The storm roared, and the heavens seemed furious. The first lightning strike had torn through Ravihiro's mind, forcing him into an illusion of the life he had always wanted. But he had shattered it. He had rejected the lie.
Now, the second bolt was coming.
Ravihiro could feel the air tightening, the electric charge building up again. His body ached, his clothes torn, blood dripping from the wound he had inflicted upon himself to escape the illusion. He stood, sword in hand, panting as the clouds above churned with divine fury.
Then—lightning fell.
A flash of violet and gold, not as violent as the first, but deeper, more insidious. It didn't strike his body directly this time. Instead, it spread like a wave, surrounding him, swallowing him whole. The world blurred again.
The Illusion of Love
When Ravihiro blinked, he was no longer in the Beast Forest.
He was in a place he had never seen before but somehow knew all too well.
A grand, moonlit garden stretched before him, filled with delicate cherry blossoms, their petals drifting in the wind. The soft fragrance of flowers lingered in the air, and a warm breeze caressed his skin. Everything was serene, peaceful. Almost… welcoming.
And then, he heard it.
Laughter. A voice—soft, teasing, yet familiar.
He turned.
There she was.
Rumina.
She stood under the Ashoka tree, wearing a flowing silk dress, her golden eyes shining under the moonlight. She was smiling. At him.
Something twisted in Ravihiro's chest.
She looked… happy. Not the calculating ruler of a nation, not the powerful warrior she had become. Just a woman. Standing before him with warmth in her eyes.
"Ravihiro," she called, her voice gentle, affectionate.
He stiffened.
No.
This wasn't real.
He took a step back, but suddenly, hands slipped around his wrist. Another voice, softer, playful.
"Are you leaving already?"
A home. A place where he belonged.
And then, Rumina walked closer.
"You always push people away, don't you?" she said with a knowing smile.
Ravihiro clenched his fists. "This is an illusion."
Rumina didn't argue. She simply tilted her head, stepping even closer until she was only inches away from him. "Does that make it any less real?"
Ravihiro didn't answer.
Because for the first time in years, he felt something dangerous inside him.
Warmth.
A longing he had buried deep.
Rumina reached out, gently pressing her palm against his chest, right where his heart was. "You've spent your whole life running. Running from expectations. Running from pain. Running from love."
He inhaled sharply.
"I don't run from anything," he muttered.
She smiled. "Then why won't you look at me?"
Ravihiro gritted his teeth.
This was the second trial.
Love.
Not just romance—but attachment. The illusion wasn't trying to tempt him with power or a perfect life. It was testing his heart. His ability to connect, to accept, to belong.
He had always been alone. It was easier that way. No attachments. No vulnerabilities.
But here…
The storm wasn't showing him an impossible fantasy. It was showing him what he had.
And he had been too blind to accept it.
A part of him wanted to stay.
A part of him wanted to close his eyes and let himself fall into this warmth, into the love and friendship he had ignored for so long.
But then, from the distance, a faint whisper echoed in his mind.
"You don't need anyone, Ravihiro. You never did."
His own voice.
His past self, whispering the same belief he had clung to for so long.
His hands tightened around his sword.
Then, he looked at Rumina.
And for the first time, he truly saw her.
Not as the ruler of the strongest human nation. Not as a warrior or a woman bound by fate.
But as someone who had always been beside him.
He took a deep breath.
Then, softly, he whispered, "I'm sorry."
Rumina blinked, confused. "For what?"
He smiled, a rare, tired smile. "For thinking I had to be alone."
And then, without hesitation—
He swung his sword.
The illusion shattered.
Cherry blossoms turned to ash. The warm garden became a battlefield of storms. The people around him faded into mist.
Rumina's voice echoed as she disappeared, soft and lingering—
"Then stop running."
Return to Reality
The world crashed back into reality.
Ravihiro gasped, stumbling forward, his body aching. The second lightning bolt had passed. But his body was still burning. His soul still felt like it had been torn apart.
He clenched his fists, steadying his breath.
The storm wasn't done with him yet.
But something had changed.
The trial of love hadn't been about temptation. It had been about acceptance.
He wasn't alone.
And maybe—just maybe—he never had to be.
As the third lightning strike gathered in the clouds, Ravihiro tightened his grip on his sword.
He was ready.