As his words faded into the air, the world around them shifted.
The silence deepened, thick with something ancient and unseen.
Then—light bloomed.
A faint red glow stirred at his chest, warm and alive. Another glimmer answered from hers. Slowly, the two lights reached for each other, weaving through the air like strands of silk until they met between them.
A single thread formed—a thin, glowing line of crimson radiance.
It pulsed softly, in time with their hearts.
The young man could only watch as the thread coiled gracefully around them, winding through the air in elegant spirals. It didn't just bind them—it connected them. Every pulse carried warmth, a rhythm that seemed to echo deep inside his soul.
And then, just as suddenly, the light faded. The thread dissolved into countless motes, vanishing into the still air as if it had never existed.
Yet he could feel it—an invisible presence deep within him. A link, faint but undeniable, that hummed whenever he looked at her.
Before he could speak, she broke the silence.
"That," she said softly, her voice carrying the weight of divinity, "was the will of the universe. It has acknowledged our bond… and sanctified our union."
Her gaze softened, though her words trembled ever so slightly. "Our souls are now bound. For eternity."
A faint flush colored her cheeks—a gentle, fleeting warmth that betrayed the emotion even she tried to hide. She turned her face away, silver hair cascading like moonlight over her shoulder, but he caught the glimmer in her eyes.
For someone who had lived beyond time, who had seen stars die and worlds crumble, that single, human blush was something priceless.
And to him, she had never looked more divine.
But she quickly regained her composure. The goddess, calm once more, lifted her hand slightly and spoke in a tone both soft and steady.
"Now, about your remaining two wishes," she said. "Your soul is unstable. Without a vessel, it will soon unravel. You must choose quickly before it fades."
He blinked, the reality of it settling in. His mind, however, was somewhere between disbelief and euphoria.
He had just married a goddess.
After twenty years of being single, his first thought came with a half-crazed laugh in the back of his head. My first kiss might literally kill me… but I actually have a wife now?!
But the humor faded as he looked at her again. He could sense it—his essence was fading, his edges growing faint. And he knew she was right.
He straightened, his eyes burning with quiet determination. "Then for my second wish…" he said, "I want a new body. One that can grow, evolve, and adapt endlessly. A body with the potential to reach your level—maybe even beyond."
The goddess studied him for a long moment. Then, a soft smile curved her lips. "Ambitious," she said, "but worthy of you."
Her hand rose, and the air around them began to hum. Light gathered at her fingertips—pure, radiant, alive.
"Very well," she said. "Your wish shall be granted."
The heavens themselves seemed to open as a pillar of divine light descended upon him. His vision filled with gold and white, his form unraveling and then reforging under her touch. He felt everything—pain, warmth, and the rush of creation coursing through him.
It was as if stars were being forged within his veins. His essence compressed, condensed, and reshaped into something entirely new.
When the light finally faded, he stood there—breathing. Alive.
Not mortal, not yet divine, but something between. A vessel of infinite potential.
She looked upon him with pride—and something softer, something that didn't belong to gods. "Now," she whispered, "your final wish. Choose wisely, my beloved."
Her eyes, vast and endless, met his—and the world seemed to hold its breath.