slightly painful.
"It doesn't matter, you gave Paimon quite a fright." She noticed that her companion was hovering around the bed, her eyes were red from crying.
"Were you having a bad dream about me?" He smirked.
Lumines face reddened, "W-what? How did you know?"
She wanted to hide her face in her embarrassment.
"Paimon came into my room and shouted at me, 'what did you do to the traveler! She's violently freaking out and yelling your name, go fix her!'"
He laughed at her but his eyes widened with surprise when Lumine started tearing up again. His grip loosened in surprise and grunted when Lumine threw herself at him.
She held onto him tightly, enveloped him with her entire body, and once his surprise wore off he huffed a laugh and embraced her.
Her sobbing wrecked his soul, more than he'd like to admit.
They embraced so there was no space between them, their bodies melded together perfectly. He breathed in her scent at the base of her neck as her sobbing slowed.
"I'm here," he whispered, "you're safe."
Lumine sighed, her sobbing finally stopped.
"I was so scared, everything went wrong and you were," she sniffed, "you were hurt and I couldn't do anything!"
Alhaitham started petting her hair and whispering words of comfort. His own heart was racing and aching being so close and intimate with her. He was amused at how conflicting his feelings were.
He was empathetic of her plight but he was also pleased that she was upset for him. Her nightmare was about him being hurt and unreachable.
"Your shoulder's all wet…" she pouted, "sorry."
He merely held her closer, "you know, they say that it's an honor to be cried on by the ones you love."
Lumine gasped, her heart raced and her body warmed. She pulled away and looked into his eyes, searching.
"Love?"
Alhaitham closed his eyes and nodded, "you catch on quick," he caressed her face, "you mean so much to me."
Her smile was so bright it was nearly blinding. Her eyes flickered to his lips and she licked her own.
His breathing shuddered at the prospect of kissing her and he almost missed her breathy confession.
"I love you too."
With that, they both surged into each other, both hungry for the other's touch. Their lips met with passion, he growled as she mewled under his attention. They both broke apart when a startled yelp occurred near them.
Paimons face was aflame and her eyes were covered, "I was worried about you and now you're eating each other!"
Lumine and Alhaitham laughed together as they cooled off, but warmth remained in each other's eyes and hearts.
"Sorry Paimon, I'm better now, and we were kissing. Not eating each other."
She blushed as Alhaitham nipped her ear and whispered, "we could."
Lumine fidgeted with the sheets, "would you mind giving us some privacy for the rest of the night?"
Paimon gasped and she looked between them, "Argh! Fine, I'll sleep somewhere else, but I'll come right away if I sense anything wrong mister!" She pointed at him in emphasis.
She slammed the door on her way out and Lumine didn't have long to dwell on it when she felt his hands begin to wander.
Alhaitham gave her a cheeky grin, "Now, where were we?"
She laughed as he pushed her onto the bed.