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And beneath it all, something devastating and pure.

Love. So much love it almost knocks me down.

The Tides surge and swirl in bursts of pink, purple, and green, and the stardust infused blood between our palms sinks into our skin, sealing into our flesh with a pulse that matches our heartbeats.

When we separate our hands, the wounds have closed, leaving behind identical scars—vows written in pain and sealed by love.

“It worked,” I breathe, staring at the mark in my palm in wonder.

“Did you doubt it would?” Riven asks, examining his own mark. The same symbol glows there, burned into him like I’ve been burned into his soul.

“I’ve learned to doubt everything,” I reply, lifting my gaze to meet his, “except for you.”

He pulls me against him, like he needs to feel my heartbeat against his to believe it’s real.

“Then trust this,” he says. “Nothing—not gods, not magic, and not even fate—will separate us again.”

“I trust you more than I trust the stars,” I tell him, and the ship soars upward as our combined power pushes the vessel through the Tides.

But then, the wind shifts. Not the soft breeze of natural currents, but a sudden, raw force of magic. A storm awakened. The Cosmic Tides, alive and angry.

I stagger slightly, and a familiar whisper slithers into my mind.

You will return to us.

I tighten my grip on Riven’s hand. “Do you hear that?” I ask, searching his face.

His jaw clenches, his eyes narrowing as he scans the churning Tides. “Yes.”

The ship shudders, and our three pig companions squeal in alarm, huddling together near the center of the deck.

You will come back when the stars command it,the voices insist, growing louder, more insistent.

Frost erupts around Riven’s feet, spreading across the deck in jagged patterns. “We’re not listening to cosmic bedtime stories anymore,” he snaps, his ice sharpening into giant spears.

His rage burns through our connection, but beneath it lies something deeper—fear. Not for himself, but for me. For us. For everything we’ve fought so hard to build.

The Tides surge higher, starry tendrils reaching for the ship, trying to ensnare us.

“They’re not going to let us go easily,” I say, summoning my water magic to counter their pull.

“Then we fight harder,” Riven replies, his voice like steel. “Remember what we just promised each other?”

“We’ll stand together, even when the world turns against us and the universe feels like it’s falling apart,” I reply, stronger now, steadier.

“Let’s show them that we keep our promises,” he says, and we turn to face the encroaching Tides, our magic forming a protective barrier around the ship.

The Star Disc pulses at my hip, resonating with our determination.

Return,the voices of the Tides plead, softer now, almost kind.We can give you peace. A life with no pain.

“Peace without pain isn’t peace,” I say to them. “It’s emptiness.”

Riven’s lips curl into that dangerous smile I love so incredibly much. “And we’ve had enough emptiness to last several lifetimes.”

“We choose the pain,” I continue, my fingers tightening around his. “We choose the struggle.”

“We choose each other,” Riven adds, “with all the blood, chaos, and ruin that comes with it.”