If Celestia's curse is what keeps Dainsleif immortal, what happens to him after Celestia falls? This is a short story about Lumine and Dain after they win a battle against the gods.
Finally, the curse was broken. Celestia lay humbled on the earth, its lustrous, golden towers crumbled and fallen to pieces. It was quiet. The wind blew gently, tumbling among the dust and debris.
Lumine could barely muster the strength to grip her sword as she stumbled over to the tall figure laying against the remains of a stone pillar. Dainsleif watched the horizon, his blonde hair dancing and twinkling softly in the silent light of the rising sun. Every muscle in her body burned as she collapsed next to him. She interlocked their blistered, bloody fingers as Dainsleif nestled his head into her shoulder. They had fought long and hard through the night, and now that the battle was over, it was time to rest.
Squeezing his hand, Lumine whispered, "Don't go."
Dain lowered his head to Lumine's chest, comforting himself in the sturdy thumps of her beating heart. "You know I have to."
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He looked up at her, "Lumine," his blue eyes, normally cold and stern, glowed with fondness. "500 years ago, I watched the nation I vowed to protect fall to the wrath of the gods. For 500 years, me and my people have borne this curse. I watched them suffer in immortality, their bodies and minds corroding until they became nothing." Dainsleif's chest trembled as he took a deep, uneven breath. "Thank you, Lumine."
Unable to muster out the words, Lumine nodded, her face twisted in grief. She cupped his head against her chest and pressed her hand to his. His pulse was already slowing. With the curse lifted, his immortality had faded too. His time had finally come.
Staring up at her face, Dainsleif chuckled. "I have spent centuries seeking death. Never would I have thought I'd yearn for mere seconds, but now I'd give anything for more time with you."
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Lumine's eyebrows furrowed as she laughed shakily. She bit her lips in an attempt to force her quivering mouth into a smile. Lumine gently wiped her tears off of Dainsleif's cheek as he smiled softly. It was a rare expression.
Together, they watched the clouds drift away in silence. Bittersweet hues of red, orange, and pink began to dye the sky as the sun rose above the horizon, marking the end of an era of suffering. Dainsleif faced up toward Lumine, but his eyes stared far past her. The soft beating of his heart had stilled to a peaceful silence, leaving only hers.
Lumine cradled his head tightly in her arms, rocking back and forth as she sobbed. Tears burned her cheeks as they streamed endlessly down her face. Her heart-wrenching cries echoed through the fallen palace. As the sun rose above the horizon, illuminating the spilled blood of the celestials, a new age had begun. The sky sang clear.
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