The scene in the mirror dissolved, changing to another. This time the world was different. Smoke darkened the sky. The cottage and gardens lay in ruins. In the courtyard, the woman was looking up at fireballs streaking across the sky.
She lifted her eyes to the smoke-filled sky and roared in rage and anguish as explosions burst around the cottage. The man staggered forward, catching her when her knees collapsed. He tenderly cradled her in his arms as pain flashed across her face, and she placed her hand on her pregnant stomach.
The next scene shook Nali the most. Asahi cupped her hand and held the mirror steady when it wobbled. The woman lay on a pallet of blankets partially hidden by the collapsed roof. Shock, horror, and pain filled Nali when she realized the woman was dead. Beside her, the man held a newborn baby wrapped in a blanket. He removed a gold band from his wrist and kissed it. He gently unwrapped the baby and held the gold bracelet over the infant. Nali blinked when she realized that she was staring into her own curious eyes.
“We should have listened to the warnings. Our world here has ended. Please Goddess, I beg you to protect our daughter,” he whispered.
The gold in his hand dissolved and flowed over the infant. Her dark brown eyes shimmered and changed to gold. The man wrapped the infant again and tenderly caressed the long curls of black hair peeking out from under the blanket. He looked over his shoulder and stood. Nali’s heart ached when she saw the man’s expression. A tear escaped and slid down her cheek at the intense mixture of emotions running through her. Grief, resignation, and acceptance filled her at the sight of the approaching pyroclastic flow.
She knew what it felt like to watch the end of the world approaching. Memories and emotions flooded her as the familiar sense of helplessness swept over her. She had felt the same intense emotions of grief, resignation, and acceptance the man was experiencing when she thought she had lost Asahi.
The image changed again. This time softening around the edges and focusing on one tiny spot—the baby. A gateway opened and delicate golden hands reached down to pick up the tiny infant.
“Xyrie,” she breathed.
Xyrie smiled and locked eyes with the adult Nali watching in the mirror. “There are pleas we cannot ignore. Your father once came to my assistance. Aminta gave him the symbiot bracelet in return, to use if he should ever need help. She could not save your world, but she could save you. On the day your father asked her to protect you, another father asked for a child to love. Aminta knew you would fit in on this world and asked that I help keep an eye on you,” she explained.
“Thank you,” Nali murmured in a voice thick with emotion.
“What about Phoenix?” Asahi asked as the image faded.
“She is safe,” Xyrie said in a far-away voice.
Nali stared at her and Asahi’s reflection. She met his gaze and gave him a watery smile. He tightened his hold on her hand when the mirror vanished. Turning in her chair, she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head against his shoulder.
He tenderly rubbed her back as she quietly cried. Her adoptive parents had shared how they found her, but they could never tell her where she came from—or about her birth parents. Their love had filled her heart, and she had accepted that the Goddess had brought her here because this was where she belonged. Now her heart ached for her biological parents, and it pained her to know that she would never meet them.
“I wish I could take your pain,” Asahi murmured, kissing her temple.
She sniffed and sat back. Asahi picked up one of the cloth napkins and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. She threaded her fingers through his and kissed him before leaning back. The love in his eyes warmed her and helped ease her pain.
“You do whenever you hold me. I love you,” she whispered, tracing his face from his temple down to his chin. “Thank you.”
“Aishiteru,” he quietly replied as he kissed her fingers. “You never have to thank me.”
She sighed when he turned, poured two glasses of wine, and handed one to her. It was then that she noticed an unusual glow in his dark brown eyes—a swirl of gold that she didn’t remember seeing before. He smiled.
“What is that in your eyes?” she asked.
“I do feel different. The dream I had, it was not just about you,” he confessed.
She lifted an eyebrow in inquiry. “What happened in the dream?” she asked.
He placed his cup on the table and rose to his feet. She tilted her head in curiosity when he held his hand out to her. With a tired sigh, she placed her cup on the table, slid her hand into his, and stood up. A small gasp slipped from her when he pulled her into his arms. The breath from his light chuckle caressed the skin near her ear.
“I dreamed that I could fly,” he murmured.
Her lips parted in shock when a pair of beautiful golden wings slowly appeared out of Asahi’s back and wrapped around her. She gazed up at him, trying to understand. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss against her parted lips.
“Aminta…,” she whispered as she reached out and touched his soft feathers.
“A gift,” he replied with a nod.
She cradled the back of his head and leaned forward, capturing his lips. Her heart swelled with love. He tenderly caressed her back, drawing a groan from her when his hands dipped lower. She tangled her fingers in his hair and looked up at him with a gasp.
“I want you, Asahi,” she said, her voice growing desperate with need.
He laughed
