text: He had finally managed to capture her. He slumped against the stony wall in this forgotten cave catching his breath as her voice carried with the echo. A small wooden ship sinks about a hundred meters from the shore. Half of it is on fire. The sun sets in gold in front of them. When the ball of light hits the horizon, it spreads like oil in water. Below, the depleted men clad in armor slowly start to creep onto the shore. Their steel boots sinking into the wet sand like anchors. “Quiet, Luna...” he whispered. “They’ll hear you.” “That’s the point,” she said through gritted teeth. When she opened her mouth to speak again, he hushed her quickly with his palm. She squirmed beneath him but he could not risk being seen now. It was a matter of life and death. Well, to put it frankly, it was a matter of her life and his death. "I don't get you," she accused. "Didn't you leave on your own terms? Why return now? For what purpose?" Harsh green eyes turned jade beside the setting sun. He retracted his hand from her mouth. "Listen, I came to warn you-- " Warn me? " She repeated incredulously. "They're coming for you. The Reapers. Those men down there are not your noblemen. They are not from your kingdom. I did what I had to do to pull you to safety!" The princess's eyebrows knitted in confusion. Though she was calmer, she could still feel the remnants of anger creeping at the back of her neck. She strained to control her composure. She remembered him taking her hostage as the sea rocked them back and forth. He had hijacked her ship and sent the two of them overboard. His eyes softened suddenly. "How can I trust you?" She whispered, "You left me alone so many years ago. Your quest for power swallowed you whole. You were unrecognizable; a different man than the one I...” "The one you what, Luna?" "... Remembered." She peered up at him inquisitively. And just when she thought the embers in her heart were fully extinguished, a gentle wind suddenly gave life to a new flame. He was indeed the man in the flesh; and also the man in so many of her dreams. The sights and sounds of him caused her to revisit her deepest memories. A familiar chagrin. But in many ways, the years have turned him, or so it seemed. She couldn't help wondering if he'd manage to reach his pinnacle. His reason for leaving never stood clear to her but perhaps, now it would. When Prince Adonis was eleven years old, he had lost his father to an unknown force. His mother died shortly after which meant that the King's brother, a kind man, would hold the throne until Adonis was old enough to take it. But something happened. A grey cloud began to storm him, though, it had been all in his head. He knew he would never truly rest another night until he was able to kill the thing that killed his father. And so he sought power. He fought, he ran, he drew his sword, just for the opportunity to face them. The Reapers. So when the opportunity arose in the dead of night, he took it. A powerful Magician lead him and he followed without being under a spell. It was his own decision. He never said good bye. When Luna awoke that morning after and learned the Prince had left, she felt as if she died that day. The rest of her existence waned and waxed like the moon she was named after. But she'd never know the heartache he'd felt for her. Under starry nights, cold mornings, and lonely battles, he would recall her and all his strength would come back. “How did you know the Reapers would return? From what I’ve heard, they were last seen at the Eastern Port at Marigold three years ago... But... that must mean...” He nodded solemnly, “I had to.” “How could you have done something so stupid?! ” Luna cried, “You shouldn’t have marked yourself. Now they’ll never stop coming for you!” “My princess-- “Don’t!” He grabbed a knife from his belt and made quick work to cut the rope he had just used to bind her. He took her arm and pulled back her kimono sleeve. On the white of her wrist, a blue bruise was present. It was the same colour of her veins; the same shape of the sacred lotus flower that was also engraved on her kingdom's coat of arms. He showed her his. Surprised shook her from the inside out. A death sentence was what it was. She gingerly ran the pads of her fingers over his wrist to feel it. It slightly glowed. His radial pulse bounced against her fingers as she pressed down. “When did you...?” “I only have one seal. It was a gift from the Magician at his death. It will cover yours, erasing your existence from their radar. And that means they’ll chase me instead.” “I was ready to die, Adonis. I knew what was coming. Do not take this from me! What about your goal for power? What about avenging your father and taking back your kingdom? What about-- He closed the gap between his lips and hers. It was nothing like she’d imagined. Salty, bitter, and sweet. The taste of her danced on his tongue. He had seemed to forget the mission at hand: Get her to safety and take her place when the Reapers came to collect. All too much, all too soon he felt her take over him like nothing he'd ever felt before. From this experience alone he decided he had already fully lived. His life did flash before him. His life through Luna. When she opened her eyes, his stormy gaze told her everything. “Luna, I realized...” Grey eyes darted over to each feature of her face, drinking her in as if he’d die of thirst, “...you were the only goal that ever really truly mattered.”