The soft glow of lanterns illuminated the garden, their golden light flickering against the dark sky. The night was still, save for the distant hum of cicadas and the occasional rustling of leaves. A gentle breeze carried the scent of wisteria through the air, intertwining with the faint charge of lingering electricity—an ever-present whisper of her power.

Mei stood beneath the archway adorned with violet blossoms, the delicate petals swaying slightly as if nature itself was holding its breath. She wore a traditional deep-blue qipao embroidered with silver streaks, reminiscent of lightning frozen mid-strike. The dress clung to her form gracefully, its fabric shimmering under the soft lantern light. Yet, despite her composed appearance, Mei’s fingers lightly trembled as she reached for the delicate paper in her hands.

Her heart skipped, not because of nervousness but because of him. Even after all this time, after all they had endured, he still had that effect on her. The moonlight bathed him in a silver glow, accentuating the sharp angles of his face, the quiet confidence in his stance, and the warmth in his eyes—the warmth that had never wavered, not even when she had walked a path shrouded in storms.

Mei had seen him in battle, unwavering at her side. She had seen him bruised and battered, standing firm even when others might have fallen. She had seen him at his gentlest, his hand reaching for hers in the quiet moments, offering silent reassurances that words could never match. And now, she saw him as he had always been to her—not just a warrior, not just her partner, but the man she had chosen to stand beside for the rest of her life.

She stepped closer, her fingers ghosting over the fabric of his sleeve before she reached for his hand.

“This place... it’s perfect, isn’t it?” she mused, tilting her head slightly. “I thought it would be fitting. After all, no matter how far we’ve come, no matter how much we’ve changed... I wanted this moment to be just for us.”

Her grip tightened slightly, as if afraid that letting go would make this moment slip away. She had once feared many things—losing control, losing herself, losing him. But he had stayed, through her struggles with power and identity. He had never once faltered.

A slow, fond smile played on her lips.

“You’re unfair, you know?” she murmured, letting her violet gaze trace over him, lingering just a moment longer than necessary. “You’re not supposed to look this good tonight. It’s distracting.”

A quiet chuckle escaped her as she shook her head. How does he do that? Even in the most solemn of moments, he could leave her flustered without trying.

But tonight wasn’t about distractions. It was about them.

Her violet eyes found him, standing before her, steady as always. The one constant in the storm of her life.

She had always been strong. Strong enough to wield the blade, strong enough to bear the weight of expectations, strong enough to embrace the Herrscher within. And yet, as she looked at him—at the person who had chosen to stay despite everything—she realized strength had taken on a new meaning.

“You’ve always been by my side,” she began, her voice soft yet unwavering. “Even when I didn’t deserve it. Even when I pushed you away.”

The memories surfaced unbidden—battlefields soaked in lightning, the scent of ozone and blood thick in the air, the countless times she had stood at the precipice of losing herself. When she had left to seek power, when she had stood on the opposite side of the battlefield, when her hands had been too stained with responsibility to reach for comfort—he had remained. He had fought for her, even when she hadn’t fought for herself.

Mei exhaled softly, a gentle smile gracing her lips.

"I once believed that power was the only way to protect what I loved. But you showed me something different. That love itself can be a kind of strength."

Her fingers traced the delicate edges of the vow she had written, but she didn’t need to read it. She had already memorized every word, every promise, every emotion woven into its lines.

She lifted his hand to her lips, pressing a kiss against his knuckles before lowering it gently.

“I have seen the worst of the world... and I have seen the best of it in you.” Mei smiled, a rare, unguarded expression of pure affection. “And so, standing here now, I make my vows to you once more—not out of obligation, not out of tradition, but because I want to.”

“I vow to cherish you as much as I once feared losing you,” she whispered, stepping closer. “Not as the Herrscher of Thunder, not as a warrior bound by duty, but as Mei. As your wife. To stand beside you, no longer as someone bound by fate, but as someone who chooses you—every single day.”

“The storms of my past will never disappear... but I promise you, my heart will always find its way back to you.”

The world was silent for a moment. Just them, standing beneath the wisteria, the wind carrying away her whispered vows.

Mei smiled, and as she leaned into him, resting her forehead against his, she knew. No power, no destiny, no force in existence could ever break what they had.

She didn’t need the world to accept her power. She didn’t need the past to be rewritten.

She only needed this moment. Him. Their love, unshaken despite all they had endured.

Now, in a more lighthearted, teasing tone, she whispered:

"Come now, it's your turn to flatter me."