The sleek, obsidian elevator hummed softly as it ascended, each rising floor amplifying the knot of anxiety in my stomach. Julia's penthouse, once a sanctuary, now felt like the gateway to a confrontation I both desperately needed and deeply feared.

The elevator doors slid open silently. I stepped out, my heart pounding, and saw him standing by the far window, his back to me, a solitary figure silhouetted against the sprawling cityscape. He hadn't turned, but I knew he knew I was there. An almost imperceptible stillness had fallen over him.

Taking a deep breath, I found my voice, the sound surprisingly steady in the vast space. "Levi."

He turned slowly, his expression unreadable in the soft light. His eyes, those intense, captivating eyes that had once held warmth, now seemed distant, assessing. There was no immediate rush to greet me, no familiar smile. Just a quiet, watchful stillness.

A long moment of silence stretched between us. Levi finally broke the silence, his voice calm and measured, devoid of any discernible emotion.

"Raphael. You've come back."

Not surprise, not exactly welcome, but something akin to inevitability.

He took a step towards me, closing the distance slowly, deliberately. His gaze remained fixed on mine, and I felt a familiar pull, that magnetic intensity that had always drawn me to him. But now, it was overlaid with a layer of apprehension, a wariness that kept me rooted to the spot.

"How are you?" he asked, his voice softening slightly, the familiar warmth flickering at the edges. It was the Levi I knew, the one who cared, the one who could still make my heart ache with a confusing mix of love and fear.

My voice, though trembling slightly, held a sharper edge than I intended. "My week was shitty, Levi. I saw nightmares. I could still hear the echoes of your heels in the council room. Every time I closed my eyes, I was back there, watching..." I trailed off.

I met his gaze, trying to read the emotions swirling beneath the surface. "So, no, I haven't been particularly well. How was yours? I saw your broadcast. It seems your revolution is proceeding smoothly. Minimal bloodshed, maximum impact. Quite the achievement."

A flicker of something – annoyance? understanding? – crossed Levi's features before being quickly masked by a neutral expression. "The transition has been... efficient," he conceded, his tone carefully measured. "Necessary. There was a great deal of rot that needed to be excised. As for your nightmares... I regret that you had to witness that aspect of it."

It was a politician's answer, smooth and deflective.

He took another step closer, and I instinctively tensed. "But you're here now, Raphael. Why?" His gaze was intense, probing, as if he were trying to decipher my motives.

"I either skip the country and run away from you," I admitted, my voice trembling slightly, "live my life looking over my shoulder, terrified of the day you might find me..."

I met his intense gaze, refusing to back down. "Or else... I really don't know, Levi. I'm torn. Part of me wants to understand. Part of me wants to scream. Part of me... is still foolishly clinging to the ghost of the man I thought I loved."

"Running would be... unwise, Raphael," he said, his voice low and even. "For both of us. You would spend your life looking over your shoulder, as you said. And I... I would always know you were out there, a loose end. Unresolved."

He took another step closer, his presence now almost overwhelming. "But you didn't run. You came here. That suggests a certain... courage. Or perhaps," he tilted his head slightly, his gaze piercing, "a lingering hope that there is still something here worth fighting for."

He wasn't entirely wrong.

“Yeah. Why did you show me, that council room? Why did you do that?”

A muscle twitched in Levi's jaw. His intense gaze didn't waver. "That... was a miscalculation," he admitted, his voice low, almost a murmur. "A necessary, albeit unpleasant, part of the process. Your reaction... was not anticipated. I showed you because... you are my husband, Raphael. My partner. In time, you would have needed to understand the realities of what needed to be done. The depth of the corruption. The necessity of decisive action."

He took another step, closing the remaining distance between us. His presence was now a palpable force. "Perhaps it was too soon. Perhaps I underestimated your... sensitivity." There was a subtle emphasis on the last word, and I couldn't tell if it was a genuine acknowledgment of my feelings or a veiled criticism. "But the truth remains, Raphael. Ascaria was rotting from the inside out. What I did was necessary to save it."

“Are you gonna, instill democracy, now? Was that your end game?”

A hint of a smile touched his lips. "Democracy," he repeated, the word rolling off his tongue. "It is... a compelling concept, wouldn't you agree? The will of the people, the power residing in the hands of the many."

He paused, his eyes locking with mine. "Was it always the endgame? Perhaps not in its explicit form from the very beginning. But the underlying principle? Yes. Ascaria needed a fundamental shift, a move away from the stagnant, self-serving rule of a privileged elite. The monarchy, in its current state, was inextricably linked to that decay. Think about my speech, Raphael. These are not the words of a man who intends to simply replace one crown with another, least of all his own. The thrill, lies in the creation, the shaping of something entirely new."

The emphasis on "shaping" left a lingering unease. Would it be a true democracy, or one carefully molded to his own design?

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

“I have another question. The hunt, it is over now. So what will happen to you? Are you gonna seek another thrill? Another chase?”

Levi's gaze held mine, a flicker of something akin to amusement dancing in their depths. "An astute observation, my dear," he said, his voice dropping to a low, almost conspiratorial murmur. "The hunt... yes, the initial, all-consuming chase has reached its conclusion. The pieces are in play. The board has been cleared."

He paused, a thoughtful expression crossing his features. "But do you truly believe that a mind like mine simply... idles

? That the cessation of one grand endeavor signifies the end of all striving? The thrill, Raphael, is not merely in the acquisition, but in the creation, the evolution. The game changes, the stakes shift, but the desire to shape, to influence, to build... that remains. Ascaria, in its new form, will present a myriad of new challenges, new intricacies to navigate. Building a true democracy, ensuring its stability, guiding its growth... that is a hunt of a different kind, is it not? A more complex, perhaps even more rewarding one."

The hound, it seemed, would always find a new scent to follow.

"So, this isn't going to end with you, is it? Always chasing, always hunting… I get it now. I don't want any part of it anymore."

A stillness fell over Levi. "What are you saying, Raphael?" His voice, though still low, held a dangerous edge, the calm finally fracturing. The playful amusement had vanished, replaced by a raw undercurrent of something akin to... hurt? Or perhaps, more likely, the first hint of resistance to his will.

He took another step closer, his presence now almost suffocating. "Part of this? You are part of this, Raphael. You are my husband. My partner. Everything I do, I do for our future, for the future of Ascaria." There was a desperate urgency in his tone now.

"Why would I even do that? Seriously, why? For some lust for power? I've never had that, not ever." I countered.

Levi's eyes narrowed, his gaze intense and probing. "It's not about a lust for power, Raphael," he said, his voice hardening slightly. "It's about building something better. Something lasting. And I need you by my side. Your insight, your honesty... You see the nuances that others miss."

He reached out, his hand hovering near my arm, but not quite touching. "Don't you understand? This isn't just about politics, about ruling. It's about creating a world where the beauty of life isn't just a fleeting dream, but a reality for everyone. A world free from the constraints and corruption of the past."

A dry humorless laugh escaped from me.

“Levi. You will never love me, and I am grasping at straws to stomach to things you did. Even now, you are not honest. This is another chase for you.”

A muscle ticked in Levi's jaw, and his hand dropped back to his side. "That's not true, Raphael," he said, his voice now flat, almost devoid of emotion. "What we have is real. What I feel for you… may not be love but you know my loyalty to you.”

But the moment passed quickly, replaced by a familiar intensity. "And yes," he continued, his gaze hardening, "there is always a drive to achieve, to build, to make a lasting impact. Is that so wrong? To strive for something more than mediocrity?"

“Your loyalty is to deceive and manipulate. And honestly, I don't think I, my head, or even my body can take this anymore. You really should've picked someone way more ambitious to be your partner, Levi."

A sharp intake of breath was Levi's only outward reaction, but his eyes, those intense, calculating eyes, flickered with a sudden, raw emotion I couldn't quite place. Hurt? Anger? A flicker of something akin to loss? It vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"Is that what you truly believe, Raphael?" His voice was dangerously soft, each word measured. "That I have deceived you? That my loyalty is a lie?" He took a step back, creating a small but significant distance between us, as if physically recoiling from my words.

"And ambition?" A sardonic smile twisted his lips. "You think I sought a partner in ambition? I sought you, Raphael. For your heart, for your mind, for the very essence of who you are. Your sensitivity, your empathy... those were not weaknesses, but strengths."

He paused, his gaze piercing. "If you truly believe I would have been better served by someone cold, someone who wouldn't flinch at the necessary steps... then perhaps I have misjudged you as well."

“Levi… I wasn’t just scared in that room, I was traumatized. By you, by your actions, by your absolute power. Yeah. The power you sought belongs to you now. But I can not be part that anymore,” I replied, my voice breaking slightly.

A deep sigh escaped Levi, a sound that seemed to carry the weight of his ambition and perhaps, a hint of regret. "Traumatized," he repeated softly. "I... I never intended that." His gaze softened slightly, and for a fleeting moment, the man I had once loved seemed to resurface.

But the moment was fleeting. His expression hardened once more, the pragmatist returning. "But the world is not a gentle place, Raphael. And sometimes, difficult choices must be made for the greater good." He stepped closer again, his voice regaining its persuasive edge. "Can't you see? This power, as you call it, it's not for me. It's a tool, a means to an end. To build a better Ascaria, a more just society."

He reached for my hand. "Stay with me, Raphael. We can build this new world together. A world where beauty and justice can coexist."

His words were a powerful plea, a desperate attempt to draw me back into his orbit. But the image of the terrified nobles, the cold efficiency of his actions, remained seared into my memory.

“You just touched me and it felt like my skin is burning.”

A visible tremor ran through Levi's hand as it hovered near mine, then slowly, reluctantly, he drew it back. His eyes, usually so intense and unwavering, flickered with a raw, wounded expression.

"Burning?" he whispered, his voice hoarse, as if the word itself caused him physical pain. He stared at his hand for a moment, then back at me, a profound sadness etched onto his features.

The walls around my heart wavered, a pang of guilt twisting within me. Had I gone too far? Had I truly severed the last fragile thread connecting us?

Levi finally broke the silence, his voice low and heavy with a resignation I had never heard before. "I understand, Raphael." He nodded slowly, his gaze dropping to the floor. "If that is truly how you feel... then I won't try to persuade you otherwise."

He looked up at me again, and the intensity had returned to his eyes. "I will build that better nation, Raphael. With or without you. And I will always... value the time we had."

He took a step back, creating a definitive space between us.

"I wish things could have been different, Levi. For both of us," I murmured, my voice a quiet lament for a love fractured by ambition and brutality.

A heavy silence followed my words. Levi stood motionless for a long moment, his gaze fixed on my retreating back. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, tinged with a profound weariness that resonated deep within me.

"Different," he echoed, the word hanging in the air like a sigh. He didn't elaborate, didn't try to argue or persuade. It was as if my quiet statement had finally landed, acknowledging the irreversible shift in our relationship.

He didn't move, didn't try to stop me. He simply stood there, a solitary figure against the backdrop of the city he now controlled, as I continued my walk towards the closing elevator doors.