Near Vada Valley, there was an old volcano that seemed out of place. It had a large cave at the bottom and it had been dead for so long that no one even knew the name of it. If one didn’t know it wasn’t a mountain they would have mistaken it. The entrance was warded with green and gold magic. A warning to others to stay back.

Inside there was fire everywhere but the paths were clean and the fire never encroached on where it wasn’t allowed. It opened up to winding rivers and fire along the walls. Phoenixes were perched everywhere and yet they didn’t squawk at Lewis. They were well informed of who he was. The annoying rainbow one had told them.

In the center of the valley, there was a large stalagmite forming, and hanging from that was Simone’s brand new body. Her hair was very long from overgrowing but that could be fixed. The rope that tied her was tinted with something that would resist flames.

From the tip of the stalagmite dripped water and it would hit Simone’s flesh and roll down it. It would only take Lewis a few moments, if he was quick on his feet, to notice the pool below filled with fiery water. There was an alchemy circle drawn around it.

Simone’s body was nude for a purpose as the firewater bathed it. The special water was what took it a month to get ready.

Lewis travelled the paths, unnerved by the staring phoenixes. None made a move to attack him, but he was weary all the same. He had discarded the majority of his heavier tools in favor of a lighter gear set, only taking a few daggers and little to no armor due to the heat of the regions. As such, he felt quick on his feet, but his arms and legs were exposed, showing his pale skin.

When he finally set eyes on Simone’s body, his heart did a flip. She looked just as he remembered. It wasn’t much longer before he was standing next to her, admiring the fact that she was, in fact, real and hanging before him. He pulled out the scroll, and picking the opposite shoulder to his, placed it on her back, right shoulder. At once, it burned into her skin. Without waiting for the effects to finish, he cut her down, and caught her before she hit the ground.

Lewis gently lowered her to the ground, and looked her over. “Simone?” he asked. Did I mess up? He couldn’t see any movement in her body. “Simone? Wake up…”

The moment he lowered her the magic sparked. It was almost like opening a window during a fire as the fire around them imploded. Her body sparked to life with blue flames as it corrupted the fire around it. Lewis and she were both engulfed in the eerie fire.

The tattoos sparked alive and their resonance swung into full effect. Simone’s face twitched and for a moment her eyes were fluttering but not opening. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and let out a yawn as the fire consumed them both. “What…” She struggled for a moment as her voice worked itself for the first time.

She pushed herself up to him and kissed him. It felt like fire before she broke it. “What took you so long?” There was a mischievous smile on her face. “I didn’t think you were going to come for me.” Not even the fire bothered her as it kept its life. The phoenixes had taken off due to the hot flames that had erupted.

Lewis felt their emotions connect and he felt a flood of her confusion mixed with relief, and finally of passion and love. I kept you waiting. Their kiss was electric, and when they broke apart, Lewis was surprised that they were in the midst of the flames unharmed. He smiled and kissed her again, choosing not to talk and instead to let actions speak, pushing her down.

“Just…shut up for a minute and let me enjoy this,” Lewis said as he kissed her roughly. “I missed you.”

Time seemed to etch on, and they took full advantage of the fact that they were alone Lewis took his time exploring her new body, and Simone seemed not to have any issue testing out the limits of what she was capable of. Hours passed, and Lewis found himself holding her naked form close to his own, just enjoying the heat coming from her body,

“I’m sorry I took so long,” he said finally. “It’s been a hell of a journey…”

There was a laugh from her as he kissed her. “I missed you too.” Simone finally returned his kiss and she wrapped her arms around him. It felt good to feel his warmth against her. She had missed everything about him and their lovemaking felt much like the first time they had come from her mind. Simone pushed her face up and kissed his cheek as their long session ended. Her fingers reached his hair and she ran them through almost as if checking and making sure this wasn’t some kind of weird dream.

There was a sad look in her eyes. “Tell me about it?” She rubbed his arms gently and kissed his shoulder. She propped herself up just a little bit over him using his chest for her elbows. “I do have an apology to make though, not that I regret living longer with you… I’m aware of a few things because Angela filled me in…”

There was a sigh that left her lips and she shook her head. “If I had just told you how I felt and told you why I wanted to die… I was being too stubborn or so Edwin told me. Apparently, my being stubborn can be a problem every once in a while.” Her eyes went to her ring and she smiled a bit.

“Am I still Simone Dusk then?”

Lewis glanced to the side. “I’d rather not talk about it,” he said. Simone gave him a look, and he rolled his eyes. “Fine. I went about two weeks before almost going insane. It was a whole thing, I got punched by a Goddess, there was fire from an angry lady…” He seemed to be ranting a bit; a powerful aftereffect of the resonance and his uncontrollable emotions. “Long story short…it took a lot to get here. But it was worth it.”

The fact that both of them were stubborn was coming to light. He listened intently as Simone recounted her truths, about how she felt and about dying. The assassin stared into her stormy grey eyes, feeling the truth in her words. “The truth is…I didn’t want you to go either. I lied to myself to make me thing that I was okay with it, but…well…here we are.” It was probably the most he had opened up to anyone in a long time.

“Dusk?” he asked. That was a good question. After everything that they had been through, did they truly feel like the same people? “I don’t know.” He closed his eyes. “This place was called Terrowin pass, and this is the place where we’ve come together for your rebirth.” Lewis opened his eyes. “How about we take the name? To signify our rebirth?”

Simone almost choked on her laughter. “You got punched? By a goddess? For me?” She was amused and her smile was almost hurting. She took his face and kissed him. “You are my hero,” she teased him lightly. “And so strong.” To go two weeks like that. She knew that Lewis struggled hard with his emotions but she was proud of him. “I never wanted you to suffer.”

She took his hand in hers and held it tightly as he told her his truths too. “We’re both pretty stubborn huh?” There was a laugh as she put her forehead against his. “We absolutely suck at this marriage thing,” it was a whisper and it had laughter since she was joking about it. She rubbed her nose against his and took a breath. It felt weird after being dead.

“I like the sound of that,” she smirked at him and kissed him. “Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Terrowin… Sounds pretty good.” What were they capable of though? They would have to find out. She took his face and gave him a passionate kiss. It was long and full of need. Breaking it caused her to take a huge breath. “I can’t believe you got punched by a goddess.” She chuckled more and threw herself on top again.

“We’ll have to tell everyone… No, maybe not yet? Should we take a vacation? I’m sure people would understand. I just want you right now… I don’t want to be apart. It’s been too long and I need you just around me.” Maybe it was the resonance being so new in this state but she was super aware of him. She loved him… She wanted to tell him.

So she did.

“I love you, Lewis. Let’s go back to Jayou and hide for a bit. I’m sure that Raile would let us. We can always gag Rhenakos.”

The time that they spent together gave Lewis emotions that he couldn’t describe. This was what it was like to love someone wholly, and that was something that the assassin never thought himself capable of. Every little thing that Simone did sent a warmth through him. These sensations were just pure elation.

Perhaps this resonance isn’t so bad. He closed his eyes, feeling her heartbeat match his. “A vacation sounds nice, though I cannot avoid Lord Raith but so much. I may have a few things I need to take care of…but I like this idea. And…” Lewis opened his eyes, frowning. “We can bound and gag him. I’m sure Osiria could use the peace and quiet.”

“Simone…” When she said that she loved him, his heart did flips. Her resonance matched his, and it was impossible not to give her a passionate kiss, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight. “I love you too, Simone. I don’t understand why…but you mean the world to me.”