The sun rose slow and soft across the ruined sky, casting gold over broken towers and bloodied stone. Morning wind stirred what was left of the battleground. The rot had faded. The darkness was gone.
And for the first time in her life, Serena felt cold.
She pulled the worn blanket tighter around her shoulders and sat beside the sleeping body of the man she'd saved—and nearly lost. Asmodeus lay stretched out across the stone dais, his breathing slow but even. He hadn't awoken since he asked her that question and collapsed.
Serena flicked through his hair and smiled gently, her atmosphere different from the past.
Although she felt bad, when she asked the other girls to give her some time alone with him, they all agreed. Yumiko and Yuina came to see him while he slept, and although jealous. They understood after feeling the changes in Serena and how she lacked aura.
"My dear husband, will you still love me... when you wake up?"
Her touch didn't glow anymore.
