Chapter 64: The Three Stages

Lumi stirred as the morning light slipped through the curtains, disturbing her sleep. She shifted in her half-awake state and suddenly bumped into something warm beside her.

Her eyes slowly opened.

The moment they widened, she instantly flinched.

"Wha—what—wait..."

She pushed herself up slightly and looked around, only to find herself lying on Evan’s bed.

Her brows furrowed.

How did she end up here?

She vaguely remembered last night, sitting on the chaise and crying so hard that she could barely breathe. Evan had pulled her into his embrace, and she remembered clinging to his shirt while letting out all the tears she had been holding back for years.

After that... Nothing.

Lumi frowned harder, trying to piece together what had happened.

Had Evan carried her to the bed after she fell asleep?

That seemed like the most likely explanation.

She slowly looked toward the other side of the bed and froze.

There was someone lying beside her.

Tilting her head slightly, Lumi looked at the man who was still sleeping soundly. His usually neat hair was slightly messy, and without his usual cold expression, he looked strangely peaceful.

A small smile appeared on her lips.

"Thank you..." she mouthed silently.

She carefully reached out and lightly poked his cheek with her finger.

Soft.

Lumi smiled to herself and tried to pull her hand back. The moment she did, however, Evan’s hand suddenly caught her wrist.

Lumi froze.

Before she could react, his eyes slowly opened.

"Good morning..." His voice was still rough with sleep.

Lumi’s cheeks immediately warmed.

"G-Good morning..." She tried to pull her hand back, but Evan was still loosely holding her wrist.

Then he suddenly frowned and brought his free hand to his temple, rubbing it as though he had woken up with a terrible headache.

Lumi’s smile disappeared.

"Evan?"

He didn’t answer immediately. He closed his eyes, his brows still furrowed, and let out a quiet groan.

Lumi instantly became nervous. "Are you feeling sick?"

Evan remained silent.

"Is your head hurting?"

Still nothing.

Her eyes widened. "Rampage?"

Evan finally opened one eye.

Lumi’s voice became more frantic. "Are you suddenly going into Rampage? Do you feel like you can’t control your power again?"

Evan stared at her. Then his frown deepened. "No."

Lumi blinked. "No?"

He released her wrist and slowly sat up, running a hand through his messy hair. "I was just thinking."

"Thinking about what?" Her voice was strained.

Evan looked at her for a few seconds. Then, with a completely serious expression, he asked, "Would a morning kiss be enough?"

Lumi froze. "What?"

"I mean... this, ahem..." He cleared his throat, his expression still annoyingly calm. "This rabbit is acting up again."

Lumi went stiff. For a moment, she simply stared at him, trying to process what he had just said.

Then it took a full two seconds before she raised her hand and smacked his shoulder. "It’s not funny!"

Evan’s lips twitched before he pulled her back into his embrace, making both of them sink back onto the bed.

"I realized something while sleeping cuddling you the whole night."

Lumi moved her head slightly to look up at Evan beside her. "What is it?"

"My mind felt calm..." His voice had lost its teasing tone, becoming quieter as he looked toward the ceiling.

"I don’t think I’ve ever slept that peacefully after a Rampage. Usually, even when my body is exhausted, my mind never completely settles. There’s always something lingering in the back of my head."

Lumi quietly listened.

"But last night, nothing happened. I didn’t wake up once." His arm remained loosely around her, and his fingers absentmindedly brushed against her hair.

"I think being around you really does make a difference."

Lumi’s cheeks warmed. "Maybe because I was too noisy yesterday..."

"Your crying was not even loud."

"Oh..."

"And you fell asleep while holding onto my shirt."

Lumi immediately became embarrassed. "I did?"

"You did."

She quietly lowered her eyes, trying her best to recall but she was probably too comfortable to be in his embrace and fell asleep unconsciously.

A faint smile appeared on Evan’s face.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

Then Evan suddenly remembered something. "Actually... I booked a small rose garden two days ago."

Lumi lifted her head. "A rose garden?"

She looked at him with innocent curiosity, although she still felt awkwardly shy being held in his embrace.

"Hmm." Evan nodded. "I was thinking about doing the Fated Bonding Ceremony there." His expression became slightly thoughtful. "But after everything that happened these past few days, I completely forgot about the reservation. I only remembered last night when I received the notification."

Lumi’s eyes brightened. "Then let’s just do it today..."

She smiled. "It’s just a simple ceremony, right?"

"Simple ceremony?" Evan repeated the words slowly.

Lumi nodded. "Mm."

Evan’s lips pressed into a thin line.

He suddenly remembered every time Lumi had demonstrated just how little she knew about Fated Guides despite being one herself.

Apparently, she had somehow managed to survive this long without knowing what an actual Fated Bonding Ceremony involved.

"Right..." He looked at her. "Simple."

Lumi smiled, apparently satisfied with his answer. "Then we can go after breakfast?"

"Sure." Evan paused. "Although..."

Lumi looked at him again. "Hmm?"

"There are a few things you should know about the ceremony first."

Her smile faded slightly as she listened.

"The Fated Bonding Ceremony isn’t only about confirming the connection. There are three stages. The first is Fated Recognition, where the connection between the Sentinel and Guide is formally acknowledged. The second is Mental Synchronization."

Lumi listened quietly, her expression becoming more serious. "And the third?"

Evan hesitated briefly, "Physical Bonding."

The whole room fell silent again.

Lumi kept her eyes on Evan, while Evan watched her carefully, half-expecting her to become flustered or perhaps reconsider the ceremony altogether after hearing those words.

Instead, Lumi frowned slightly.

"Then..."

She paused, seemingly thinking about something that had happened before.

"The other time, were you going to proceed with all the stages of the ceremony with Celestine, even though you knew it was her?"

Evan froze.

For a moment, he simply stared at her.

Of all the questions he had expected from Lumi after mentioning Physical Bonding, that was definitely not one of them.