The velvet box held a silver ring adorned with a pale pink gemstone.
"Dreamkiss" — happiness as fleeting as dreams, love as tender as a kiss.
Even among the Family's treasures, this ring was unique. Its gemstone crystallized from countless loving dreams, symbolizing eternal devotion. Priceless and irreplaceable, it was the artifact Anming had bartered from the Family.
When Sunday first saw Anming's name on the transaction log, he nearly mobilized to "enlighten" the man with his Primordial Act. But learning it was Dreamkiss gave him pause.
So the fool finally let go of Robin.
Though Sunday itched to smite Anming with cosmic judgment, this outcome pleased him. Let Robin see her beloved choose a ghost over her. Let her heartbreak sever ties forever.
Memory Fragment: Stellaron Hunters' Base
Firefly stared at the ring, galaxies swirling in her eyes. She remembered drifting through the cosmos after Gramr's fall—directionless, clutching their last photo.
Why fight when no one remains to protect?
The curse of immortality mended her body but not her shattered soul.
Until a violet-haired woman materialized from stardust, hand outstretched:
"Let's find your purpose."
At Elio's sanctuary, Firefly voiced her plea:
"I want... to understand why I live."
What meaning could existence hold without Anming? The universe turned suffocatingly dark, no hand to pull her from the abyss.
Silver Wolf clasped her trembling fingers. "We'll walk this road together."
Later, Blade joined their ragtag family. A photo of Anming and Firefly took pride of place in the base, fresh balloon flowers renewed daily before it.
She wandered neon cities and amber deserts, piloting SAM across galaxies. Aurora borealis dazzled her; meteor showers painted skies. Some greeted her with kindness, others with blades.
Time bled through her fingers like stardust.
Seven years—they say that's how long it takes to forget a lover.
Firefly weathered centuries of seven-year cycles. The seven years with Anming on Gramr outweighed all others—an eternity condensed.
Memory Fragment: Gramr's Wasteland
"I dreamed of scorched earth."
Ash and metal, all that remained of Zone A07.
"A single bud broke through."
Your voice: "Shine gently, like fireflies."
"It bloomed at dawn, whispering…"
Your hands teaching mine to hold, to love, to be.
"Moths to flame—"
To reach you again.
"Born from death."
Live. Meet. Repeat.
Present: Everwinter Hill
Tears traced constellations down Firefly's cheeks as the meteor shower crested. She finally understood—she wasn't unique. Countless souls drifted like her. But in Anming's eyes alone, she was the miracle.
"Yes."
Her whisper carried seven centuries of longing. The ring slid onto her finger, its glow rivaling the auroras.
Anming's arms tightened around her. "I kept you waiting."
"I'm good at waiting." She buried her face in his coat, breathing his scent—real, solid, here. "Because…"
Sunlight fractured through falling meteors as she leaned up, tears mingling with their kiss:
"I love you."
No more nightmares. No more cold beds. His heartbeat against hers rewrote every lonely night spent clutching that photo.
When they parted, Firefly stepped back onto the snowfield, ring glittering.
"Let me show you everything."
Her smile held galaxies—not as Gramr's knight or a Hunter, but as Firefly.
The wind carried her promise:
My soul, my scars, my endless tomorrows—all yours.