The Spirit of the Clouds

"Blood and water mingle; in death and life, our bond is vast. I take your hand, and in life or death, we shall never part!"

Before the roaring flames, Xolotl held the white-clad girl tightly in his arms. His expression was solemn as he chanted aloud in a language no one could understand, as if praying in the words of gods.

Then he took out a sharp Obsidian dagger and, slowly yet resolutely, drew a long cut across the center of his left palm. Pain shot through his hand in an instant, and dazzling crimson welled out at once.

"Alisa, with the gods and ancestors as witness, you are my wife forever! I swear by the heart where the soul resides that I will always love you, protect you, understand you, and mingle with you through an undying soul!"

Xolotl gazed into Alisa's eyes, raised his bloodstained left hand, and swore with extraordinary seriousness. To the beloved in his heart, he made an eternal vow.

"No matter how the years change, no matter how the world shifts, I will stay by your side, bound in life and death, never leaving, never abandoning you!"

"Xolotl!"

Alisa widened her eyes and gazed at her beloved in a daze, calling out in deep emotion. A moment later, she took Xolotl's dagger and, without the slightest hesitation, amid her father's low cry, cut open her own left hand as well.

"Xolotl, with the gods and ancestors as witness, you are my only husband! I am your spirit, and you are my day and night. A spirit will dance through day and night until she dies and her soul scatters into the wind. I want to twine around you too."

Hearing this, Xolotl's heart trembled. He stretched out his left hand, and Alisa stretched out