The morning in the Valley began with quiet light.
Blue rays from the tower walls shimmered through glass windows, gliding across marble floors and polished wood. The great fortress city was peaceful — but only for a moment.
Inside the Commander's chamber, the silence was sacred.
Aren Voss, leader of the Valley, stirred awake. His body, always tense from war and command, for once felt light. The faint hum of the Core — the energy that powered their world — throbbed gently under his skin, matching a second rhythm beside him.
He turned slightly.
Beside him, Elena slept soundly, her hair a soft halo against the pillow, her breathing even. The faint blue light of the bond mark glowed gently on her wrist — the same mark that now shone on his.
Aren watched her for a long moment. She looked fragile compared to his world — a human soul in a land that had evolved beyond humanity. Yet somehow, her existence fit. Perfectly.
He brushed a hand through his hair and sighed quietly. "So it's real," he murmured.
The ring on his finger flickered suddenly, glowing in rhythmic pulses. He straightened, careful not to disturb her, and turned the band.
A narrow beam of blue light shot upward, opening into a holographic projection. Five figures appeared — three men and two women, their eyes glowing faintly with the Valley's signature energy.
"Commander Voss," said one woman, her tone clipped and professional. "Urgent transmission from the Northern Alliance. Sector Seven reports a containment breach — chaos in the field. Immediate presence requested."
Aren's jaw tightened. "Severity level?"
"Level Five. Multiple mutations, possible hybrid activity."
He nodded once. "Understood. Prepare the route. I'll arrive shortly."
The hologram flickered and vanished.
---
He looked back at the woman beside him — the one who changed everything without meaning to. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.
"Rest," he whispered. "You're safe here."
He rose silently, the armor beneath his skin unfolding in sleek black layers across his chest and arms, alive with silver lines of energy. He adjusted his weapon holster, slipped on his gloves, and turned toward the door.
Waiting outside was the elder woman who had served him for years.
"Commander," she greeted quietly.
He nodded. "She's sleeping. Don't wake her."
He held out a folded white sheet — the one that had covered Elena during her rest. "Take this to the High Priest. Tell him I request confirmation."
The woman bowed low. "At once, my lord."
Aren gave her a single look — protective, meaningful — before walking out.
As the door closed behind him, the room fell still once more.
---
The High Priest's Chamber
The elderly attendant entered the great sanctum — a circular hall glowing with symbols of ancient code and faith. At its center stood the High Priest, tall and calm, his eyes the color of light through glass.
"Commander Voss requests analysis," she said, placing the sealed white cloth onto the altar.
The priest opened the case carefully. When the light scanner touched the fabric, a brilliant blue pattern flared across its surface — lines of intertwined energy, pure and balanced.
The old woman gasped. "Blue… a perfect resonance."
The Priest smiled, his voice echoing softly. "Indeed. The Core has chosen. Their bond is complete."
He raised his hand over a glowing console and pressed a sigil.
Instantly, every screen in the valley — from the market plazas to the guard towers, from schools to military halls — flickered to life. Citizens looked up, murmuring in surprise as the High Priest's face appeared across the air.
---
The Broadcast
"People of the Valley," his voice rang clear, old yet strong. "You have witnessed a union unlike any other. Commander Aren Voss — the protector of our walls — has found his Core Match."
The image shifted, showing the glowing pattern of blue energy dancing across the cloth.
"This," he said, "is the mark of true resonance. When two souls share identical energy, they are bound by the Core itself. In our law, in our faith, this bond is sacred. It cannot be forged by science, nor broken by will. It is the Valley's oldest covenant — the Marriage of the Core."
He looked straight into the projection lens, as if speaking to every person in the city.
"In our time, marriage is not a contract of words, but of energy. When a pair's cores align, they share their life-force forever. One heartbeat. One emotion. One lifetime. It is said that when a person finds their true match, even death cannot divide them — their resonance will return to the Core together."
The crowd watching the broadcast whispered, awe spreading through the valley like light.
"She's human," someone said in disbelief.
"How can a human carry Core resonance?"
"The Commander's chosen…?"
The Priest raised a hand, silencing the city.
"Every generation, the Core chooses one union that rebalances the world. The Commander's bond is that union. The woman you doubt — she carries the same frequency as our King. A miracle of the old world and the new."
He smiled faintly, eyes glinting.
"The Valley has found its Queen."
Then, pressing another sigil, he concluded:
"From this day forward, their marriage is eternal. No replacement. No division. Their connection is life itself."
---
Across the valley, screens dimmed.
People stood in stunned silence — some bowing, others whispering prayers.
In the Sanctum, the old woman bowed again.
"The prophecy fulfilled," she said softly.
The High Priest chuckled. "It seems fate waited long enough for our King."
---
The Commander's Departure
Outside the sanctum, Aren Voss strode toward the launch hall, his boots ringing against metal. Soldiers saluted as he passed, their faces filled with silent respect and curiosity.
He stopped for a moment, turning his gaze toward the highest tower — the one that held his chambers.
"She's sleeping," he thought, feeling the bond pulse softly against his wrist. For a second, warmth flickered through him — a trace of her heartbeat, distant yet near.
The sensation grounded him more than armor ever could.
He turned away, the engines of his hover transport roaring to life.
"Sector Seven," he ordered. "Full speed."
The ship lifted off the platform in a surge of blue light, rising toward the northern horizon.
---
Back in the Commander's residence, the chamber remained quiet.
Elena still slept, unaware of the city's whispers or the light now marking her as Queen. The sunlight drifted slowly across her face, and for a moment, the bond mark on her wrist glowed brighter — alive, aware, connected to a man already halfway to battle.
Somewhere deep within her resting mind, she heard a faint echo of his thought —
I'll come back.
And even in her dreams, she smiled.