Chapter 61 – After 800,000 Years
Chapter 61 – After 800,000 Years
A World Beyond Time
The battlefield had vanished.
The deafening clash of steel, the cries of dying soldiers, the bloodstained earth—**all of it was gone.**
Leonhardt and Aetheria stood alone in a place untouched by war.
A hidden realm.
Aetheria had unknowingly pulled them both into her **divine domain**, a space between worlds where the moon and stars always shone.
The ground beneath them was soft and smooth, like **crystallized moonlight**, and the air carried a faint scent of **night-blooming flowers**.
It was a place that only **she** could enter.
Yet **he** was here.
Standing before her.
As real as the night sky above.
---
### **Unshaken Crimson and Trembling Violet**
Leonhardt **did not move**.
His fiery red eyes, filled with golden flecks, locked onto the woman in front of him.
Aetheria stood there, **her body frozen**, her hands trembling.
Her silvery-white hair shimmered under the celestial glow, her deep violet eyes reflecting a storm of emotions.
For the first time in **800,000 years**, they were face-to-face.
Not in dreams.
Not in fading memories.
But **here.**
**Now.**
"…Leonhardt."
His name left her lips like a whisper, as if she was afraid that saying it too loudly would **shatter the moment**.
His breath hitched.
It was **her voice**.
Not as a distant echo from the past.
Not as a fading trace of a forgotten love.
But as a **living, breathing reality**.
He took a step forward.
Aetheria **stepped back.**
Her heart pounded violently in her chest.
Her mind was **screaming**.
**This can't be real.**
**This isn't possible.**
And yet—
Leonhardt **kept walking** toward her.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
Without hesitation.
As if the entire world could burn away, and **the only thing that mattered** was reaching her.
"Aetheria."
He said her name with such raw **familiarity**, such **certainty**, that her legs nearly gave out.
**No.**
**No.**
**No.**
Her eyes burned. Her throat tightened.
This **shouldn't** be happening.
She had prepared herself for **eternal solitude**.
For a **life without him**.
And yet—
He was **here**.
**Walking toward her.**
**Closing the distance between them.**
Her breath came in short, uneven gasps.
Then—
She **broke.**
---
### **The Collapse**
"Aetheria."
His voice was deep. **Calm.** Steady.
Like he had been waiting for **this very moment** all his life.
Aetheria **couldn't take it anymore**.
She **lunged forward**.
Before she even realized it, her arms were wrapped **tightly around him**, her body **pressing against his**.
Her hands clutched at his back as if he would **vanish** the moment she let go.
Her breathing was ragged, **uneven**, completely shattered by the overwhelming force of **relief, joy, and pain** that crashed into her all at once.
Her body **shook violently**.
Her fingers dug into his cloak, her grip **desperate**.
Leonhardt **did not hesitate**.
He **caught her immediately**, his arms circling around her with **unwavering strength**.
**Tightly.**
As if he would **never** let go again.
Aetheria **buried her face into his shoulder**, her silver lashes damp with unshed tears.
Leonhardt felt her body **trembling** against his own.
She was **crying**.
The **Queen of the Moon and Stars**—the feared **Demon Empress of the past**—was **crying in his arms**.
And then—
He felt something **wet** against his skin.
His own breath **hitched**.
Something inside him **snapped**.
His grip tightened.
His entire body **shook**.
And without warning—
**His own tears began to fall.**
---
### **800,000 Years of Loneliness**
They stood there, locked in each other's embrace, crying **silently** into the night.
Leonhardt clenched his jaw.
His fingers pressed into the fabric of her cloak, gripping her as if she would **disappear again**.
Her scent—**soft, familiar, intoxicating**—surrounded him, drowning him in a feeling he had **longed for beyond reason**.
For **seven years**, he had worked tirelessly, sacrificing everything to become strong **enough**.
For **800,000 years**, he had carried the weight of **losing her**.
And now—
She was **here.**
She was **real.**
His head lowered, his face burying itself in the crook of her neck, his breath **warm and unsteady** against her skin.
"…I thought I lost you."
Aetheria's grip tightened.
Her lips **trembled**.
Her heart **ached**.
She wanted to **yell**.
To **scream** at him.
To **curse** him for making her feel this way again.
But all she could do—
Was hold him **closer**.
"…I thought I lost you too."
Their words were broken whispers, filled with **years of suffering, anger, regret… and love**.
The **world had torn them apart once.**
And now—
It had **brought them back together.**
---
### **Rage. Pain. Love.**
Aetheria suddenly **pushed him away**.
Just slightly.
Just enough to **look into his eyes**.
And then—
She **hit his chest**.
Hard.
"You…" Her voice **shook** with raw emotion.
"You **idiot**."
Leonhardt blinked.
Before he could react—
She hit him **again**.
"I waited for you!"
Another hit.
"You were supposed to find me first!"
Another.
"I thought you were still trapped! I thought—"
Her voice **broke**.
Leonhardt **caught her wrists** mid-swing.
Her violet eyes were **shining with unshed tears**, her face twisted in anger and relief.
Leonhardt **sighed**, a soft chuckle escaping his lips.
"…You haven't changed."
Aetheria's **tears fell faster**.
She clenched her jaw.
Then, before he could say anything else—
**She grabbed his collar and pulled him down.**
And kissed him.
---
### **A Kiss That Defied Time**
The moment their lips touched, **the world disappeared.**
Aetheria poured **everything** into that kiss—her **pain, longing, anger, and love**.
Leonhardt **froze for a second**, caught off guard.
Then—
He **melted into it.**
His hands **slid into her silken hair**, pulling her **closer**, deepening the kiss with **unspoken desperation**.
The kiss was **fierce, raw, and overwhelming**.
Aetheria **tilted her head**, her fingers digging into his shoulders.
Leonhardt **growled softly**, his lips pressing harder against hers, as if he could **burn away all the years of separation** with this single moment.
It was a kiss that spoke of **800,000 years of yearning**.
A kiss that screamed—
**"I love you."**