The word echoed in the vast, silent landscape, seeming to bounce off the two moons in the sky. Husband? Shin's mind reeled, a frantic carousel of impossibilities. He scrambled back further, the soft earth giving way under his palms. This had to be a dream. A stress-induced psychosis. Any moment now, he'd wake up on his lumpy mattress to the smell of mi instan and despair.
"Your... what?" he finally managed to choke out, his voice a hoarse whisper. "You were... you were Gaia. A goddess. You offered me a kingdom, not... not this."
Luna—as he now instinctively thought of her—rose with a grace that defied gravity. The simple silk shift she wore did little to hide the perfect, divine curves of her body. She took a step toward him, her bare feet making no sound on the grass. The scent of night-blooming jasmine and ozone intensified, wrapping around him like a silken ribbon.
"I am still Gaia, the Creator," she said, her voice a soft, melodic hum that vibrated in his very bones. "But a god cannot rule directly. It is the oldest law. To guide you, to stand by your side as an equal, I had to shed my immortal form. I had to become... mortal." She stopped before him, looking down with an expression that was both infinitely wise and deeply tender. "I chose to be your queen, Shin. And a queen must be a wife to her king."
She knelt, bringing her face level with his. Her silver hair tumbled over her shoulder, and her cosmic eyes, now softened with affection, held his gaze captive. "I have watched worlds burn and stars die. I have been alone for eons. I chose you not just to be a king, but to be my king. My partner. My husband."
The raw, unfiltered honesty in her voice was more disorienting than any divine transformation. He saw no trickery, only a profound, terrifying sincerity. This wasn't a dream. This was a goddess, on her knees, offering him everything.
"But... why?" he asked, the question barely audible. "I'm a failure. I have nothing."
"You have a heart that still knows kindness when all is lost," she replied, reaching out to gently cup his cheek. Her touch was warm, sending a jolt of pure energy through him that was both comforting and intensely arousing. "That is a foundation more powerful than any crown. Together, we will build an empire upon it."
Her thumb brushed his lower lip, and Shin felt a fire ignite in the pit of his stomach, a heat that had nothing to do with divine power and everything to do with the stunning, willing woman before him. The 18+ implications of his new life crashed down on him with the force of a tidal wave.
She seemed to sense his shift in mood, a slow, mischievous smile gracing her lips. "There will be time for... celebrations," she purred, her voice dropping to a husky whisper. "But first, a king must claim his throne."
Luna rose to her feet, her demeanor shifting in an instant from intimate lover to regal queen. She turned and gestured towards the silent, magnificent city in the valley below.
"Behold, Astera. Your kingdom," she announced, her voice now carrying the authority of a monarch. "But it is a kingdom held captive by fear. The shadows of the Void I spoke of are real. They creep from the wildlands, poisoning the land and terrorizing the people. The city is silent because its inhabitants have hidden themselves away, waiting for a sign."
She looked back at him, her eyes blazing with purpose. "They are waiting for you, my king. They are waiting for their light."
Shin stared at the city, then at the impossibly beautiful woman who called herself his wife. The pathetic man from the rainy city was truly gone. He pushed himself to his feet, brushing the dirt from his trousers. His heart was still pounding, but the panic was slowly being replaced by something else. A sense of purpose. A spark of the king he was meant to be.
He met Luna's gaze. "Alright," he said, his voice now firm. "If I'm the king... and you're my queen. What's our first move?"
Luna's smile deepened, a knowing, mischievous curve of her lips. She closed the distance he had just created, her movements fluid and silent as a hunting cat. She leaned in, her lips brushing against the shell of his ear, her warm breath sending a shiver of pure electricity down his spine.
"It's quite simple, my husband," she whispered, her voice a silken secret meant only for him. "All you have to do is perform the Rite of Proclamation."
She pulled back just enough to see his face, her cosmic eyes dancing with amusement.
Shin stared at her, his mind blank. "The... the what?" The words sounded formal, ancient. It wasn't what he'd been expecting at all, yet the way she said it made it sound infinitely more scandalous.
"The Rite of Proclamation," she repeated, her voice returning to a normal, though still melodic, volume. "It is how a king is crowned in Astera. It is not enough to simply place a crown on your head. You must prove your right to rule. You must channel your divine life force into the kingdom itself."
She began to pace slowly, her silk shift swirling around her legs. "The people of Astera have lived in fear for a generation. They will not follow a man simply because a goddess tells them to. They need a sign. A powerful, undeniable sign of a king's vitality."
Shin's heart was thudding again, but for a different reason now. He had a terrible, wonderful, terrifying feeling he knew where this was going. "And how... how do I do that?"
Luna stopped her pacing and faced him, her expression one of pure, unadulterated delight. "You must stand in the central plaza of the city, before the most powerful warrior in the kingdom, and perform the act of sovereignty. You must take her, in full view of the people, and consecrate your reign with your essence."
The world tilted on its axis.
"What?!" Shin yelped, his voice cracking. He jumped back as if he'd been struck, his face flushing a deep, burning crimson. "No, no, no! That's... that's impossible! We can't just... in front of everyone? With a stranger? Are you insane?"
Luna let out a light, musical laugh that echoed across the hilltop. The sight of his utter shock, the deep red blush creeping up his neck to the tips of his ears, seemed to be the most amusing thing she had witnessed in centuries.
"Oh, my darling husband," she said, her voice softening with affection. "It is the law of this world. It is magic. Your life force, your very essence, is the most potent force against the Void. When you release it in an act of dominance and creation, it saturates the land, healing it and pushing back the shadows. It is the ultimate proof that you are a king of life, not of death."
She stepped forward again, her tone turning serious, though the playful glint remained in her eyes. "The warrior I speak of is Valeria, the head of my royal guard. She is fierce, proud, and has dedicated her life to protecting this throne. She will not submit easily. You will have to conquer her, not just physically, but with your will. In doing so, you will win the loyalty of the entire army."
Shin ran a hand through his hair, his mind a whirlwind of panic and a strange, unwelcome flicker of excitement. This was insane. It was depraved. It was... his duty. He looked from Luna's serene, confident face to the silent, waiting city below. He was a king. And this was his first royal decree.
He took a deep, shaky breath, the scent of jasmine filling his lungs. "Alright," he said, his voice barely a whisper, but filled with a newfound resolve. "If that's what it takes... where do I find this... Valeria?"