Ian was breathing heavily, his face tense and hardened.

“Liv, come here.”

He even seemed angry. I was too stunned to say anything. This felt oddly familiar.

“Come here.”

“Ian, I…”

“Please.”

It seemed like he had misunderstood something. Slowly, I stood up, raising my open hand as if to calm a frightened animal.

“Ian…”

“…”

“Right now, something…”

I gasped, shocked. Ian had suddenly pulled me toward him, gripping my hand tightly. Before I realized it, he’d drawn me close, my back pressed against the wall. When I opened my eyes after a short gasp, I found myself trapped within his arms. He looked like a man cornered, incapable of hearing anything I might say. His voice was desperate and urgent.

“You were right. Maybe I never intended to let you go. I would have kept making excuses to hold onto you.”

I stared at him blankly. Ian was looking at me with darkened eyes. What was he saying? Was it all a lie that he’d promised to let me go? That couldn’t be true. Feeling my chest tighten with pain, I started to gasp.

“I’m sorry. I was selfish. I just wanted one more day, every day, to stay with you. I probably wouldn’t let you go, even if you died.”

Ian gently cupped my cheek.

“So, please… blame me.”

Then he kissed me.

Perhaps I could have pushed him away. He came at me like a rising tide. I clung to his arm, my heart still aching, my breaths short. His lips met mine as if he wanted to share the breath I was struggling for, not letting any fleeting moments slip away.

Instead of resisting, I clung to him. My hands, which had been flailing, gripped the hem of his shirt. He seemed so fragile, as if I couldn’t let him go. But slowly, my legs began to give out, and he let me fall.

At last, his shirt slipped from my fingertips.

“This is how…”

“This is how I give you up” he whispered softly.

I watched as his bare feet moved away from me. I mustered every ounce of strength to scream, but no sound came. It felt like a dream. Ian stood by the window, his back to me, like the man from my dreams. I clutched the moss-covered wall as if to scrape it off.

No, don’t do this.

I tried to reach for him. But it was too late, and all I could do was fall with him. I felt his arms wrapping around me. Amid the flashes of light, I cried out.

I want to live.

I want to live with you.

The wish I’d been hiding behind fear surfaced. Realizing this wish on the brink of death, I was truly desperate. And as if to fill the entire night, light burst forth.

“Liv?”

I was still in Ian’s arms, floating, it seemed. He called my name again, trying to snap me out of it.

“Liv… did you awaken?”

I started to sob. I barely managed to lift myself from his embrace. The vines that had engulfed the tower, which I’d once wanted to cut down, had grown unnaturally large and saved us both. We lay on the web of vines, unhurt. Relieved, I cried and…

“Ugh, sorry. I’m sorry.”

…I began to hit Ian. Ian, flustered, kept apologizing as he took my blows. I continued hitting him, bawling my eyes out until he finally wrapped his arms around me again.

“Liv. Your hair has grown so much.”

He held me close, gently stroking my hair. As I leaned my cheek against his chest, I brushed my fingers over his eyebrows, thinking they could use a trim too. Ian suddenly asked me,

“But… how do we get down?”

I sniffled, and Ian suddenly started laughing out loud. I hit his chest in disbelief. He coughed amid his laughter but soon chuckled again.

“Liv, look at the sky. The night sky…”

From his embrace, I looked up at the sky.

“I didn’t know the night sky could be this beautiful.”

“It was beautiful from the tower too.”

I replied with a stuffy, tearful voice, and suddenly more tears came. Sniffling, I muttered in protest.

“I was… I was just looking at the night sky.”

“I see.”

“You misunderstood… all on your own…”

“…I’m sorry.”

His plain apology made me feel like strangling him, but I couldn’t move, wrapped tightly in his arms. Giving up, I said sharply,

“If you’re going to die, die by my hand.”

Ian started laughing again. Was it because he’d escaped death? He laughed a lot. I lay my head against his chest as it shook with his laughter, feeling drowsy.

Though it wasn’t the right time, I couldn’t help but feel sleepy.

“Liv?”

And then, I drifted off as if I’d fainted.

—

“So… is she okay now?”

Ian’s worried voice echoed around me. Then Benjamin’s voice, annoyed, joined in.

“How many times do I have to say it? It’s just the Awakening Fever.”

“Even with this high fever, she’s really okay? She’s not going to wake up with memory loss or something, right?”

“I’ve never heard of a wizard turning into an idiot from Awakening Fever. So calm down. I’m leaving.”

For some reason, Benjamin sounded very angry.

“Leave another necklace behind before you go.”

At Ian’s nonchalant request, Benjamin seemed to finally lose it.

“Am I some kind of necklace fairy? Why should I give you… Argh!”

“Give it to Liv instead. Dangerous situations could come up, like today.”

“This is all your fault!”

Benjamin yelled, clearly frustrated. Somehow, the air felt as if a gust had passed through.

“Fine, but go outside if you’re going to be mad. Go to the forest or something.”

Ian said in a tone that conveyed his irritation, and though Benjamin wasn’t visible, his exasperation was palpable. The door creaked open, and Ian added another comment.

“Don’t forget the necklace.”

“Agh!”

Benjamin slammed the door shut with a frustrated wail. I happened to open my eyes at just the right moment.

“Liv, are you awake?”

“…It’s hot.”

Ian placed a concerned hand on my forehead. The coolness of his fingers felt comforting.

“…It’s cold.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“No, I like it because it’s cold.”

He hesitated, then gently pressed his knuckles to my cheek to cool it. I pulled his hand toward me with both hands, nestling against it.

“Ian.”

“Yes?”

“I’m hot.”

“Should I open a window?”

I grabbed his arm, preventing him from getting up, whining like a child. Ian froze, then settled back down, and I saw an opportunity to reach out to him.

“Ian.”

“Yes?”

“Hug me.”

He stiffened as if struck by lightning. I laughed, whining again.

“Hug me, right now.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Ian awkwardly wrapped his arms around me, perhaps understanding my request too literally. I wasn’t a child. I wrapped my arms around his neck and let out a sigh, feeling him tense as he sat up. His flushed face made me smile.

The warmth, the haze, and Ian beside me, unable to flee from my bed—what reason was there to hesitate?

“I’m thirsty.”

“Oh, let me get you some w—”

“Kiss me.”

Suddenly, Ian sprang up, looking flustered.

“Liv, are you… are you not thinking clearly?”

“Hm?”

“I mean, your fever is too high. I don’t think you’re in your right mind. You’ll regret it later.”

“Regret?”

“So, once the fever breaks, and you’re back to normal…”

Why would it matter if I wasn’t? Tears quickly welled in my eyes, trailing down to my ears. I felt a surge of resentment.

“Are you rejecting me again?”

“Wait, no, that’s not what I—”

Ian seemed to hold his breath, while I continued to sniffle, feeling pitiful. After a hesitation, he stammered.

“I just wonder if… starting like this is the right thing to do. You know…”

With his face reddening, Ian stumbled over his words. Oh, so he has some sort of ideal for a first experience. Fine, I should respect that. It’s only right… but…

“So, Ian, what do *you* want?”

“What?”

“Because right now, I…”

I’m warm. I whispered like a sigh.

“I want you.”

I watched the heat rise in Ian’s gaze, seeing his own desire mirror mine, which thrilled me. My head spun from the fever, my body felt light, and amid it all, the kiss was blissfully sweet.

Initially careful, Ian softly brushed his lips against mine, as if worried I might faint again. But as time passed, he grew bolder, exploring me freely. I tilted my head, gasping for breath, and he began trailing kisses down my neck. At first, it tickled, and I laughed; soon, I felt dazed again.

He tugged at the ribbon on my chest, lowering my loosened nightgown without hesitation.

“Oh.”

Before I had a chance to feel shy, Ian was already resting his cheek against my chest, listening intently. I placed my hand on his head and exhaled deeply.

“With your heart racing like this… doesn’t it hurt?”

I smiled.

“No.”

Ian lifted himself, gazing down at me while holding me under his arms.

“Are you really okay now?”

The way he seemed to seek reassurance made me laugh again.

What more was there to say? Without answering, I tugged up his shirt, letting my fingers graze his waist. Ian blinked, caught off guard, his shirt coming off almost unwittingly because of me. He looked so adorable that I pressed a kiss to his cheek and pulled him close.

I’d lived much of my life forfeiting things. I thought that giving up was the only way to protect myself from losing things. In the end, I was simply afraid of loss. It took me this long to understand what it truly meant to lose.

“Ian, let’s… live together. Like we could die tomorrow, without regrets…”

Ian kissed me again. We clung to each other, whispering all the things in our hearts.

“I love you.”

~~End of the Main Story~~