Ashes to Ashes

Somewhere in the in-between — not life, not death — two souls circled each other in fire and frost. Always too late. Always just one breath away. Luna burned, and Ash froze, and the world paid the price every time. She had died on the battlefield of stars. He had crumbled in the ruins of a church older than memory. Once, she drowned with his name on her lips. Once, he tore his heart from his chest to keep her warm. And still, the gods called it fate. But gods are lazy. Petty. They like reruns.They live for the drama regardless of who or what will be destroyed. Only one remembered the original ending. Ozriel, the god who fell when they first rose. Buried in silence, walled in myth, he waited for the cycle to begin again — and break. This time, he whispered, the fire will not be reborn. This time, the frost will crack and not hold. This time, I win. --- Beneath stars dimmed by centuries of disappointment, Luna opened her eyes. And somewhere else in the world, so did Ash. This time, they wouldn’t remember until it was almost too late. But this life? This life was the last one.