The afternoon sun hung low in the sky, casting long golden shadows across the streets of Velden. Nero and Khione had wandered through markets, painted pictures, stood beneath waterfalls. But there was one more place they wanted to see before leaving.

The tower rose from the center of the city, a lattice of red steel reaching toward the clouds. It was not as tall as the academy’s spires, not as grand as the imperial palace, but it had a grace of its own—a slender elegance that made it seem to float above the buildings below. Nero had seen pictures of it online, a structure modeled after an ancient design from a distant continent. Now, seeing it in person, he understood why it was famous.

They walked to its base, where a small ticket booth stood beside a winding staircase. An old man with a kind smile sold them two tickets and gestured toward the elevator. Nero pressed the button, and the doors slid open.

The elevator was small, glass-walled, rising slowly along the tower’s spine. Khione stood close to him, her hand in his, watching the city fall away beneath them. Buildings shrank to toys. Trees became patches of green. The great waterfall, which had seemed so immense from below, became a silver thread cascading down the mountainside.

The elevator stopped at the highest floor. The doors opened, and they stepped out onto an observation deck that circled the tower’s peak.

The view was breathtaking.

Velden stretched in every direction, a tapestry of glass and stone, of green parks and blue canals. The afternoon sun bathed everything in a warm, golden glow, softening the edges, painting the world in shades of amber and rose. To the north, the mountains rose, their peaks still capped with snow. To the south, the plains stretched toward the horizon, a patchwork of fields and forests. And below, the city hummed with life—tiny cars moving along tiny streets, tiny people walking their tiny dogs, a whole world reduced to a beautiful miniature. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Nero walked to the railing, Khione beside him. The wind was gentle here, cool and fresh, carrying the scent of water and flowers. They were alone on the deck. No other visitors. Just the two of them and the vast, golden sky.

"It’s beautiful," Khione said. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, as if she were afraid to disturb the silence.

Nero looked at her. The sun caught her white hair, turning it to spun silver. Her ice-blue eyes reflected the gold of the afternoon, warming them, making them seem almost soft. She was beautiful. More beautiful than the city, than the mountains, than anything he had ever seen.

"Yes," he said. "It is."

She turned to look at him, and she must have seen something in his eyes, because her lips curved into a small, knowing smile. Then she stepped closer, her body pressing against his, and tilted her face up.

He kissed her.

It was not a gentle kiss, not a polite kiss. It was deep and slow and full of everything they had shared that day—the laughter, the quiet moments, the unspoken promises. His hands found her waist, pulling her closer. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her fingers threading through his hair. The world fell away—the city, the tower, the sun. There was only her, only this, only the warmth of her lips and the steady beat of her heart.

They broke apart, breathless, foreheads resting together. Khione’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright.

"Take a picture," she said.

Nero pulled out his phone. She turned, leaning against the railing, the city spread behind her. The sun haloed her hair, and she looked like something from a dream. He raised the phone and captured the moment.

Then she took the phone from him and turned it around. She wrapped her arm around his waist, pressed her cheek against his, and held the phone out. The camera clicked, freezing them in the golden light—her smiling softly, him looking at her instead of the lens.

She looked at the picture, then at him. "Send it to me."

He did. The message chimed on her phone, and she saved the image immediately. Then she opened her settings, found the wallpaper option, and set the picture as her background.

Nero did the same. Now, whenever he opened his phone, he would see her face, the tower, the golden afternoon. A reminder of this day, of this moment, of this love.

They stood together on the observation deck, watching the sun begin its slow descent toward the mountains. The sky shifted from gold to orange to pink, the colors deepening, softening. The city below began to light up, tiny lights flickering on in windows, along streets, in the parks.

"We should go back," Khione said. "The meeting."

"Soon," Nero said. "Just a few more minutes."

She nodded and leaned into him, her head resting on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her, and they watched the sunset in silence, two figures alone in the sky, holding onto a moment they would carry with them forever.

The elevator descended, returning them to the world below. But the picture remained, a small square of light and love, saved on their phones, waiting to be seen again and again.

And when they walked out of the tower, hand in hand, the evening cool against their skin,

He knew that this was only the beginning of their long journey together in this life, so naturally, there would be more sunsets, more beautiful places to visit, plenty of romantic moments. Whatever, life would throw at them they would overcome it together.

Well, time to head back and meet with the others, he did miss his friends a little bit.

Meanwhile, back in the north, in the fortress under Azariah Raizen, he was inside his sturdy, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table, he had just received the last update on Nero’s action. He wasn’t like he didn’t trust his daughter, she had never disappoint him but countermeasures should be put in place.

Thinking about Nero’s struggling to escape his palms he chuckled. This was sure going to be fun. He was just collecting back what was previously his.