Footsteps echoed down the empty hallway outside Gabriel's office. Sosuke strode past the guards without a glance and pushed the door open.
"Aurelius, I have important information." He stopped in front of the desk, hands behind his back.
Gabriel didn't look up right away. "No honorifics?" he mused, tapping his fingers against the polished wood.
"An enemy army has been sent into the Blight Dimension," Sosuke said. "They're destroying everything in their path."
Gabriel leaned back against his desk, steepling his fingers. "Lance Sterling wasting his forces in there? Foolish. Not that it matters. It's just blights." He tilted his head. "Why bring this to me?"
"Because not all of them are hostile." Sosuke's voice was firm. "I lived among them. A village of blights—more afraid of me than I was of them. They weren't looking for a fight." His jaw tightened. "The ones who consume humans do so out of desperation… or because they were corrupted by Julius' ideas."
Gabriel's fingers stopped tapping. His gaze sharpened.
"I know who he is," he said. "But you're sure? A hundred percent sure they were just… living? Like humans?"
Sosuke met his eyes. "I'm sure."
Gabriel studied him for a long moment, then exhaled. "I'll inform their commander. That's the best I can do."
"That's it?" Sosuke's voice edged with frustration. "Surely we can do more than that—"
"Why?" Gabriel's tone didn't rise, but the weight behind it made Sosuke pause. "They're not human. Our race comes first. I'm not risking our soldiers to protect them." He leaned forward. "That's what it'll come down to, especially with Lance leading the charge."
Sosuke's hands clenched at his sides. He swallowed. "I… understand."
He turned for the door.
"Wait," Gabriel called.
Sosuke stopped but didn't turn around.
"Where's Rin?"
Fort Novara: Medical Wing
"That was a hell of a fight, huh?" Reid stretched, rolling his shoulders as he glanced at Lyra in the bed next to him.
Lyra had her arms tucked behind her head, staring at the ceiling. "Hardly. It was effortless for him."
Reid arched a brow. "You do realize who we were up against, right?"
"I know. I just feel like we could've done more…" Her voice was quieter.
Reid snorted. "You always set unrealistic expectations for yourself. You'll only end up disappointed."
Lyra rolled her eyes. "When did you become so wise?"
"Well, it—"
"It was rhetorical." She cut him off, smirking slightly.
She sat up and glanced across the room. Her expression darkened. "Tch. Bastard."
Reid followed her gaze to Ren, who was lying in the corner, seemingly asleep.
"You need to relax," Reid muttered. "Come on, let's go somewhere after this."
"Like what, the mall?" Lyra said dryly.
"No," Reid huffed. "Just… anywhere."
A few beds down, Finn stood and approached Arthur, who was staring blankly at the ceiling.
"H-hello," Finn said, hesitant.
Arthur didn't look at him. "Who are you?"
"I'm Finn. Finn Welkin." He swallowed. "I work under your father. I just… wanted to speak with someone as respectable as you."
Arthur finally turned his head, eyes narrowing slightly. "You?" He sat up slowly, voice colder now. "You work under my father?"
Finn hesitated. "Yes, sir, I—"
Arthur's eye twitched. "And he wanted you?" He scoffed, scanning Finn with an unimpressed look. "You're pitiful at best. What did he see in you?" He shook his head. "Go away."
Finn's hands balled into fists. He forced himself to take a breath.
"…Whatever," he muttered, turning on his heel and walking out.
Gabriel's Palace Courtyard
Sosuke walked into the courtyard, hands in his pockets, trying to clear his head. The cool air did little to settle his thoughts.
"Hi!"
He turned just as Valerie jogged over, her long dark blue hair catching the sunlight.
"Eh?" He blinked. "Weren't you going to the plaza?"
"I thought it'd be more fun if we went together." She smiled.
Sosuke shifted his weight. "I barely know you."
Valerie stepped closer. "And? That's why we should spend more time together."
"…Right."
She hesitated, then softened her voice. "Are you okay? You've been acting different since we left that place."
"What? Why do you care?"
"I just do." She reached for his arm, but Sosuke instinctively stepped back.
Valerie glanced at the ground. "You defended me from Finn. I know you're kind." A faint blush colored her cheeks. "And if you think about it, time worked differently in there. We've technically known each other for over a month."
"I'm kind…?" Sosuke muttered, as if the idea was foreign to him.
"Of course you are." She brightened again. "Come on, let's go to the plaza. It'll be fun." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, then, before he could react, wrapped both arms around his. She looked up at him expectantly. "Just for a little while?"
She really wants to go with me, huh? If I say no, she'll just keep asking, and I'll be stuck thinking about that day with Rin…
Sosuke gulped and looked away. "I—I don't know. Don't you have people you want to see? You've been away from the Overworld for a while."
"Not really," Valerie said, adjusting her sleeves. "Right now, I just want to have fun."
Sosuke exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. "…Fine."
Maybe it'll get my mind off Rin.
The plaza pulsed with life—warm lights, soft laughter, and the mingled scents of spiced bread and fresh rain. Sosuke followed Valerie as she led him along a cobblestone path, her pace unhurried, inviting.
"Look at that fountain," Valerie said, pointing to a shimmering cascade of water. "It almost feels like it's dancing with the lights."
Sosuke managed a small smile, but his thoughts were still far away. I never expected someone to care this much. He glanced sideways, noting how softly her eyes met his, genuine concern in their depths.
"You okay?" she asked, tilting her head as they paused at a quiet corner of the plaza.
Sosuke hesitated, then nodded slowly. "I… I'm fine. Just… lost in thought, I guess."
Valerie stepped closer and reached out, her fingers briefly brushing his arm. "I worry when you're like this," she admitted, her tone warm but earnest. "You don't have to go through everything alone, you know."
Her words struck him—a reminder of a care he'd only ever felt from Rin. For a moment, he was surprised. She really cares. It was a feeling both comforting and unsettling.
"Thanks," he said softly. "It's… it means a lot that you're here."
Valerie grinned, a playful glint in her eyes. "Well, I figured if we're going to roam the plaza, we might as well have a little fun. Besides, I think you deserve it."
They strolled on, exchanging light banter—Valerie teasing him about his habitual silence and him awkwardly trying to return her playful jabs. In the midst of the laughter and the gentle murmur of the crowd, Sosuke felt something shift inside him—a brief easing of the tension that had weighed him down for so long.
Yet, as they passed a row of blossoming cherry trees, his thoughts drifted to Rin. The memory tugged at him, bittersweet and persistent. He wondered, with a fleeting curiosity, if maybe—just maybe—he could allow himself to be comforted by someone else, even if only for a little while.