---
*Focus: Seiris, Aeiris, Sylvaeria*
The chamber cracked apart as the remnants of the Echo's magic dispersed. Stone platforms rose from the depths like a spiral staircase, leading them toward the heart of the sanctum.
Yuki sensed it—the final seal, pulsing above. Whatever was waiting, it would test not only their strength… but everything they had become.
As the group pressed on, Yuki's gaze caught movement in the corner of his vision—Seiris, trailing behind slightly, her presence quiet, precise.
He slowed his pace until she drew near.
"You've been watching," he said.
"I always watch."
"Why?"
Seiris was silent for a moment. "Because assassins survive by reading every heartbeat, every breath. I watch your rhythm so I can protect your blind spots."
He raised a brow. "And is that the only reason?"
Her golden eyes flicked toward him, then away. "...No."
The next level of the sanctum burst open with shadow tendrils—guardians made of spectral blades and screaming silence. The group scattered into combat.
Yuki lunged, claws aflame, while Seiris vanished into shadow.
Three enemies targeted him at once—blades whirling.
But their heads dropped in a single breath, cut by invisible force.
He turned to see Seiris beside him, blades dripping starlight.
"Don't blink, dragon."
He smirked. "I never do."
She fought like flowing mist, phasing between shadows, weaving beside him. Their movements were in sync—him tanking, her slicing through what he left exposed.
Then, one of the shadows caught her off-guard with a spear of void.
"Seiris!" Yuki shouted, leaping forward.
Too slow.
The spear flew—until it shattered against a barrier of wind and moonlight. Sylvaeria floated down from above, wind swirling around her like a storm halo.
"I won't let you touch him or her," she said simply.
Seiris grunted, brushing blood off her lip. "I didn't need saving."
Sylvaeria smiled knowingly. "But you wanted him to worry."
The three fought together now—Seiris's stealth, Sylvaeria's winds, Yuki's fire. The battle was a storm of magic and speed. And when it was over, nothing remained of the guardians but ash.
Seiris stepped beside him, blade sheathed.
"I fight best in silence," she said. "But you've made it hard to stay quiet."
Yuki turned, surprised.
She didn't meet his eyes. "When I saw how you held Aeiris back then… how you looked at her like she was precious—I hated it. Not her. Just… that feeling."
Her voice lowered. "I've never wanted anything before. But now I want *you*."
Yuki stepped closer. "Then take me."
Seiris blinked, stunned.
He gently brushed a hand over her cheek, scales cool against skin. "You've already earned it. All of you has."
Her breath trembled. Then, she reached up, letting her forehead touch his.
"No one's ever said that to me without wanting something in return."
"I only want you to stay."
A long silence. Then, Seiris nodded.
Behind them, Aeiris watched—smiling faintly, then turning away.
Yuki noticed.
He approached her as she sat at the edge of the platform, legs dangling, watching the energy swirl beneath the sanctum.
"You've been quiet," he said.
Aeiris glanced up, golden curls glowing in the light. "I'm the weakest one here."
Yuki sat beside her. "You're not."
"I don't have an ultimate skill. I can barely hold my magic steady when I'm scared. And yet… everyone else belongs here."
"You endured isolation, pain, fear—*alone*. You never gave up. That's more strength than any blade or spell."
Aeiris looked at him, tears shimmering in her eyes. "I used to dream of someone strong, kind… someone who would protect me. I thought it was childish."
"It wasn't."
She hesitated, then leaned against him—resting her head on his side.
"I think… I love you, Yuki. And I want to become someone worthy of fighting beside you."
He wrapped a wing gently around her.
"You already are."
And then, finally, Sylvaeria approached.
She'd waited patiently—watching all the others claim their moment.
But as moonlight bathed the rising spire, she stood behind him, fingers brushing softly against his back.
"I've known it for a long time," she whispered. "But I never dared say it."
Yuki turned to face her.
"I've watched your heart grow—how you protect us, how you hold all of us without judgment. You didn't ask to become a dragon. But you chose to be *our* dragon."
Her wings folded close, her green-gold eyes trembling. "I've loved you since before I understood what love meant."
Yuki stepped forward, gently cradling her face.
"And I've wanted to say this since the forest: I can't imagine any path ahead without you by my side, Sylvaeria."
She smiled—tears falling, but her voice steady. "Then let me walk it with you. As your spirit. As your storm. As your mate."
He kissed her.
It was soft, full of promise, wind swirling around them like petals.
Behind them, the others watched—not with jealousy, but peace.
Because tomorrow, the final seal would break.
But tonight, they were whole.
---