Chapter 27: "The Goddess of Forgotten Tomorrows (And the Marriage Proposal I Never Gave Her)"
🌅 Section 1: A Goddess With No Yesterday
Kai had faced demon queens, angels in heat, void cultists, and killer cake. But this… this felt worse.
Auralith.
Goddess of Forgotten Tomorrows.
She stood in his doorway, smiling like she remembered every moment they never had.
And that's what made it terrifying.
"I know you," she said softly, voice echoing like dreams half-remembered. "Even if you don't."
Kai backed up. "We've… never met. I'd remember someone with—uh—that level of divine cleavage."
"I erased our timeline," she said, stepping inside. "Twice."
Elyssaria, Malvexa, and Yui froze in the next room. Even Caelith's songbird froze midair.
"You what?" Kai coughed.
Auralith leaned closer. "You proposed to me… in another future. A glorious one. But it ended with your death."
Kai blinked. "Sounds about right."
---
💔 Section 2: The Proposal That Never Was
Auralith touched a glowing pendant.
It flickered to life—a memory-fragment.
In it, a future Kai knelt before her, scarred, triumphant.
> "I don't know how many timelines I'll survive, but if I do… I want the next one with you."
Auralith turned it off, blinking away tears.
"You died moments later. Kissing me. Sacrificing yourself."
Kai just stared. "Why… did I do that?"
"You chose to undo that future. So you could protect the others. Your harem. Your child."
Kai looked away. His hands trembled.
"I don't remember it. But… I believe it."
---
🌌 Section 3: Rewriting Fate (While Shirtless)
"I came back," she said. "To see if this timeline deserves a different ending."
"Or a proposal," Kai muttered.
"Maybe."
The door burst open. Malvexa stormed in with her greatsword, already on fire.
"Nope. Nope. Not adding another goddess until we do a full background check and trauma compatibility scan!"
Elyssaria floated in behind her. "Are you sure this one didn't try to unmake reality?"
"She did," Yui said, scanning Auralith. "Technically. But it was emotionally justified."
Auralith raised a hand. "If it helps, I regret erasing our love."
Caelith sniffled. "That's… beautiful."
Kai blinked. "Can someone please tell me if I'm single, engaged, or cosmically screwed right now?"
"Yes," they all answered at once.
---
🔮 Section 4: The Fate Beacon
Just then, the castle trembled.
A giant clockwork sphere appeared in the sky, spinning with golden gears and runes.
> [SYSTEM ALERT: FATE BEACON ACTIVATED. TIMELINE INTERFERENCE DETECTED.]
Yui's eyes widened. "That's from the Court of Chronos. They've come to reset the time-split."
Caelith gasped. "They'll erase this timeline if it overlaps with Auralith's too strongly."
Kai looked at Auralith. "If I fall in love with you again… they'll wipe everything?"
She nodded.
"So what, I'm not allowed to feel something? What if I already do?"
Yui pointed. "They're scanning for emotional entanglement."
Malvexa growled. "So don't fall for her."
Auralith smiled sadly. "It's too late."
The sky cracked open.
---
⏳ Section 5: Trial of the Forgotten Love
The Beacon summoned all involved parties—Kai, Auralith, and his goddesses—into a frozen plane of starlight.
> "Mortal Kai. You have fractured time through repeated divine unions."
"You must now choose: Erase the love for the Forgotten Goddess, or risk the erasure of everything."
Kai stood, heart pounding.
Auralith looked away.
Elyssaria and Yui braced for attack.
Malvexa raised her sword. "He chooses us!"
But Kai stepped forward.
"No."
Gasps.
"I don't choose between any of you. Because love doesn't work like that. Not with you. Not with her. I've already died once to protect you all. If I have to shatter time again to do it… so be it."
The Beacon pulsed.
> "THEN FACE THE MEMORY TRIAL."
Suddenly—Kai was alone in a maze of timelines.
Each door… a different possible future.
And in every one… someone he loved died.
---
🧠 Section 6: The Glitch Memory Rebellion
Kai's system flared.
> [LUSTBOUND SYSTEM ERROR: MEMORY TRAUMA LOCKED. INITIATING… GLITCH RESISTANCE.]
The doors started breaking.
Kai screamed—clutching memories that weren't his—of children, weddings, wars, deaths.
Of Auralith kissing him before he exploded into stardust.
> "You chose me once."
> "Would you choose me again?"
He fell to his knees.
Then felt a hand on his shoulder.
Auralith. In the center of the mind-maze.
"You don't have to remember to choose."
He stood.
Together, they walked through the collapsing timelines.
> [NEW PATH CREATED: FUTURE UNWRITTEN.]
The Beacon imploded.
---
💍 Section 7: And Then He Accidentally Proposed (Again)
Back in the real palace, the sky stabilized.
Yui's interface blinked green.
"Timeline stable… for now."
Auralith touched Kai's chest. "Thank you."
"I still don't know what I'm doing," he said, smiling awkwardly.
"You proposed once before," she said. "And I rejected it to protect the future."
Kai hesitated. "And now?"
She smiled.
"Now I say yes."
The goddesses screamed.
Malvexa fainted.
Caelith started composing a wedding march.
Moona threw cake at everyone.
---
✅ End of Chapter 27