The ship was small, barely large enough for two people and a barrel of supplies. The wood creaked under the weight of the ocean's gentle push, and the sails fluttered lightly under the cold, early morning breeze. Around them, nothing but endless dark water and the distant horizon.
Azel sat at the stern, his arms loosely around Anna, whose head rested quietly on his shoulder. Her breathing was slow, steady. Her crimson hair brushed lightly against his chest with every movement of the ship. She had fallen asleep like this hours ago, clutching his sleeve like a lifeline.
In the silence, Forbanna's voice whispered into his mind.
"You're being hunted by the world, Azel. Instead of fighting... why are you running?"
Azel's deep black eyes stayed locked on the horizon. His hand lightly tightened around Anna's waist, keeping her close.
"I'm not running, I'm protecting her. I am planning to return after I leave her there."
There was a pause. Even Forbanna, who often countered his stubbornness, hesitated.
"That woman has suffered enough because of you. Still... Is abandoning her really protection? If you leave her, betray her trust—"
"It's not betrayal. It's the only thing I can think of. She'll be safe. She deserves peace."
He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the subtle heartbeat of the woman pressed against him.
"If I leave her, she won't have to run anymore. She won't have to bleed because of me."
Forbanna was silent, her emotions bleeding through their bond.
"And if she resists? If she chooses to follow you anyway?"
"Then I'll make her stay in my own way. Even if she hates me for it. Better hatred than a shallow grave."
The ship rocked gently. The stars above seemed endless, cold, distant.
"You're fighting the world. You'll need allies. Friends. You'll need her more than you think."
"This is not about what I need. It's about what she deserves."
"You're lying to yourself."
Forbanna whispered. But she didn't argue anymore.
Azel leaned back against the ship's frame, letting the slow motion rock him and Anna together. He would savor this small peace, this tiny slice of happiness, before the world demanded blood again.
She stirred then. A small movement at first — her hands weakly tightening against his coat. He felt the dampness of tears against his shoulder.
"You're... such a scumbag..."
Anna's voice was raw, broken, muffled against him.
"Why... why are you so cold to a woman who loves you so much...?"
Azel's throat tightened. He didn't answer immediately. He felt her trembling against him, the hurt she didn't dare show when awake now spilling out helplessly.
Forbanna chuckled bitterly in his mind.
"She's right. You really don't understand a woman's heart."
Azel inhaled slowly, cursing himself internally for all the times he had stayed silent when he should have spoken.
He shifted, gently cupping Anna's tear-streaked face in his rough hands. Her black eyes, wet and wide, stared up at him, full of hurt and longing.
He bent his forehead to hers, letting their breaths mix in the cold night air.
"I love you."
He said — barely above a whisper, yet heavier than any sword he had ever lifted.
Anna's eyes widened. It was the first time. After all their travels, after all their pain, he had never once said those words out loud. Her lips quivered, but no sound came out. Her body shook harder, and she clung to him as if he would vanish if she let go.
Azel brushed his thumb gently across her cheek, wiping the tears away.
"Whatever doubts you have... whatever lies your mind tells you... know this: I have come to care for you more deeply than I ever thought I could."
Anna sobbed quietly against him, her hands fisting against his chest.
"I realized it when Hakugo tried to take you away from me. I realized... how much losing you would destroy me."
He pressed a kiss against her forehead — soft, lingering — then down to the bridge of her nose, then finally onto her trembling, plump lips. Their mouths met, tentative at first, then deeper as Anna clung to him with desperate passion.
The kiss was messy, imperfect, but real — the only language either of them could speak properly.
When they finally pulled apart, Anna buried her face into his chest again, her small body still trembling, but now from relief instead of fear.
He held her tighter.
"I will never let anyone harm you. Even if the world stands against me."
Anna said nothing — she only nodded weakly against him, her hands refusing to let him go.
For a long while, they simply sat there, wrapped together as the ship carried them forward into the unknown. No words were needed. Every heartbeat, every touch spoke enough.
The sun was over the horizon already, painting the ocean in muted gold and gray.
Anna eventually drifted back into sleep, exhausted from the emotions she could no longer contain.
Azel stayed awake, watching the horizon. His arms never loosened their hold around her.
Forbanna spoke once more, her voice gentler now.
"Love truly is something. I never thought you would show such emotions."
He didn't answer. For once, he didn't need to.
Above them, the first seagull cried, signaling the distant approach of land.
In his heart, Azel knew: peace would not last.
And when the time came, when the world demanded war — he would answer.
But for now... he would savor these precious, stolen moments. With the woman who had given him a reason to keep breathing.
His wife. His anchor.
His last light in a world that wanted him dead.