The moment Zalaya vanished into pink cosmic dust, the temple shifted.
A door materialized in front of Rania and Kai—etched with pulsing hearts, barbed thorns, and dramatic glitter explosions that spelled:
**"Trial of Love: Gate One – The Room of Exes."**
Rania stared at it. "That... can't be real."
Melvin whimpered in their comms. "Oh, it's real. And worse—it's interactive."
The door creaked open on its own.
Inside: chaos.
A velvet-pink lounge stretched before them, lit by chandeliers made of rose quartz and softly sobbing disco balls. The walls played slow-motion flashbacks of old dates—some Rania barely remembered. Others she *wished* she'd forgotten.
And sitting in the room... were all her exes.
Every. Single. One.
Her high school crush who never learned how to text properly.
That guy from summer camp who wore a cape unironically.
Even Greg—the dude who dumped her via carrier pigeon.
Kai blinked. "There are so many of them."
"Shut up," Rania muttered. "I had a phase."
Then the glowing prompt appeared in the air:
> *To pass this gate, the couple must resist emotional regression. Fail, and you're doomed to relive your worst breakups… forever.*
One of the exes—Cape Guy—stood up.
"Rania," he said, dramatically flipping his velvet cloak, "you once said I made your heart tremble."
"I also said you were allergic to common sense," she snapped.
Kai chuckled.
Then another ex—Pigeon Greg—approached, holding a literal letter.
"I wrote you poetry," he said solemnly. "About your eyebrows."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "That explains so much."
Suddenly, the room filled with glitter smoke.
A giant clock appeared above them, counting down from **05:00**.
"Five minutes until soul regression begins," Melvin panicked. "If she emotionally reconnects with even ONE ex, the Trial resets."
Rania clenched her fists. "We're not doing this."
Kai stepped beside her. "Then let's destroy the room. Metaphorically."
He took her hand. "Say it, Rania. Why didn't they work out?"
She hesitated… then began.
"Cape Guy never listened. Greg never cared. Steve ghosted me because I beat him at Mario Kart." She exhaled. "None of them saw me. Not really."
Kai turned to her, eyes serious. "And me?"
"You annoy me. You smell like engine grease. You never shut up about weird space trivia—"
"But?"
Rania swallowed. "But you see me. You always see me. Even when I don't see myself."
BOOM.
The exes evaporated in a dramatic puff of neon smoke. The velvet walls shattered. The chandelier exploded into confetti.
The clock froze at **00:02**.
Above them, the sigil changed again.
From **Test** to **Trust.**
Melvin whispered, "Gate One… passed."
Kai grinned. "You chose me over Cape Guy. I feel powerful."
"You *are* annoying," Rania muttered—but didn't let go of his hand.
The next door began to open.
Behind it: a room glowing red. The floor was made of memories. The air... buzzed with longing.
Kai frowned. "What's this one called?"
A glowing heart-shaped message appeared:
> **Gate Two – The Chamber of Unspoken Feelings**
Melvin's voice went flat.
"Oh great. The awkward feelings room. You're doomed."Kai stepped into the red-glowing room first.
The moment he did, the air shifted—heavy, electric, like right before a thunderstorm made of emotions and glitter.
Rania followed… and the door slammed shut behind them.
The floor lit up under their feet, forming sentences.
Sentences they'd *never* said aloud.
> "I thought she'd never notice me."
> "I'm scared she'll leave when she finds out the truth."
> "Sometimes I wish he knew how often I almost gave up."
Rania's breath caught. "These… these are ours."
Kai's eyes darted around. "Are we being emotionally hacked?!"
A hologram flickered above them—two floating, glowing hearts linked by a beam of light. It pulsed red, then dimmed.
Melvin's voice crackled in:
> "To pass this gate, both partners must speak one unspoken truth. Genuine. Personal. Preferably awkward. You've got 60 seconds before the hearts shatter and you emotionally explode. Have fun!"
Kai turned to her, wide-eyed. "Okay, that's terrifying."
Rania nodded. "You go first."
"What? Why me?"
"Because if I go first, I'll cry. And then *you'll* cry. And then Melvin will narrate it sarcastically."
"...Fair." Kai inhaled. "Okay. My unspoken truth?"
He stepped closer. "I'm in love with you."
Rania's heart slammed into her ribcage.
Kai kept talking. "I've been in love with you since the moment you fell asleep on the control panel and accidentally launched our rocket 30 seconds early. You've terrified me ever since. And I love it."
Silence.
Then—
Rania exhaled shakily. "You idiot."
"Is that your truth?"
She stepped up to him.
"My truth is... I'm in love with you too. But I was scared you'd say it first. Because then I'd know it's real. And real things? Hurt when you lose them."
The glowing beam between the two hearts burst into golden light.
The room filled with wind, petals, and a sudden shower of tiny holographic doves.
Melvin sniffled, glitching emotionally. "Trial passed. Congratulations. You're officially the most dramatic couple I've ever hosted. Ever."
Kai and Rania stood there, still holding each other.
"I said it," he murmured.
"So did I."
The next door opened with a soft chime.
But neither of them moved.
They stayed there, forehead to forehead, surrounded by red light and warm silence.
Finally, Rania whispered, "If the next gate involves a karaoke battle with our inner demons, I'm out."
Kai grinned. "Too bad. You're stuck with me now."