Chapter 10 - Where The Light Belongs
One year later.
The botanical conservatory in the southern coastal district was blanketed in cascading white wisterias and blooming orchids. Soft orchestral strings played beneath a cathedral of glass, where hundreds of guests gathered not for a corporate alliance, but for a celebration of real, enduring love.
I stood at the end of the aisle in an ivory tuxedo, my heart beating with a steady, peaceful rhythm. When the double doors swung open, Audrey stepped onto the petal-strewn carpet. She wore an ethereal lace gown that trailed behind her like seafoam, but it was her face that took my breath away. Her grey eyes were filled with tears of pure joy, her radiant smile belonging entirely, completely to me.
As she reached the altar, her father placed her hand in mine. Audrey didn't wait for the officiant to finish his opening remarks; she leaned up on her tiptoes and whispered against my cheek, ""You made me promise to let you take care of me forever. Don't you dare break that vow.""
""Never,"" I whispered back, sliding a platinum band pavéd with sapphires onto her finger.
Above our heads, the system interface flashed for the very last time, glowing in brilliant, golden letters:
[Target Audrey Chen: Affection 100%. Host Soul Completely Bound to Reality. System Retiring. Wishing the Host A Long, Harmonious Life.]
The interface dissolved into tiny golden specks, fading completely into the warm afternoon sunshine streaming through the glass dome.
May you like
I leaned down and kissed my wife.
The applause that followed was deafening, pure, and filled with genuine blessings. I had wasted seven years trying to save a demon from her own darkness, nearly forfeiting my soul in the process. But in the end, fate had led me out of the abyss and into the arms of someone who didn't need to be saved—someone who simply wanted to love me, protect me, and walk beside me into the light."
