The moment Seojun's fingers pressed down on the keys again, the air around them thickened, vibrating with an unseen force. The music swirled through the ballroom like a rising tide, wrapping itself around the past and present versions of himself and Elias, defying time's attempt to keep them apart.
Alden remained still, watching, his sharp gaze unreadable. "You don't understand what you're doing," he warned, voice calm but firm. "Memories are delicate. They are not meant to be rewritten."
Elias tightened his grip on Seojun's hand. "Then why do I remember? Why do we both feel it so deeply if it was never meant to be?"
Alden's expression flickered, something almost akin to regret flashing across his face. "Because love is the strongest force of all. It lingers, even when it is buried beneath time. But that doesn't mean it should be resurrected."
Seojun's heart pounded as he kept playing, the melody building, demanding answers. "Then tell us, Alden. Tell us why this happened to us."
Alden sighed, stepping forward. The chandeliers dimmed, shadows creeping across the ballroom's marble floor. "Because once, long ago, you and Elias defied fate. You were given a choice one that no one else was ever granted."
Elias stiffened. "What choice?"
Alden's golden eyes locked onto him. "To love across lifetimes. But love like yours is powerful, unpredictable. It threatened to unravel everything. So the world intervened. It tried to erase you, to separate you."
Seojun's fingers faltered on the piano, a discordant note breaking through the harmony. "Then why do we remember now? Why didn't it work?"
Alden's jaw tightened. "Because you are stronger than fate. And that terrifies the ones who created this cycle."
Elias's eyes burned with determination. "Then we break the cycle. We finish the song."
Alden's gaze darkened. "If you do, you may never return to the present as you know it."
Seojun inhaled deeply, searching Elias's face. "If we stop now, we lose everything again. Are you willing to risk it?"
Elias didn't hesitate. "I've spent lifetimes searching for you. I won't let time steal you from me again."
Seojun nodded, his resolve hardening. He returned his hands to the piano, letting the melody guide him. The past and present versions of himself and Elias shimmered, growing clearer. Their love story was no longer just an echo it was real, tangible, and waiting to be reclaimed.
Alden stepped back, watching them with an unreadable expression. He didn't try to stop them this time.
The music swelled, golden threads weaving through the air, wrapping around Seojun and Elias like fate itself was rewriting its own rules. As the final notes rang out, a pulse of energy exploded outward, shattering the ballroom's illusions.
Seojun gasped, gripping Elias's hand as everything around them dissolved into light.
When the world steadied again, they were back in the music room. The air was still, the piano silent, but the weight in Seojun's chest had lifted.
Elias turned to him, brushing a trembling hand over Seojun's cheek. "We did it."
Seojun leaned into the touch, a tear slipping down his cheek. "We found our way back."
Alden's voice, softer than before, reached them. "You defied time. And in doing so, you have rewritten your own fate."
Elias met his gaze. "Then let fate catch up with us. We're not afraid anymore."
Seojun smiled, their hands still clasped together. Their love had endured across lifetimes, and now, finally, they had won.
Together, they stepped away from the piano not toward the past, but toward the future, ready to compose the next chapter of their love story on their own terms.