Chapter 11
Morning returned without ceremony.
No omens.
No shifting skies.
No whisper of prophecy.
Just the sound of waves touching the shore like they always had patient, repetitive, honest.
Dino was awake before the house acknowledged dawn. He sat at the low table, sleeves rolled slightly, hands steady as he repaired a small crack in a cup. The damage was insignificant. He could erase it from the past with a thought.
He chose not to.
Luna watched from the doorway.
"You're bad at resting," she said.
"I'm practicing," Dino replied. "Slowly."
She stepped inside, barefoot, black dress brushing the floor. Her scythe had been set aside for once, leaning near the wall. The moons were quiet today present, but respectful.
She poured water into the kettle.
It warmed instantly.
"…You did that," she said, accusingly.
Dino didn't look up. "The house likes you."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the truth."
They sat together as the tea steeped. Steam curled upward, forming shapes that quickly forgot what they were supposed to be.
"Do you ever regret it?" Luna asked.
"Regret what?"
"Not ending things," she said. "When you had the chance. When it would have been easier."
Dino paused.
Then he set the cup down carefully.
"In the beginning," he said slowly, "ending things felt like mercy. The universe was loud. Cruel. Repetitive."
Luna listened without interrupting.
"So I silenced it," he continued. "Again and again. Until silence became all I knew."
She waited.
"And then," he said, "there was nothing left to save. Only things to remove."
His fingers tightened briefly around the bamboo.
"That's when I stopped."
Luna reached out and placed her hand over his.
Not to stop him.
To remind him he was there.
"And now?" she asked.
"Now," Dino said quietly, "I'm learning that staying is heavier than killing ever was."
She smiled softly.
"Good."
Outside, the residents were waking. Laughter carried faintly across the sand. Someone burned bread. Someone else argued over nothing important.
Life, unafraid.
"I don't need you to protect me," Luna said suddenly.
"I know."
"I don't need you to fight for me."
"I know."
"I don't need you to erase the universe if something hurts me."
He finally looked at her.
"I know," he said again.
She met his gaze, unwavering.
"But I want you to stay," she said. "Not as a sword. Not as Death."
"Then as what?"
She thought for a moment.
"As someone who chooses."
The word settled between them.
Chose.
Dino exhaled.
"I can do that," he said.
She smiled not teasing, not triumphant.
Relieved.
Later, they walked along the shore together. No weapons. No duties. Just the sound of footsteps overlapping.
Dino noticed something strange.
Their shadows touched.
For someone who had once erased suns by existing, it felt… significant.
"This place will change," Luna said quietly. "People will grow. Some will leave. Some will stay."
"I know."
"And one day," she added, "they might remember you."
He shrugged. "Let them."
"And if they fear you again?"
He glanced at her.
"Then they'll have to accept that fear isn't the end of the story."
She stopped walking.
Turned to him.
"You're different here," she said.
"So are you."
A pause.
Then Luna leaned in slowly, deliberately and rested her forehead against his.
Not a kiss.
Not yet.
Just closeness.
The moons did not react.
They already approved.
For the rest of the day, Dino did nothing extraordinary.
He repaired the fence.
Helped carry supplies.
Listened.
And in the quiet between moments, he realized something that terrified him more than any god ever had.
He wanted this.
End of Chapter 11