"It's just that…" Levy said quietly, voice low and almost breathless, "…getting boons from those shitty gods comes with a price."

Aurora, who had been staring at the dull blue stones of the cage floor, snapped her head toward him with clear surprise. "A boon?" she repeated, stunned. "You received a boon too?"

The way she asked it carried a spark.. a sudden flicker of connection. Because she have a boon too. And the rarity of that alone made the moment feel strangely intimate, as if they had just discovered a secret thread tying their fates together.

But that brief spark dimmed when Levy shook his head lightly.

"Well, not me exactly," Levy said, tone softening. "But my ancestors. Just like yours. The difference is… we don't receive it individually. It gets passed down every generation whether we want it or not. And honestly? It's not really a good thing if you ask me. I think you'd be aware of that feeling too."

Aurora's face which moments ago had brightened at the thought of similarity slowly sank into silence. Her shoulders relaxed a bit, but in the tired, defeated way of someone who has heard a truth she already knew too well.

"…Yeah." Her voice came out faint. "I know how that is."

She hugged her knees closer without meaning to, looking small despite her immortal body.

"So," she exhaled softly, "what did it cost you?"

Levy's eyes drifted downward, away from her.

Something in his expression tightened, pulling shadows over his usual playful lightness. He wasn't avoiding her he was falling into some old memory that clearly hurt to touch.

"Price that every generation of my family has paid," he murmured. "And… I no longer want to continue it. I think it'd be best to end it with me."

Aurora frowned, sensing the weight in his words. She could tell he wasn't saying everything not even anything actually. His words felt more like riddles.

"You don't want to talk about it?" Aurora asked softly, her tone strangely gentle despite her earlier irritation with him.

Levy didn't answer her question. Instead, he asked a quiet one of his own, lifting his eyes to her.

"Can I not?"

It wasn't sarcasm. It wasn't avoidance.

It was someone asking permission to stay silent an honest plea.

Aurora looked at him for several seconds, processing his expression. Then a small smile formed on her lips not bright, not teasing, but warm and understanding.

"Don't," she said gently. "Not if you're not comfortable. Tell me when you are. I'll listen."

Levy nodded gratefully.

They both fell silent again.

This time, it wasn't awkward.

Just… quiet.

Heavy.

Like two people sitting beside each other holding invisible weights neither could name.

Minutes passed like that before Levy slowly spoke again.

"…What about you?" he asked. "What's the price your family pays for their boon? Of course only if you're comfortable telling me."

His face showed genuine curiosity, but also the subtle expectation that her price might be just as cruel as his. After all, divine gifts rarely came cheap.

Aurora released a breath a light, small chuckle escaping with it.

"Well," she said, brushing some loose strands of Dark black hairs away from her face, "every generation before me was lucky. It's just me that got it bad." She shrugged, half joking, half painfully honest. "Just my bad luck, I guess."

Levy tilted his head slightly, listening closely.

Aurora continued, her tone turning calmer, like she had explained this a thousand times in her head before.

"The boon my ancestor received was from Vareth the Creation God. Apparently, my ancestor pleased him. Devotion, loyalty, belief… whatever it was, he made Vareth happy enough to grant him a boon." Her eyes floated upward, following imaginary stars.

"It's said my ancestor was Vareth's greatest devotee at the time. So the boon he received was… immortality. But not the absolute kind."

Her voice softened. "There's a time limit to it."

Levy's eyebrows slowly rose already aware of this much from yograj ofcourse except limit to it.

Aurora nodded. "Yeah… that time limit gets passed down too. Each generation inherits the same immortality and receives the best ability suited for them. Just like my father got his, and I got mine."

She sighed.

"…But," Aurora continued, "each generation's lifespan becomes half of their parent's."

Levy straightened at that, his earlier relaxed posture stiffening. His eyes widened remembering the words Yograj had spoken about his own remaining lifespan.

Everything suddenly made sense.

"…You mean?" Levy asked, voice quieter than before.

Aurora gave him a bitter smile the kind that tried to hide hurt but only made it more visible.

"My father can only live for 80 years," she said steadily. "So I can only live for 40."

She looked away, the metal bars reflecting faintly in her pink eyes.

"I'm twenty-nine now." Her smile wavered but stayed. "So… yeah. I only have eleven years left."

Silence.

Levy felt something inside him sink sharply like a stone dropped into deep ocean.

He hadn't expected that.

He hadn't even known such a thing was possible.

His already slumped, exhausted posture somehow slumped further, as if the cage bars behind him were the only things keeping him upright.

He wanted to say something.. anything that would ease the weight of her confession. Something comforting. Something hopeful.

But nothing came.

Because what words could fix something like that?

He didn't even realize his jaw had clenched.

Aurora glanced sideways, seeing his reaction.

Her smile.. small, fragile softened around the edges.

"Yeah… that is why I hate this immortality."

Aurora's voice trembled not weakly, but with controlled bitterness she'd held in for years. She wasn't crying, but her eyes had that glassy shine of someone who had cried too many times already.

"You asked last time why I'm not satisfied with immortality, right?" She continued. "This is why. Because this isn't immortality. And this.." her voice thickened, "this is also the reason why I… don't like that bastard."

Her fists tightened at her sides, knuckles white, nails digging into her palms.

"He knew. He was aware of what would happen to me. And he still had me." Her tone was steady at first.. flat, almost emotionless but the anger crept in word by word until it was burning openly. "He knew… and he didn't care. One fun night for him… and now I suffer for the rest of my very short life."

Her pink eyes darkened with fury.

"And then he has the audacity to say it was a mistake." Her lip trembled. "I swear I want to kill him if I could, I would. I don't want to call him my father at all. If not for the fact I wanted to know what it feels like to… to have one… I would've cut him off long ago."

There was no humor left. No playfulness. Just raw, ugly truth.

Before she could say anything else, Levy straightened his half-dead, weakened body as much as he could. It wasn't graceful more like a dying man forcing himself upright but he did it anyway.

"Hey, hey… no, no," he said quickly, reaching out to her. He grabbed her hand with what little strength he had and held it firmly between his own.

"You aren't a mistake," Levy said softly but with unexpected firmness. "Don't ever regret being born. Ever. That sounds… wrong. Really wrong."

He looked into her eyes as he whispered the next words.

"It's fine. Just… don't say that again."

Aurora looked down at their hands her small pale fingers wrapped by both of his and her lashes trembled. She didn't pull away.

"I just… regret all of this," she whispered. "I know. If I were in his position, I'd never have kids. Not knowing they'd suffer like this."

"It's fine," Levy repeated gently. He brought his other hand up and placed it on hers too, sandwiching her trembling hand between his warm palms.

She looked at him not speaking, but her eyes said thank you.

Silence settled around them again, deeper this time. Heavy… but not suffocating. Almost grounding, in a strange way.

Levy suddenly let out a breathy laugh.

"Well… now that I think about it," he said, smiling tiredly, "our situations aren't really that different."

Aurora blinked. "How?"

"We're both scared to have kids," Levy said, a dry chuckle following. "I don't want my fate passed to my kid either. That's also the reason I don't want to marry someone."

He leaned back again, though the bars dug painfully into his spine.

"I want to have a kid.. I do. But I don't want to at the same time, because it would be painful to me and also.. who would marry someone who says, 'Hey, let's be together, but no kids ever'? That's sad, right? Like… what's the point of a love that never gets to grow?"

He laughed again.. but it was a hollow laugh, full of resignation.

Aurora stared at him, mouth slowly parting in disbelief. Not mocking disbelief stunned disbelief.

Another similarity.

Another shared burden.

Another piece of him that mirrored her more than she could have imagined.

This was… too many coincidences.

She felt her heartbeat pick up.

Her chest tightened strangely.

For the first time since entering this horrible cage, she felt something other than fear or irritation.

She felt understood.

Levy noticed her expression her wide eyes, her parted lips, the soft shock.

He smiled gently at the sight.

And then

His mouth moved.

But not because he decided anything.

It just… moved.

"Wanna be my girlfriend?" he blurted.

Silence.

Complete, utter silence.

Aurora froze.

Her brain stopped.

Her entire body stiffened like she'd turned into a statue carved from pure embarrassment.

"…Wait. Wait WHAT?"

Her voice cracked. "WHAT did you just say?!"

She looked like she'd been stabbed by surprise, not pain.

Her whole face flushed pink from shock.

One hand flew up to her chest, the other clutching the iron bars for stability.

Did he

Did this idiot

Did this man actually

Propose?!

In a cage.

Starving.

Half dying.

Surrounded by slave traders.

In the middle of the goddamn ocean. Like what the fuck? This is the worst time to propose Someone..

Levy looked equally horrified. His eyes widened, mouth dropping open slightly, as if he, too, couldn't believe what just escaped him.

He didn't mean to say it.

He REALLY didn't.

His heart acted before his brain.

"I.. I" Levy swallowed. "I didn't.. I mean I didn't mean.. It just came out?"

He stared at her like a criminal caught red-handed.

Still, the words were said. The arrow was already in the air. He couldn't take it back.

Aurora's shocked expression slowly softened into something unreadable. She swallowed once… hard.

Then she closed her mouth.

Looked him in the eyes.

And said, in the calmest, most emotionless voice

"…Yes."

Levy froze.

He stared at her, eyes wide, eyebrows climbing high up his forehead.

"…Wait." He leaned forward slightly. "Wait, wait WHAT yes?"

Aurora's face flushed brighter than before as she looked away, then back at him, then away again.

"I said… yes," she murmured. "I'll… be your girlfriend."

Levy blinked.

"My girlfriend?" he repeated, baffled.

Aurora nodded stiffly, still pink. "Yes."

A beat of silence.

"So I have a girlfriend now??" Levy asked, voice cracking like an excited twelve year old.

Another beat.

Aurora covered her face with both hands.

"…Yes."

Both of them sat there, frozen, the awkwardness so thick it could've formed its own cage.

Levy's brain: WHAT HAVE I DONE?

Aurora's brain: WHY DID I SAY YES?!

Reality: they were now boyfriend and girlfriend.

Surrounded by iron bars. Starving, kidnapped And very likely to be dead or sold.

And somehow…

This was the moment their hearts decided to start a relationship.

Aurora peeked between her fingers, seeing Levy staring blankly into nothing like his soul had temporarily left his body.

She slowly lowered her hands.

"…So," she whispered, barely audible, "what do we do now?"

Levy stared forward, expression dazed.

He opened his mouth.

Closed it.

Opened it again.

"I… I don't know," he admitted honestly.

Aurora nodded stiffly. "Me neither."

They stared at each other again.

Then both quickly looked away, faces burning.

Aurora, who had been staring blankly at the cage floor a moment ago, suddenly froze as a thought struck her like lightning. Her eyes widened.

"No no no… let's not do it," she whispered quickly, almost panicked.

"Huh? Why not?" Levy blinked, still floating in the warm haze of happiness from earlier. He looked up at her with startled confusion, as if someone had yanked him out of a dream mid-sentence.

Aurora gulped, her throat bobbing visibly. "I mean… I only have 11 years to live. Th-that… that would be bad for you." Her voice broke into fragments, her fingers curling and uncurling nervously as she avoided his eyes.

Levy instantly shook his head like a madman. "Ayooo no, no, no don't worry, don't worry about it," he said, gripping her hand tighter with surprising strength for someone half-dead. "Eleven years with such a beautiful girl would be worth it. Don't stress about that. I accept this marriage."

He said it so proudly that it stunned even himself.

Aurora blinked once.

Then again.

Then, in the most deadpan tone possible:

"Good then. Deal."

She nodded like a robot sealing a business agreement.

And then

Her eyes widened again.

"Wait… what marriage?? Aren't we going too fast?!" she practically shouted, staring blankly at his face like he had just committed a federal-level stupidity.

Levy's mouth opened.

Closed.

Opened again.

"I mean… I… uh… I don't know…" His voice cracked pathetically.

Aurora pressed her fingers to her forehead, shaking her head at him like he was some lost, hopeless case.

She suddenly stood up.. fast making the entire cage rattle loudly as she rose.

"Wait this can't be like this," she said urgently. "You're going to die like this… in one more day. I can't let my boyfriend die like that. Now I definitely have to do something. I can't let.."

But Levy heard nothing after "my boyfriend."

His brain shut down his soul leaving his body as his eyes glazed over dreamily as if he had entered paradise.

My boyfriend… Her voice echoed in his skull like a heavenly choir repeating it over and over and over:

my boyfriend… my boyfriend… my boyfriend…

"Oye?!" Aurora leaned down and shook him literally shook his half-dead body. He wobbled like a limp noodle, still dazed.

"Don't be dazed! We don't have much time now," she snapped, tapping his cheek. "Come on! Wake up! Oh and what was your ability again?"

Levy blinked rapidly, reality stabbing him in the brain. Right. They were in a cage. Danger, starvation and death approaching.

Not honeymoon.

"My ability… well…" he muttered. "That… that is sealed."

Aurora stared at him like he just confessed to being allergic to oxygen.

"Sealed? Huh?" Her expression was pure speechless disbelief.

Levy sighed deeply, like someone carrying a generational burden.

"Well… my ancestors, after seeing how disgusting and unexpected the price of the boon was, made up their minds that they wouldn't use the ability. They thought if they rejected it entirely, maybe the gods would feel ashamed and remove the curse part of the boon from themselves or outright take this whole boon back themselve. So… it was sealed. Locked away. Since many, many generations ago."

Aurora's jaw dropped open.

"Wait.. WHAT?! Were your ancestors restarted?? Who SEALS their own boon??Who does that?!" She genuinely looked offended on his behalf.

Levy shrugged helplessly. "Well… with how much pain it has given us, I don't want to use it either. I'd feel disgusted to do so."

Aurora just stared at him her eyes widening slowly.Confusion turning into disbelief And Disbelief turning into..

"What is your boon again?" she asked carefully.

Levy hesitated.

Silent for a moment.

Then he said quietly:

"Illusion Heart."

Aurora blinked again. Levy continued, voice low and steady as if reciting something ancient.

"Well… it's an illusion so powerful that it can be cast on anyone. Even on supreme gods themselves. My ancestor didn't believe in fighting or killing. He thought all hate, war, killing everything ugly could be stopped with just dreams.. As teaching them within it. So he asked the god of creation for a power like that. A power that could be cast on anyone regardless of their strength."

"But the thing is…" he said slowly, "it can only be cast on one person at a time. And when the illusion forms, the caster doesn't have to create anything manually. The illusion comes to life on its own… shaped entirely from whatever the target most desires, longs for, or secretly dreams of."

Aurora blinked once, confused and intrigued.

Levy continued, his tone steady.

"Love, comfort, success, peace, fantasies they never had the courage to admit… anything. Their senses accept it fully sight, sound, scent, touch, even the emotional atmosphere. And time itself bends inside it. To the person caught in the illusion, the illusion feels more real than the real world."

He lifted one weak hand, gesturing vaguely.

"Their body stays still, yes… but their mind lives completely inside the crafted dream."

Aurora's lips twitched.

Levy added, "Well… yeah, I can temper with the illusion too. Adjust it however I want. But if I don't interfere, it becomes a perfectly formed illusion by itself. And I can control time, scenario.. anything inside it.. if I want."

Aurora's lips twitched harder.

She crouched down slowly in front of him…

Then lifted his chin with two fingertips, her expression somewhere between disbelief, horror, and wanting to smack him for stupidity.

"Are. You. Fucking. Idiot?" she asked in a dangerously calm voice.

Levy blinked innocently.

She leaned closer, her pink eyes widening.

"Who seals this kind of ability?! This is just this is OVERPOWERED. What the actual fuck. You could literally be the strongest person in the world with this. You can put ANYONE in an illusion regardless of strength?? EVEN GODS?!"

She shook his chin lightly.

"This is this is ridiculous! Why are we wasting time sitting in a rust bucket cage?! USE IT! Now! Break the seal! Remove it! Do ANYTHING!"

Levy exhaled softly.

"It's… it's not really as powerful as you think," he murmured, shaking his head.

Aurora stared at him with a deadpan expression.

"What more do you want? This is far better than anything I've heard till now," she muttered under her breath.

"No, see there is one problem," Levy said, raising one finger with a dramatically serious expression.

Aurora narrowed her eyes, sensing the coming stupidity.

"The person inside the illusion… will know it's an illusion," Levy said. "And they can leave it. If they want."

Aurora froze.

Then she exploded.

"WAIT WHAT?! That's stupid! What's the point of an illusion if someone can just just WALK OUT of it? This is now the STUPIDEST boon I've ever heard of! Useless! No wonder your ancestors sealed it, what kind of.."

Now levy looked tragically offended.

"Well… it's not THAT stupid…" he whispered under his breath.

Aurora squinted at him.

"How is it not? Who would WANT to stay in an illusion KNOWING it's fake?" she asked, genuinely speechless.

Levy looked down. Then looked up again, eyes meeting hers.

A small, confident smile appeared on his face.

"You make the illusion so beautiful… that even knowing it's fake, the person still wants to live inside it forever."

Aurora's lips twitched again.

"And no… they can't break the illusion instantly," Levy continued. "They can leave, but only after one minute passes inside the illusion. Which is… one second in the real world just so you know."

Aurora stared.

Silently.

Completely torn between:

This is broken

and

This is idiotic

She finally sighed and shook her head.

"Sounds very… lovely… to me," she said slowly, clearly just choosing not to insult him anymore. "So. Go on. Break the seal. Let's see this 'illusion' of yours."

Levy's lips twitched now.

"Well… about that…"

Aurora frowned.

He scratched his neck awkwardly.

"I actually… really don't know how to break it."

Aurora stared at him.

"…What do you mean, you don't?" she asked.

Levy didn't even get the chance to answer.

Because

CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.

A harsh metallic ringing echoed through the cage.

Both turned sharply toward the noise.

Someone was striking the bars with a steel rod loudly, carelessly, enough to make the rusted iron vibrate and groan.

The sound stabbed through the quiet moment and made both of them jolt like startled cats.

"Alright! All the cages are full now!"

A rough, wet, gurgly voice boomed from behind them.

They turned completely

And standing there was the same octopus-looking man from their first day. Tall, slimy with shabby clothes on and a half-rotted iron pipe stuck in what counted as his mouth..

He looked down at them with the same mixture of boredom and disappointment a fisherman has when catching garbage instead of fish.

"Krill of the seas," he muttered. "Come on out now. Gotta give this space to something valuable for once."

He tapped the metal again with the rod, sneering.

"Seriously… wasting a whole cage on you two. Should've thrown you into the holding pits instead."

The octopus man said as lookimg at them like they were worthless, insignificant, barely worth his time exactly how someone would look at two broken seashells washed ashore.

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Thanks for reading, everyone. And sorry for the broken update schedule. My brother was in an accident, so things have been hectic these past few days. But he's fine now, so no worries. And hey, I still haven't missed a single update, so the author isn't such a bad person after all. Thank you all so much for reading. I really appreciate the support and your understanding.

Shoutout to our lovely reader Ym3274 for the massage chair. Appreciate it, mate. Thanks for the constant support and always showing extra love for the work. Btw 3.6k Words ch.

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