The ritual chamber shimmered with gold and red light. The stone altar pulsed beneath Kale's hand, ancient symbols glowing like veins of fire. The blade floated inches above his chest, suspended in divine stasis.
And across from him—just steps away—stood Scarlet.
"No," she whispered. "Please."
His eyes held hers.
He didn't speak.
He couldn't.
She took one trembling step forward. "You said you didn't want to die anymore."
Silence.
For the first time in weeks… she heard nothing in her mind.
His thoughts were gone.
No whispers. No murmurs. Just the cold weight of finality.
Kale smiled.
Just a little.
Then he stepped forward.
And the blade began to fall.
"No!" Scarlet screamed.
She ran to him—colliding with his body just as the spell activated. The air pulsed. The floor cracked. Power screamed through the room.
And she kissed him.
Not a gentle kiss.
A desperate, fire-lit kiss—wild, messy, full of teeth and grief and hunger. Her hands gripped his shirt, his hair, his skin. She poured everything into it: her rage, her sorrow, her love.
And Kale—
He kissed her back.
Fiercely.
His hand slid to the curve of her waist, pulling her against him like it was the last thing in the world he needed to feel. Their bodies pressed, heat building, souls colliding beneath skin.
She moaned softly into his mouth, tears streaking her cheeks.
He deepened the kiss, tongue sweeping against hers, holding her like he never wanted to let go.
Like he never had the chance before.
And then—
The blade pierced his heart.
His body collapsed.
Scarlet screamed as the altar exploded with golden light. Wind tore through the chamber. The magic pulsed once.
And then—
Silence.
Scarlet knelt over his still body, sobbing. Hands trembling, lips bruised from the kiss they shared only moments before.
Nothing.
His thoughts were gone.
Kale awoke with a gasp.
He sat up in a bed—soft sheets, unfamiliar stars above him, a different air in his lungs.
The loop had restarted.
Again.
He looked at his hands.
They were healed.
His soul ached—but it held.
"Another cycle," he whispered. "Another end I didn't stop."
But then—
The door opened.
Scarlet stepped in.
Same red hair.
Same storm-colored eyes.
And her voice—cracking with emotion—cut through the haze.
"You idiot."
Kale froze.
Scarlet rushed to him—straddling his lap, pushing him back into the bed, her hands tangled in his shirt as she kissed him again—deep, heated, full of fury and want.
She pulled back just enough to whisper—
"I remember everything."
His eyes widened. "What—?"
She kissed him again—harder.
And whispered against his lips:"You're not dying alone again."