They crossed a distance that was almost infinitely vast.
The two crossed the sea of time and reached the end of the world.
At last, this journey that had lasted ten thousand years came to an end.
The white-haired boy and the vampire girl were finally reunited.
"Human, I finally found you!!"
The beautiful blue-and-gold heterochromatic eyes and the blood-red eyes reflected one another's figures. There was no longer any existence in this world more worthy of their attention than him or her. Merely looking at the other made their hearts begin pounding faster, as though coming back to life!
Tears spilled uncontrollably from Elias' and Luna's eyes. They rushed toward each other impatiently, erasing the final distance between them in an instant and embracing each other with all their strength.
"Finally... I can finally touch you again."
As though terrified that Luna might disappear, Elias trembled as he pulled her into his arms. He wanted to hug the beautiful girl before him with all his strength, yet he was also afraid he might accidentally hurt her.
Relieved yet uneasy, uneasy yet yearning, Elias felt that he had never needed another person this much before. The heart beneath his chest pounded violently like a war drum being struck again and again.
It was as though his heart had remained stopped until the moment he reunited with Luna, only beginning to beat once more when he saw the vampire girl again.
Elias buried his face in Luna's hair.
He breathed in the pleasant rose-like fragrance of the girl.
At this moment, Elias felt as though he had been given a new life. Even someone as strong as him could no longer control the intense emotions overflowing from his heart.
Perhaps at some point, you too have felt the same way, as though only by tightly embracing a certain girl could you confirm that you were truly still alive.
That was exactly how Elias felt now. Inside this World's Interstice where nothing existed, the vampire girl before him was his one and only desire and salvation.
"Human, me too. I missed you so much. I've been thinking about you every moment. We can't ever be separated again." Luna pressed her tear-streaked face against Elias' chest.
She let his presence envelop her and greedily clung to his warmth, like someone trapped in a frozen hell who had finally found a fallen sun to warm herself.
It seemed that only by imprinting his figure into her eyes could she confirm the meaning of her life. That was why this tens of thousands of years of searching for one another had been worth it, because she had seen him again.
But the journey had been far too long and agonizing, so... she would never let go of this person's hand again. Never! For the rest of this life, she would never be separated from him again!!
Whether they went to heaven or hell.
Whether to the end of time or into the World's Interstice.
They would remain by each other's side and never part!
Because he or she had already become an indispensable part of the other's life, more important than anything else!
"Thank you for finding me, Luna. And you've really grown so much... You're truly beautiful."
Elias gazed deeply at the vampire girl he hadn't seen for ten thousand years. Such an immense span of time had allowed Luna to fully grow up. The girl who had once stood only around one meter forty-five was now nearly one meter seventy.
The formerly immature little girl had grown into a tall and graceful beauty, mature and beautiful with a dangerous allure, yet still so innocent and devoted.
She wore a gothic formal dress, black on the outside and red within, decorated with roses. A vivid crimson rose rested between her full breasts, while black heels and stockings made it clear that she was no longer a child, but an elegant and mature woman.
Yet the bows at her waist and in her hair still added a touch of cuteness to Luna, like rich, sweet chocolate paired with freshly blooming crimson roses.
And this devastatingly beautiful girl radiated boundless love directed only toward Elias, as though declaring that he alone was her entire world.
Because you exist, this world has meaning.
"Really, Human? Do you like me like this?"
Luna looked at Elias and asked cautiously.
Now that she had grown up, she could no longer wear the original white dress. But Luna still wanted Elias to see her at her most beautiful, so she had carefully woven this formal gown herself.
(But come to think of it, Human really hasn't changed at all. That's wonderful. He's still just as beautiful as ever.)
Time was merciless. Even a vampire who came extremely close to the concept of "eternity" had changed in many ways over ten thousand years, yet Elias hadn't changed at all.
It was as though he himself were "eternity."
At that, Elias shook his head. It wasn't as though nothing about him had changed. For example, his feelings toward Luna had changed.
He reached out as though touching the most precious and fragile artwork in the world and gently stroked the vampire girl's cheek.
"No. I don't like you."
"Huh?!"
"I love you, Luna."
His heterochromatic eyes were earnest and bright. His burning emotions became words and poured from Elias' mouth without the slightest concealment.
It was the most sincere confession of love. In the instant the two reunited just now, Elias had become completely certain that he had already fallen hopelessly and deeply in love with Luna.
"..."
Luna's beautiful crimson eyes widened. The sudden confession pierced straight through the vampire girl's heart like an arrow, instantly turning her cheeks bright red.
It felt as though a rose had bloomed in her heart.
"Me too. I love you too, Human!"
Luna also spoke her feelings aloud. In the past, Elias had told her that once she understood what love was, she would have grown up.
And in the instant of their reunion just now, Luna finally understood what love truly was. To her, the answer was incredibly simple... she wanted to stay with Elias forever.
And so, the two stared directly into each other's eyes, their cheeks flushed red.
There was no longer anything else in their vision.
The final distance disappeared.
Elias kissed Luna on the lips. Their fingers intertwined as they declared their feelings for one another in a world at the end of time.
Throughout this tens of thousands of years of searching, the only thought in both of their hearts had been to see the other as soon as possible.
Every minute, every second, their longing had never ceased. Elias and Luna had occupied each other's hearts for ten thousand years, and by now, those droplets of yearning had long since gathered into an ocean.
In this world where only the two of them existed,
the other's presence was their only support.
Only by directing all their thoughts toward the other had Elias and Luna managed to preserve their sanity within the World's Interstice.
Because this empty world was truly enough to drive someone insane, while the other's existence served as the anchor of their heart.
Whenever they felt they couldn't go on, merely thinking of the other gave them enough strength to continue. Elias and Luna had long since entrusted their hearts to each other.
And no matter how far apart they were, the connection of blood had allowed them to sense the other's existence. That connection could be said to have been their only hope and their greatest comfort.
"This world is truly awful because there's nothing here. But because you were waiting for me ahead... I never gave up. I need you, Luna."
"Human, that's what I was going to say. You're the meaning of my existence, the salvation of my entire life. I can't bear a world without you, so... hold me tight and kiss me."
The emotions they had restrained for ten thousand years erupted completely. Two blazing loves merged into one, igniting an eternal romance.
At this moment, the dull and meaningless world that both Elias and Luna had despised suddenly became vivid and beautiful.
...
A long time later, Elias and Luna opened their eyes.
They had fallen asleep in each other's arms, allowing their bodies and minds, exhausted by ten thousand years, to finally rest and heal. Because the other was beside them, it had been the best sleep either of them had experienced in ten thousand years.
Then, nestled in Elias' arms, the vampire girl clenched her small hands and began to apologize and confess.
"Human, I'm sorry. I messed everything up."
"Hm? What happened?"
"Ai gave me a little sphere that recorded coordinates, but I lost it. We... might not be able to go back."
Luna didn't dare look at Elias' expression. She couldn't imagine how disappointed or devastated he would be after hearing this, or whether he might even take back the love he had just confessed to her.
At the same time, Luna also felt deeply guilty and disappointed in herself.
Because she discovered that, unbelievably, a tiny trace of happiness had appeared in her heart. After all, they couldn't go back. They might be forced to remain forever in this empty world where nothing existed.
But Luna had never cared much about the world to begin with. To her, Elias was more important than the world.
So even if there was nothing here, being together with him would be enough. The two of them could simply embrace each other and slowly wither away in this meaningless world.
Luna felt that would already satisfy her. As long as she could see him whenever she opened her eyes, as long as she could touch him whenever she reached out, then Elias' warmth, presence, heartbeat, voice, and very existence were all the most precious treasures in the world to her.
So if they couldn't go back, then so be it.
At least inside the World's Interstice, he belonged only to her, and she belonged only to him. They could remain entwined together until the end of time. Whether love or hatred, joy or sorrow, they would still possess each other.
That was what Luna thought in her heart.
But she also understood perfectly well that unlike herself, Elias had countless people and things he still cared about in the outside world. To him, the World's Interstice was a cruel prison that prevented his wings from spreading.
"Human, y-you should hate me. It's all my fault that you fell into this place, and now it's my fault you can't get out either."
The girl felt as though her guilt alone might kill her. No matter what Elias wanted to do next, she was willing to use this body to endure his anger, despair, and grief.
As long as Elias didn't abandon her.
As long as he still allowed her to remain by his side.
However, just as Luna closed her eyes and prepared to accept punishment, what landed on her head was instead a warm hand. When she opened her eyes, Elias' smile hadn't changed in the slightest.
"Hate Luna? Hehe~ That's something I could never do in this lifetime. And there's no need to blame yourself. We can go back."
"Huh?"
"Ta-da~ Luna, look what this is."
As though performing a magic trick, Elias produced a white sphere the size of his palm from seemingly nowhere. A string of coordinate numbers was displayed across its surface, and Luna's eyes immediately widened.
Wasn't that the spacetime coordinate sphere she had lost?!
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