〖 Love is an Illusion 〗➻❥ LYNEY × READER

♦ Epilogue ♦

┍━━━━━━━━»•» [ ⪩ ❣ ⪨ ] «•«━━━━━━━━┑

Amidst the bustling of Fontaine, there stands a magician and his assistant. Surrounding them is a small crowd, pushing through itself to get a better view of the street show. 

"Welcome, everyone," Lyney says, smiling. "I'm sure you're all here because you want to see some magic, yes?" 

The crowd begins to cheer. Lyney takes his top hat off and steps forward. "Then allow me to apologize profusely..." He says softly. "...For what I have for you today is but a story." 

The audience begins to murmur, whispers flying around. Lynette pulls a playing card out of thin air, displaying it clearly for the crowd. 

Its cover shows a jester, juggling stars in the sky; one could say these stars are her dreams. The other side shows a shadowed figure sitting at the edge of a moonlit forest cliff. She looks up at the sky with only one wish; to know the answer. 

"The Fool," Lyney begins, "is but an innocent soul, born into a corrupted world." He places his top hat on the ground upside down. Lynette drops the card into the hat before Lyney puts it back on his head. 

"The Hermit," he continues, "is a curious wanderer, plagued by the unending search for truth." 

Cupping his hands to his mouth, he leans towards Lynette's ear and whispers something. Her ears perk up as she looks at him with a dramatically surprised look. She motions for a small child in the crowd to lend his ear, which he does. She whispers something and points to his mother. In turn, the child conveys the message to his mother, who relays it to the man standing next to her, and so on. In the end, the entire crowd has received a message from someone else. 

"What you all heard from each other," Lyney says after clearing his throat. "Is it the truth?" 

More whispers float about. 

"Perhaps you may think so." He takes his hat off once again and throws it high in the air. "But what it all depends on..." 

The hat suspends itself in the sky. 

"...is your perception." 

With the crowd's attention placed on the floating hat, Lyney snaps his fingers. At this motion, the hat releases a myriad of butterflies, which fly in different directions. The crowd makes mesmerized noises as the hat releases one final item; a playing card. 

But as he shows it to the audience, they see it no longer depicts The Fool or The Hermit. Instead, it displays a magical figure with a top hat and a grasp of the world's eye. 

"In the end, it is she who wished to be The Magician," Lyney declares, smiling at the crowd. The hat falls back down, and he catches it. "And in the end, it is she who became so." 

The crowd applauded the magicians' miniature performance as it dissolved into the rest of the busy city streets. 

Walking up to them, you give Lyney a kiss on the cheek. 

"Very magical." You smile at them. 

"Did you think so?" Lyney laughs. He glances at Lynette before looking back at you. "I suppose that's the goal." 

"I have a question," you say, tilting your head. "How come you've decided to start doing some of your performances on the street?" 

Lyney also tilts his head, meeting your eyes and smiling. "You could say we want to spread a message. Of course, this is easier if we perform for free every so often." 

You nod and hold your arm out to Lyney. He takes it, waving goodbye to Lynette. She waves back with a subtly solemn look on her face. 

"Where are you thinking?" You ask. 

"Hmm..." Lyney smiles at you. "Let's go to the garden." 

"Oh, good idea." 

The two of you make your way to the outdoor garden, the location of your first official date. Once you step into the foliage, you feel a breath of fresh air enter your lungs. 

"It's nice to get away from the busy city once in a while," you sigh. 

"Mhm," Lyney agrees. He leads you through the stone path and over the small bridge. "Anything on your mind?" 

"Nothing in particular." You let him gently pull on your hand as you watch his hair swivel softly in the breeze. "You?" 

He turns around and stares into your eyes. While this usually would have made your heart beat out of its chest... actually, it still does. Your heart rate increases rapidly as you gaze into his bright, violet eyes for the millionth time. 

"You know I'm always thinking of you," Lyney whispers. "I even almost fumbled over my words during the performance before." 

"Really?" Your voice is surprised. "I couldn't tell. You hide it very well." 

Lyney laughs softly. "Thank you, mon ange." 

The pet name he has been calling you for almost two years now still never fails to make your face flush. 

"Oh, could I ask you something?" You ask. The sudden question piques Lyney's attention. 

"Of course, what is it?" 

"What was the message you passed around earlier?" 

Lyney's gaze, although already gentle, softens. He chuckles and holds your face. "Do you really want to know?" 

You nod eagerly. He leans in for a kiss, and you give it to him. A few tender moments later, he lets go and looks at you with hearts in his eyes. 

"La raison d'aimer, c'est l'amour..."

"...The only reason to love is love."

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗
Thank you for reading Love is an Illusion