My Soul card is a Reaper

Leiza's breath caught in her throat as she reached up, her fingers trembling as she touched his cheek, caressing it softly before pinching it—a sharp, almost disbelieving pinch.

"Rael, it's really you, or am I dreaming?" she asked, her voice cracking in complete disbelief. "This is a dream, right? I must have gotten a concussion after the crash, and I'm reliving the dream, hoping that my husband is here."

Azzy, the man in her arms, smiled as he leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the lips and said. "I didn't expect you to dream such erotic things, too, Hon."

She looked around, still unable to fully comprehend the situation. The world around them was frozen, the entire scene suspended in time. "Nothing's moving…" she murmured.

Azzy's lips curled into a wry smile. "Your husband's got a few tricks up his sleeve. Stopping time is one of them."

Leiza's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about it." After a brief pause, she added, her eyes became moist. "So, this is real?"

"Yup, it is. I'm back." Azzy widened in a smile, slowly landing on the ground.

As she stood on her feet, Leiza's eyes sparkled, a mix of awe and irritation in her gaze. But then, as if anger was the only thing she could feel in that moment, she jabbed her fist into his cheek with a quick punch.

Azzy staggered back slightly, faking another exaggerated "ouch." But Leiza wasn't fooled. She looked at her bruised knuckles and gritted her teeth. "Where the hell have you been for seventeen years, you bastard?!"

Her voice cracked, and tears welled up in her eyes despite her anger. "Seventeen years, Azzy! Seventeen years and you just vanish. I—"

As she went on ranting about how much of a bastard Azzy was, leaving his wife and his own son like that, Claire's voice suddenly echoed in Azzy's mind. "Girls don't like to appreciate truth when they're emotional. Make something up that victimizes you and then apologize."

Azzy sighed fakely, holding Leiza's gaze as he carefully chose his words. "Leiza... I'm sorry." He took a step closer, his voice softening. "I was stranded on a planet. A planet that orbited a black hole. The time dilation... it made everything move faster. An hour ago, I was replenishing my wounds, and then, an hour later, I realized that 17 years have already passed on this planet. I didn't expect the years to slip by like that. I'm sorry."

Leiza blinked, her eyes wide as the reality of what he was saying hit her. The world was advanced enough in science for someone like her to have a basic understanding about time dilation and black holes, her scientific mind understanding what Azzy was trying to convey. The anger in her began to subside, replaced by a sense of confusion and wonder.

As she didn't react yet, Azzy continued, resting her face under his palms on either side. "I never wanted to be gone for so long, my love. It was never my intention to hurt you. Give me a chance to make up for the lost time?"

Leiza froze, her heart pounding in her chest.

Her resolve cracked as she buried her face in his chest. The dam of emotions she had been holding back for so long finally broke. She cried like a child, clinging to him as if he were the anchor she had needed all this time. "I missed you so much," she whispered between sobs. "Not a single day went by that I didn't miss you. I earned billions. I received all the recognition, but none of it mattered. None of it could replace the happiness I had when we were together. And then you just… left. You left me, your pregnant wife, to save your ex-girlfriend." Her voice trembled with the weight of her words.

Azzy's heart ached as he held her tighter, his hand gently caressing her hair. He pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head, his voice tender. "I'm sorry, Leiza. I know I can never undo the hurt I caused you, but I promise I'll never leave you again. Never."

He wiped away her tears, his fingers tracing the contours of her face with a tenderness he had long since forgotten. He leaned in, capturing her lips with his in a kiss that was both an apology and a vow—a promise to make up for the lost years, for the pain he had caused.

As they kissed, time stood still around them, the world frozen in the moments they shared. For Azzy and Leiza, it was as if nothing else mattered. They were finally together again, after all the years and the distance that had kept them apart.

Far away, in the corners of Azzy's mind, Claire's voice murmured softly. "I could feel their emotions. They were very much filled with love. Now I feel like wanting a physical body… but it's fine. And it will only hurt Azzy. As long as Azzy is happy, I'm happy. Let it be this way."

Azzy didn't hear her words, but in that moment, he couldn't have cared less. He had Leiza in his arms again, and that was all that mattered. Everything else could wait.

After a while;

A vehicle glided above the roads of Neo-Berith City.

Inside, Leiza was seated beside Azzy, her hands animated as she filled him in on everything he'd missed in the past 17 years.

"And then, two years ago, the Board tried to replace me with some smug idiot with a doctorate in AI ethics. They failed. I made sure of it," she said with a small smirk.

"You know, Orion got a championship in…"

"You know, with the new addition of…"

"Actually, I was just about to…"

Azzy leaned back, watching her speak with a soft smile, occasionally nodding.

"You did everything alone," he said in a bit of an apologetic tone, upon hearing about his son.

"I didn't have a choice," she said, her tone softer now. "You disappeared without a word. I had to raise him, run the company, protect our name, and…" Her voice caught for a second. "I had to keep believing you would come back."

Azzy looked away, guilt etched into the corners of his young-looking face. "I didn't mean to leave you both. I swear, Leiza. I thought I would find a way back quicker, too."

From the driver's seat, Talia kept glancing at them through the rearview mirror. She had heard the stories, of course. The tragic disappearance of Azrael Garcia—genius, explorer, husband to the brightest mind of their age. But this guy… he looked younger than her.

'Is that really him?' she thought. 'He looks barely 21… maybe 22. That can't be normal. Unless…' Her eyes narrowed slightly.

Talia had seen the wedding photos in Leiza's office once—photos taken nearly two decades ago. Azzy had the same sharp jawline, same playful spark in his eyes. It was him, no doubt. But he hadn't aged a day.

"Maybe he's a clone? Or her husband's younger brother?" she wondered. "Or… is he something else entirely?"

She was still thinking when Azzy suddenly caught her eye in the mirror. He gave her a slight, knowing smile that made her quickly look away, blushing and a little unnerved.

"Your assistant's suspicious," Azzy whispered to Leiza with a hint of amusement.

Leiza rolled her eyes. "She's not wrong to be. You look like you came straight out of a cryo pod."

"You don't look much older yourself," he said, giving her a teasing glance.

"That's because I age properly and use good skincare. You, on the other hand, look like a damn vampire."

"Vampires are cool," Azzy chuckled.

Leiza snorted. "You think our son is going to think this is cool? Orion thinks you're a martyr. He grew up idolizing you. And now, when he sees you looking like someone who could be his younger brother…" She trailed off, pressing her fingers to her temples. "He's going to freak out."

Azzy's smile faltered a little. "Will he hate me?"

Leiza turned to him, her expression unreadable for a second. "I don't know. Maybe he also hates me for lying to him. But… I guess we can only know it when we see it."

"The Schrodinger's cat, huh," Azzy mumbled in a comment.

"Uhhh… what?" Leiza blinked.

Azzy shook his head, giving her another kiss on the forehead. "Nothing."