They did not want a grand spectacle.
They wanted sothing more personal.
So the date was set quietly, and the place chosen was the great tree outside Zodiac City-the very tree where, fifty years ago, they had confessed their feelings before Ery left for his first true mission.
That night had marked the beginning of everything.
Now they returned to close the circle.
The hills were alive with early sumr wind, tall grasses bending like waves beneath a sky washed in gold. The ancient tree stood at the summit, its trunk vast and weathered, its branches stretching wide as if rembering them.
Thirty witnesses stood beneath the canopy-close friends from Golden City, Zodiac City, Terra City, Dawnstar City, and Earth. Companions who had shared blood and years together.
Ery felt deeply honored that one of the elders he respected most was available and agreed to lead the ceremony.
Grand Magus Yevere-his old master from the Academy-stood beneath the great tree with quiet dignity.
As a devout follower of the natural path, he encouraged blossoms to bloom along the hillside in soft arcs of silver and pale blue. Lantern-like motes hovered among the branches, glowing like fallen stars. The air shimred faintly with life, subtle and sacred.
Yevere raised his wooden staff and pressed its end gently into the earth.
At once, living vines spiraled outward in delicate patterns, weaving a natural circle around the couple. Soft green light rose from the roots of the ancient tree, responding to the elder's will.
"This is the covenant of Life," Yevere said, his voice resonant yet warm. "Before the witness of earth and sky, we bind not by law of n, but by the oldest covenant-growth shared, seasons endured, and roots intertwined."
A faint pulse traveled through the soil, and two slender vines erged, winding gently around Ery and Klea's joined hands-not restraining, but connecting.
"Do you co freely," Yevere continued, "to bind your days together, through winter and bloom alike?"
"We do," they answered.
The wind stirred softly through the leaves.
Yevere stepped back slightly and gestured for them to speak their vows.
Ery looked into Klea's eyes, and for a mont, the world quieted.
"I, Ery Ambrose... take you, Klea, as my heart and my ho.
Before these witnesses and the living earth, I swear:
Your burdens shall be mine to carry,
Your joys mine to protect.
In storm and in peace, in shadow and in dawn,
I stand beside you.
My life is bound to yours, until my final breath returns to the earth."
Klea's fingers tightened gently around his.
"I, Klea... take you, Ery, as my strength and my shelter.
Before root and sky, I vow:
Where you walk, I will walk.
Where you fall, I will lift you.
Your na will rest in my heart as long as it beats.
Through all the turning seasons of this world and the next,
I am yours."
Then,
A small plant creature waddled between them, leaves trembling with excitent.
"Ku... ku..."
Twik
Cradled carefully in his tiny wooden palms were two rings, simple yet elegant, ford from intertwined silver and faintly glowing green crystal.
A murmur of warmth passed through the guests.
Ery crouched slightly, smiling as Twik held the rings up with utmost seriousness. Klea's eyes shimred as she took one, and Ery the other.
They turned to each other.
Ery slid the ring onto Klea's finger. The tal ward instantly, resonating faintly with her aura. Klea followed, her hands steady as she placed the second ring upon his.
The blossoms around their wrists flared once-then settled into a calm, steady
glow.
Grand Magus Yevere lifted his staff once more.
"Then by the Covenant of Life-
by root that anchors, by branch that reaches,
I declare you bound as one."
The ancient tree responded.
A cascade of luminous petals fell like slow rain around them.
And beneath the living canopy, Ery and Klea were joined.
Cheers rolled across the green slopes, laughter carried by the wind, petals and motes of light drifting through the air as if even the spirits of nature approved.
By sunset, the celebration had moved to Terra City.
If the ceremony had been intimate, the reception was anything but. Hundreds of thousands of citizens filled the streets that night. Lanterns of gold and erald floated above the avenues, suspended by light-elent spells that shimred like stars brought down to earth. Music echoed from plaza to plaza, blending into a jubilant symphony that washed over the entire city.
Terra Palace itself blazed with light.
Inside the grand hall, hundreds of invited guests gathered beneath vaulted ceilings. Crystal chandeliers refracted soft radiance over long tables laden with exquisite dishes. Laughter and conversation intertwined with live music and the rhythmic pulse of celebratory drums.
At the center stage sat Ery and Klea-husband and wife. They leaned toward one another, fingers loosely intertwined beneath the table, sharing quiet smiles amid the grandeur.
On the principal table nearby were three of the five Terra sisters-Rosia, Grisa
and, Yuria.
On opposites tables were the Apothecaries, speaking animatedly with Cedric, Aeon and Master Grom, drank deeply and laughed louder than anyone else. Representatives from Zodiac City had co, Shena the Azure Dragon among them, elegant and observant. From Golden City arrived Gerry-Ery's longti companion-grinning widely as he introduced his surprisingly stern new junior officer. Ha Ron, Ery's disciple, now stood proudly in the uniform of a full enforcer squad mber.
Of all those guests, three important figures were absent-Thrax, Julian and Chumo. Their absence left a quiet a mark in Ery's heart.
Yet soone significant stepped forward.
She moved to the center of the hall, standing before the newly wedded bride
and groom.
Shinta raised her glass, her expression carrying both mischief and sincerity.
The hall gradually quieted.
"My father has many faults," she began dryly. "Not asking my permission for this
is certainly one of them."
A ripple of laughter spread.
Her tone turn emotional as she continues.
"Honestly, I'm not sure if my late mother would have approved," her voice
softening as she looked at Ery "But... seeing you happy... must have made
her happy too... Just like ."
She lifted her glass higher. "Congratulations."
The hall responded with warmth, glasses raised in unison.
One by one, guests approached to offer their blessings. So were formal,
bound by etiquette and rank. Others were heartfelt.
Jinkan and Eesho arrived together-standing close, their hands brushing. Whatever had once divided them seed healed. There was a shared look between them that suggested another wedding might soon follow.
Armand approached next among the close circle, a small child perched
confidently on his back. Now a core mber of the Karat faction, he carried himself with easy authority.
"Well," he said with a grin, "now that you've married her, none of those nobles
will dare to claim her"
"Congratulations!!!!"
There were also awkward speeches.
One ca from the forr Queen Sonhee of the Alvaric Kingdom. Once regal
and unshakable, she now stood with trembling hands, offering heartfelt congratulations through tearful eyes.
Ery could only release a slow, complicated sigh.
Klea, sensing the weight behind that breath, gently excused herself.
There was soone else she needed to speak to-soone who had arrived quietly the mont word of Ery's crisis had spread across the realms. She
had remained in the shadows since their return to Terra, never intruding, never
claiming attention.
Klea found her alone on one of the palace balconies, the night wind lifting
strands of crimson hair against a silver-lit sky.
Morgana.
She stood facing the distant horizon, hands resting on the marble railing, her
presence calm yet distant.
"There is no need to stay away," Klea said softly as she approached. "I have
accepted you as his mate long ago."
Morgana did not turn imdiately. When she finally did, her gaze was steady-
not hostile, not wounded, but thoughtful.
"You misunderstand," she replied quietly. "Our bond lets feel his heart clearly... The many years we were trapped together, it was your na that echoed there." She looked back toward the celebration below. "I understand how much you an to him, He missed you in ways he never spoke aloud." There was no accusation in her tone, only truth.
"I thought... on such occasions it's best to give you two so space," Morgana
continued.
Then she stepped closer, sincerity warming her otherwise composed
deanor. "Congratulations."
Klea studied her for a mont before nodding. There was an unspoken
understanding between them.
When Klea returned to the grand hall, Ery was waiting, watching her with a
knowing expression that suggested he understood more than he let on. She exhaled slowly and shook her head.
"You n really know nothing" she muttered under her breath, though the
faint smile at the corner of her lips betrayed her mood.
Sowhere in the back of her mind lingered the awareness that there be other conversations needed with other woman's in the near future.
The celebration stretched long into the night, music softening into gentle lodies, laughter blending with the warm glow of lanternlight. Eventually, the
newly wedded husband and wife withdrew from the hall and entered their
chamber.
They did not erge for several days.
A week later, Klea stood once more upon the balcony of the Terra Palace. The
dawn wind brushed against her skin, cool and gentle, yet the air felt different- charged, almost expectant. Sothing stirred deep within her soul. Her Dao Heart, once poisoned and fractured, now pulsed in complete
opposition to what it had been. Where there had once been corrosion and
frost, there was warmth and clarity.
It ignited.
An awakening.
The subtle tremor of law resonated through her being, steady and undeniable.
She turned toward Ery with a radiant smile.
"I'm ready for my cosmic tribulation."
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