The warm, golden afterglow of the Rite lingered in the room, a stark contrast to the chaotic energy that had preceded it. Shin lay on his side, catching his breath, the raw power of the Sun still humming faintly in his veins. He turned to look at Solara, expecting to see the same fiery, embarrassed girl from before.
But she was different.
She slowly sat up, the silks pooling around her waist. Her fiery hair was a beautiful mess, and her face, no longer flushed with defiance or embarrassment, was serene. Her sky-blue eyes, when they met his, were filled with a hazy, reverent awe.
Before he could even process the change, she slid off the bed and knelt on the floor, pressing her forehead to the cool stone in a gesture of absolute, total submission.
Shin's eyes widened. He shot up into a sitting position, clutching the silks to his waist. "Again? Seriously?" he muttered to himself. The image of Valeria, prostrated before him in the plaza, flashed through his mind. Was this going to happen every single time?
"Shin," Solara's voice whispered from the floor, filled with a newfound sincerity that was both touching and deeply unsettling. "Let me become your concubine. I am willing to give you everything."
She lifted her head, her eyes shining with an emotion that looked terrifyingly like devotion. "Including your children, even though I'm a... I'm a..." She hesitated, a flicker of old sadness crossing her features. "I'm a celestial being. It should not be possible. But for you... I would try."
Shin just stared, his mind a complete blank. This was the same girl who, less than an hour ago, was threatening to throw him out of the world.
Then, as if a switch had been flipped, the full weight of her words crashed down on her. Her eyes widened in horror. A blush so deep and furious it could have outshone her own celestial form spread across her entire body.
"WHAT DID I JUST SAY?!" she shrieked, leaping to her feet. "WHAT WAS I THINKING?!"
Without another word, she turned and fled the room, a golden blur of pure, unadulterated mortification. The sound of her bare feet slapping against the marble floor echoed down the corridor until it faded into silence.
Shin was left alone in the silent, golden room, more confused than ever. He turned to the doorway where Luna was leaning, watching the entire spectacle with a knowing, amused smile.
"Luna," Shin said, his voice pleading. "What is going on? Why does this keep happening? Valeria did the exact same thing."
Luna pushed herself off the doorframe and walked into the room, her movements graceful and serene. She sat on the edge of the bed, her expression softening as she looked at him.
"The Rite is not about domination, my love," she began, her voice a gentle explanation. "It is about resonance. You don't just take their power; you connect with it. You become a focal point, an anchor for their immense energy."
She gestured vaguely in the direction Solara had run. "Think of them. Valeria is a warrior, her power is a disciplined, destructive force. Solara is the Sun, her power is chaotic, creative, and boundless. They are incredible, but their energy is wild, like a storm."
She took his hand, her touch grounding him. "You, my king, with your Aura of Kingship, are the calm in the center of that storm. When you perform the Rite, you forge a bond. You show them you can not only handle their power but can give it purpose and direction. For a being whose entire existence is defined by their overwhelming, untamed nature, the feeling of being perfectly understood, grounded, and anchored is... overwhelming."
Shin stared at her, the pieces clicking into place. "So it's not mind control?"
"No," Luna said, shaking her head. "It's the purest form of respect. It's a fundamental, magical acknowledgment that you are their king. Their true king. The one who can finally understand them. That feeling manifests as absolute loyalty and devotion."
She squeezed his hand, a mischievous glint in her cosmic eyes. "So, yes. It will probably happen every time. Get used to it, my husband. You are not just a king. You are an anchor."
Shin fell back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling. He wasn't just a man in a new world. He was a magical lightning rod for the most powerful women in existence. His reign, he realized, was going to be very, very complicated.
Shin fell back against the pillows, the silks cool against his skin. His mind was a whirlwind, trying to anchor itself to the impossible truths Luna had just revealed. He wasn't just a king; he was an anchor for powerful, untamed women. A lightning rod for their devotion.
Even a goddess like her, he thought, his mind drifting back to Valeria, the proud warrior who had prostrated herself before him. The memory was still surreal.
"Yes, my husband," Luna's soft voice answered his unspoken thought.
He turned his head to see her moving with a silent grace, settling onto the bed beside him. The mattress barely dipped under her weight. She turned onto her side, propping her head up with one hand, and simply watched him. Her cosmic eyes, usually filled with the wisdom of ages, now held a softer, more vulnerable light.
She reached out, her fingers gently tracing the line of his jaw. "Actually, I want the rite too, my husband," she whispered, her voice barely audible in the quiet room. "I want the rite, too."
Her thumb brushed his lower lip, a touch that was both tender and filled with a longing that took him by surprise.
"You haven't even touched me," she murmured, a hint of sadness in her tone. "You claimed a warrior and tamed the Sun, but your own queen... you have not even touched me."
Shin opened his mouth to respond, to say something, anything, to reassure her. But when he looked into her eyes, he saw her expectant, loving gaze... and then he felt the overwhelming, leaden weight of exhaustion pulling him down. He tried to fight it, to stay awake for her, but it was a battle he couldn't win.
His eyelids fluttered and closed. His breathing evened out into the slow, steady rhythm of deep sleep.
Luna watched him, her hand still resting on his cheek. A soft, resigned sigh escaped her lips. He was only mortal, after all. He had been through more in a single day than most men experience in a lifetime.
Her gaze drifted upwards, towards the magical dome of the ceiling. Her breath caught.
The two moons were gone.
In their place, the brilliant, warm sun of Astera was already shining down, its golden rays filling the chamber with a soft, morning light. It was far too soon. The cycle had been thrown off.
A slow, knowing smile touched Luna's lips, followed by a fond, exasperated shake of her head.
"Solara," she whispered to the empty room, her voice a mix of amusement and slight annoyance. "You were too fast this time."