The light slowly dimmed, leaving Lumis and Eili standing under the starry sky. They were surrounded by soft silvery grass, and the tower behind them no longer shone as brightly. Lumis felt the silence envelop them, and suddenly realized that his focus was not on the magical world around him, but on Eili.
— How do you feel? — she asked softly, stepping closer.
— I… I don’t know, — he replied, gazing into her face. It seemed so close, almost elusive in the starlight. — Everything feels… different. But it doesn’t scare me.
Eili smiled, her eyes sparkling with warm light.
— You are changing, Lumis. The tower has already begun to influence you.
He nodded but found himself unable to take his eyes off her lips, which moved ever so slightly as she whispered his name.
— What changed you? — he asked, unable to hold back.
Eili stepped closer, leaving just a few steps between them. Her voice lowered, almost to a whisper.
— Everyone has their trials, their weaknesses. The truth I saw in these towers changed me. But the truth always leaves a mark.
— And what mark did it leave on you? — he asked, nearly touching her with his gaze.
Eili laughed, softly and melodically, but a challenge flickered in her eyes.
— Do you want to know?
Lumis felt his heart race wildly. She seemed so mysterious, so unattainable, yet at the same time, he sensed that she was much closer than anyone else in his life.
— I want to know everything about you,— he said, and his voice revealed the fire that had ignited inside him.
Eili raised her hand, her fingers barely brushing against his cheek. The touch was cool, yet Lumis felt a wave of warmth coursing through his body.
— You have no idea where this desire leads, — she whispered.
Her gaze was passionate yet cautious. She seemed like someone holding a great power but afraid to reveal it.
— I am ready, — Lumis replied, leaning closer.
She did not pull away, and their faces found themselves only a breath apart.
Her lips trembled as if she were struggling with herself, but then she quietly whispered:
— In this world, everything you desire comes with a price.
— And you? — he asked, his voice sounding unusually deep to him. — What will be the price for you?
Eili said nothing, only touched his lips with hers. The kiss was soft, but it was imbued with a depth that was hard to put into words. Lumis felt everything around him fade away: the starlit sky, the silvery grass, even the tower itself. Only they remained.
Their kiss was both tender and filled with passion, as if two worlds had brushed against each other for the first time. But there was something more in it—a connection that could no longer be severed.
When they pulled away, Eili looked at him seriously, but now there was a glimmer of satisfaction in her eyes.
— We can’t go back, — she said.
Lumis touched her hand and softly replied:
— I don’t want to.