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Astra’s temple remains uncleaned.
That’s the first observation Zayne makes when he finally finds the courage to enter it. Its cold atmosphere hardly welcomes his existence, especially not with the suit and tie he wears with pride. Especially not with the occasion that’s about to occur in front of the very god he has tried his hardest to defy.
Lifetimes of heartbreaks all end today, but Zayne doesn’t know that. He doesn’t know how much he’s lost his beloved, how many times his destiny has fallen in the hands of a menacing god that seems to enjoy his suffering. He doesn’t know of the lives he has lived in utmost agony because death seems to love chasing him. He doesn’t know how many times he’s fallen in love with the same woman despite the fate that awaits both lovers.
What he does know is that he would willingly fall in love with you, over and over again.
Zayne smiles at the sculpture portraying what people think Astra looks like: a man with large wings, one pierced slightly with an arrow and the other frozen by ice. It’s a lovely vision, and if Zayne were more wicked, he would see it as a depiction of himself as the hero defeating the god that brings nothing but misfortune. But he’s humble enough to understand his power, and so he just stares at the sculpture with a smug grin on his face.
He looks at his hand where a ring lays. The sign of his upcoming marriage with you shines brightly under the dim light from a broken chandelier; he couldn’t be happier.
And when the large doors welcome you in your white dress and veil draped over your beautiful face, Happiness pursues Zayne’s body like an ethereal light has consumed him whole. The smile on his face is evidence of his glee, and your face — still glowing even beneath the veil — makes his heart skip joyful little steps. “My love!” he says, and to save you the trouble of running in heels, he runs to you with his arms wide open to welcome you there.
Your little giggles are music to his ears when you fall into his embrace. “Zayne!”
Your fiance — soon-to-be husband — keeps you in his arms shamelessly. Perhaps in another world, Astra would have the last laugh and break the connections between you two. Death may follow the fates you and your lover would try to carve for yourselves. Servants for gods often don’t have the power to defy one, and Zayne is no exception to the rule.
However, on this lovely day, he finds that your heart beats in sync with his, and your breaths that are made from utmost happiness brushes his hand that lays on your cheek. You’re alive and he’s alive. You’re in love and he’s in love. Zayne gets the last laugh, bringing justice to the other lives that could not afford the same.
The ceremony is unconventional, but Zayne’s lips dance soon with yours in a symphony created by a love that transcends this lifetime. In a white dress with a heart that beats, you fall in love with him, and he does the same.