As soon as those words left her lips, The Love Curse began to take effect upon her. It spread red vines throughout her body from her heart. There was no stopping it. Coupled with her weakened body, the curse spread even quicker. 

“No… no…” Dante could feel Laina heating up. 

Her skin was almost burning hot but he still held onto her as close as he could. He brought her close to his chest, hoping the cold temperature of his body could help alleviate the heat. 

“I can’t lose you again, Laina. Not like this,” he cried.

A weak smile formed on Laina’s face as she placed her hand over Dante’s heart. 

“I’ll always be in your heart,” she whispered into his ear. 

At that instant, a flame unlike any they had seen before enveloped Laina’s entire body. Dante did not let go of her, even if it meant he would be burned alive too. If he could die with her, it would be his greatest honor. 

But the flames did not harm him. It only harmed Laina. Her face contorted in agony as she clenched her jaw. It felt as if she was being burned alive from the inside out but Laina did not scream in pain. She knew this would happen. 

She had hoped that despite her death, perhaps the strength of these flames would be able to break the curse on Dante. Unfortunately, it did not work. 

“Good bye, my love… My moon kiss,” she whispered into his ear before planting a soft kiss on his lips. 

Laina grew heavy in Dante’s arms. She closed her eyes in bliss as she fell limp. She breathed her last as the flames of the love curse consumed her whole. 

“No! No! Laina!!!” Dante yelled in agony as he watched Laina’s body burn before his very eyes. 

Her skin turned black and eventually her entire body was reduced to ashes in his hands. He did not even get a chance to bury her. There was nothing left of her for him to hold on to. The Soulium Locket was the only thing he had left of Laina. 

But even the locket was reduced to ashes. 

“She’s… she’s gone,” Florin whispered in shock. 

In the blink of an eye, Laina was gone from the face of Gaeia. Kol fell to the ground, he refused to accept this. He shook his head while repeating the same sentence over and over again. 

“She’s not gone… she’s still here… She’s not gone!” he could not accept it. 

Laina was still alive.

He was sure of it. 

Because of the blood, Laina had given him all those years ago, he had a unique connection with her. He knew when she was at her strongest and at her weakest. If Laina was truly dead, he would know. But despite seeing her reduced to ashes, he could still feel her presence lingering. 

Her spirit was still here. 

“Kol, she’s gone,” Florin said solemnly, hoping he would come to his senses and accept the truth. 

Kol looked up to him and gripped his wrist tightly. 

“I’m telling the truth. I’m not delusional, nor am I lying! Laina is still alive!” he said to Florin with determination. 

The vampire could see it in his eyes. Kol fully believed what he was saying. He truly believed Laina was still alive. Hearing Kol’s declaration, Dante was pulled out of his thoughts. 

He looked down at the ashes before him, the ashes that once made up the love of his life. Could Kol’s words be true? Or perhaps it was his grief that was leading him to say it. 

“If you truly are still here, my love. Come back to me. Show me a sign.” Dante whispered beneath his breath as tears fell from his eyes. 

Dark clouds had gathered in the sky. It looked as if it was about to rain as thunder rumbled in the distance. But nothing seemed to happen. As the first drops of rain began to fall from the sky, Dante crumbled onto the ground. 

His body was weakening with each passing second. He could no longer hold himself up. The Love curse had fully spread across his entire body. Each breath he took in hurt. He breathed out a breath of ice-cold air as the first few drops of rain began to fall. 

Dante grasped onto the ashes next to him as he closed his eyes. 

“I’ll follow you till the ends of the Universe, Laina. I’ll follow you into death,” he whispered softly, “I will see you soon.”

Just as he was about to close his eyes, the clouds above began to part. Sunlight shone down upon them. Dante felt the warmth of the sun’s rays. For just a moment, perhaps in his delusion, it almost felt as if Laina was caressing his cheek. 

“Sorry to keep you waiting, my love.” Laina’s voice echoed in Dante’s mind. 

It was as if Laina was whispering into his ear. 

Before his eyes closed, he saw a blurry figure standing before him. The figure crouched down and kissed him gently on the cheek. 

“It’s time to wake up, my moon kiss.”

“She’s alive! She’s alive!” Kol’s voice rang in Dante’s mind. 

He opened his eyes. 

There were no longer any ashes on the ground next to him. In its place was a phoenix covered in burning flames. The phoenix let out an ear-piercing screech. It could be heard far and wide. Dante recognized it immediately.

It had been so long since he had heard this cry. 

Back at the Temple of the Sun, Margaret and Marius heard it too. They lit up. 

“Do you know what that means?” Margaret squealed excitedly, “She’s back!” 

Laina had rised from the dead, rising from the ashes. She was the Sun Phoenix after all a celestial who was born to rule. Laina shifted back to her human form. She placed her hand on  Dante’s chest. 

She did not need to say a single word. In the blink of an eye, Dante felt as if his heart was enveloped by a sphere of flame. It did not hurt. In fact, it felt rather pleasant. 

The curse he was once inflicted with was destroyed by Laina’s Sun Phoenix fire, one of the most powerful elements. Energy coursed through his veins as Laina healed his wounds too. He got up to his feet and caressed her cheek. 

“Is this real? Or is this all a dream?” he asked as he gazed deep into her eyes. 

“It’s not a dream, my love. Nor is this the nether realm. I have returned, and I remember everything.” 

Dante and Laina shared a loving kiss. They had been parted for too long. To hear that she remembered everything was something he had been waiting for so long. All the pain and suffering he went through was worth it. 

Finally, they were together again. 

Looking up at the realm gate above them, a smile appeared on Laina’s face. With her full powers restored, traveling through the realm gate was no longer a problem. The lovers parted lips for a moment, pressing their foreheads against each other as they savored their reunion. 

“Shall we go for a spin, my love?” Laina asked. 

“Let’s go,” Dante grasped onto Laina’s hand tightly. 

Dante took to his dragon form and Laina took to her phoenix form. They flew into the sky, circling one another before passing through the realm gate. As they entered the Celestial Realm, everyone looked on at them in awe. No one had seen the Sun Fire Phoenix for centuries. 

All they could do was look up in shock. Even Cecilia was stunned. Dante and Laina flew together in the vast open sky. They flew across the Moon Kingdom and the Sun Kingdom, announcing their return to their realm below. 

“Shall we have a bit of a race?” Dante suggested. 

“To where?” Laina asked.

“To the place where we made our promise to each other,” Dante replied before taking off in that direction at once. 

Laina grinned. She knew where he was referring to. She was not about to lose to him either. She spread her wings and flew high up into the sky, embracing the warmth of the sun before diving down. Before she hit the water down below, she unfurled her wings and took off into the distance at top speed. 

Laina was the first to reach the Tree of Devotion. She returned to her celestial form, which looked similar to her human form on Gaeia. Her hair was longer than it used to be and her clothes were different, but she was still herself. Nothing much had changed. 

She had gained more memories, more life experiences, and perhaps grown a little older along the way. 

Laina was elated to see that the cherry blossom tree was still standing strong and the flowers were all in bloom. The faint scent of cherry blossom lingered in the air as the petals danced in the wind. 

Dante arrived moments after her. 

“Looks like I lost this round,” he chuckled as he walked up to her, “How about another?” 

He wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her close to him. He missed the warmth of her skin, the sweet scent that lingered around her everywhere she went. 

“Another round? Shouldn’t you reward the winner of the first round first? ” Laina chuckled. 

“Anything. Anything for you, my love,” Dante said as he kissed the back of her hand while looking deep into her eyes, “I will pluck the moon from the sky if you wish to have it.”

Laina blushed at his honey-coated words. 

“All I want is for us to be together forever. I don’t ever want to be parted from you ever again,” she said without skipping a beat. 

“Consider it done. You have my word and you will have me for all of eternity,” Dante declared. 

Laina remembered the vow they made to one another under the Tree of Devotion. It felt as if it was just yesterday. 

“I, Laina, swear before the Tree of Devotion, before the Heavens and the Earth, before the Sun and the Moon.” 

He knew exactly what Laina was about to do. Their minds were in sync, he was thinking of the exact same thing. 

“I, Dante, swear before the Tree of Devotion, before the Heavens and the Earth, before the Sun and the Moon.”

Smiles formed on their faces as they declared in unison, “I swear that I will only love you, my one and only, in this life and every life after. Even if we’re separated by death, I will find you and make you mine.” 

Dante cupped Laina’s chin and kissed her on the lips. Laina parted her lips, allowing his tongue to explore the inside of her mouth, as she did his. They deepened their kisses, savoring the taste of each other’s lips. 

They were each other’s soulmates. 

Forever and always. 

<End>