Chapter 400: Dawn
The next moment, she turned toward the side of the street, leaping lightly onto the nearest building before jumping to another. She moved higher and higher until she finally reached a rooftop, where she settled down, wanting nothing more than to sit there for a while.
She knew she could run.
But there was no point.
The connection between her and Zyren meant he would find her no matter where she went. Just as she could vaguely sense his location even now, she could feel him—his presence, his life, his steady heartbeat—as if he were standing right beside her.
Is this not a cruel fate? To be tied to a monster? she asked herself.
She knew there were emotions Zyren simply could not feel, no matter what he said. And sometimes she wondered whether what he felt for her was truly love... or something closer to obsession.
A quiet chuckle escaped her as she lay back against the roof, staring up at the night sky.
"What’s the difference?" she whispered into the darkness.
She lay there, listening.
The distant sounds of the city faded one by one until only the quiet rustling of night creatures remained. Still, she didn’t move. She simply listened to the silence.
Dawn was only a few hours away.
And dawn could turn her to ash.
But she was tired.
Not the kind of tired that came from physical exertion. This exhaustion lived deep in her bones, the kind that neither food nor rest could touch.
Even as she lay there, she had to fight to keep the tears from slipping down her face, forcing her expression to remain blank.
When Zyren arrived, she didn’t hear his footsteps.
Her eyes were closed.
It was the sudden awareness in her mind—the sharp certainty that he was right beside her—that told her he was there. A reminder of the difference between their strengths. Without their bond, he could have killed her ten times over before she even realized what was happening.
She didn’t open her eyes.
She simply lay still as she felt him lie down beside her, their arms brushing lightly. From the shift of weight, she guessed his legs were hanging over the edge.
That surprised her.
She had expected him to lift her and carry her straight back to the dungeon, especially with dawn approaching.
Still, she said nothing.
There were too many words between them already.
Then, after a long silence, Zyren spoke.
"I was scared."
His voice was quiet.
It wasn’t the words that made Aira’s eyes snap open.
It was the vulnerability in them.
"I’ve never been that scared before," he continued, staring up at the sky. "Not even when my father tortured me."
Her eyes widened. Those were things he had never spoken about.
"It was the first time in a long while that I wasn’t in control," he said. "I watched you for months... lying there. Feeding you my blood. Not knowing if you were ever going to wake up."
Aira turned her head toward him fully, listening.
"It wasn’t that I didn’t want the child," he went on slowly. "It was that I didn’t think I would be a good father. It says a lot when everyone close to you ends up lost... and you’re not far from the reason why."
He paused.
"I can’t force you to stay with me if you want to leave," he added quietly. "That would be a hellish life for both of us."
Then, after a moment:
"I’ll sit with you. We’ll watch the sunrise together."
Aira understood what he meant.
He would watch her die.
Unlike her, Zyren’s unique bloodline allowed him to stand in sunlight unharmed.
After that, he said nothing.
True to his word, he simply lay there as time passed, waiting.
At first, Aira stayed silent too.
But the closer dawn came, the more her thoughts shifted.
She had overreacted.
She had been selfish. For someone who claimed to understand love, she hadn’t shown much patience or restraint.
She knew who Zyren was.
He had killed her father and brother the first day they met.
Had he changed? Yes.
Did his actions show he cared about her? Yes.
Could he still be extreme? Absolutely.
That was who he was. Who he had been for centuries.
Love wasn’t just about changing someone else. It was also about choosing to grow, while accepting the parts of the other person that would never fully change.
She didn’t need to breathe—but she still let out a long sigh.
Then she turned toward him.
"I’m sorry," she whispered.
Zyren turned his head to meet her gaze.
"I’m sorry for—"
"I understand," he said quietly.
But she shook her head.
"I’m sorry for being insufferable," she continued anyway. "You did what you thought was best for me. Maybe things wouldn’t have gone so badly if I had just... healed properly."
She realized then that she hadn’t even tried to use her ability since waking.
Zyren nodded slowly, a faint smile beginning to form.
"What?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "You’re wondering if I’ll stay?"
"I’ll stay," she said before he could speak. "For the rest of your life. I might claw you sometimes... but you’ll survive."
Tears filled her eyes as she threw herself at him.
He caught her easily.
"You’ll have to sign a contract first," Zyren said seriously, though his eyes softened. "No take-backs."
Aira laughed, pulling him closer and pressing a kiss to his lips.
"...Or we could just get married," she murmured against them.
Then she burst into laughter at his stunned expression.
He had fully expected her to die only minutes ago.
She shrugged lightly.
"I already changed my mind before you came," she admitted softly. "When I didn’t run through the gates."
Then she suddenly stiffened, glancing at the brightening horizon.
"Wait—let’s go!" she said quickly, scrambling up. "The last thing I want is to turn into ashes!"
The sky was already beginning to lighten.
But instead of getting up, Zyren pulled her back down on top of him, kissing her again—slower, deeper, completely unhurried.
"Zyren!" she protested, half-panicking as she pushed at his chest. "Are you trying to kill me?"
He only chuckled, trailing teasing kisses along her shoulder.
"The sun won’t kill you," he murmured. "I turned you with my blood. You can walk in daylight too."
She froze.
Then glared at him.
"You knew that?"
His grin widened.
Aira smacked his shoulder.
"You absolute monster!"
He laughed—a rare, genuine sound—and darted away as she lunged at him. She chased him across the rooftop, half-annoyed and half-laughing, until he caught her again and pulled her back against his chest.
By then, the first edge of the sun had risen.
They stood there together, the light spilling over the rooftops, warm but harmless against her skin.
Zyren leaned close, his voice low but steady.
"I’ll never let you go. You know that, right?"
There was fierce certainty in his tone.
Aira leaned back into him, her answer just as firm.
"I won’t allow it," she said.
Then, after a beat, she added lightly:
"But if you lock me in another dungeon again, I will throw you off a roof."
Zyren huffed a quiet laugh.
"Noted."
The heaviness in both their chests dissipating with the rise of dawn.
