Before the Qliphoth Fort, Bronya descended the steps, her eyes shadowed with unspoken thoughts.
Somewhere along the way, Cocolia—the mother she remembered—had become a stranger. The Supreme Guardian's back, once so familiar, now felt distant and inscrutable.
Bronya trusted that Cocolia would never act against Belobog's interests. Every decision must have been for Jarilo-VI's future.
But the methods...
Too cruel.
History was paved with sacrifices, but this felt different—as if suffering had been normalized.
Beside her, Silver Wolf's cherry-blossom lips curved slightly. Her starlit gaze drifted over the citizens below, sensing their emotions through the crisp air.
Holding Anming's hand, she feared no future.
"It feels familiar."
"Hmm?"
"Back then... I'd wait by the roadside too, watching for you after training."
Silver Wolf smiled. Countless summers echoed in her memory—cicadas humming, fireflies glimmering as she leaned against a tree, waiting for Anming to rush down the steps.
They always found each other in a crowd.
His eyes, sharp and quick, would soften the moment they met hers, lingering as if tethered.
That intensity used to fluster her. Only later did she realize—that was love.
Love was hindsight.
She'd thought herself slow to understand it. After Anming vanished, she'd asked her Stellaron Hunter comrades:
What is love?
Kafka had stroked her hair wordlessly.
Silver Wolf claimed it was "replaying a game endlessly without boredom."
Blade insisted it was "wanting to stab someone, to relive the past through shared pain."
Elio, tail flicking, declared: "Love is fate. Fate is love. The first glance seals it."
It took Silver Wolf years to find her answer:
Love is wanting to see Anming again—to complete the kiss they never finished.
To curl against his chest, breathing in his warmth—a comfort even SAM couldn't replicate.
Like now, fingers intertwined, walking forever toward the horizon.
No boredom. Just happiness overlapping across time.
This was love.
Anming had always been kind. That never changed.
She'd recognized his guilt the moment they reunited. It pained her—he had nothing to atone for.
He gave me life. Gave me a future.
If anyone erred, it was the world.
Silver Wolf understood everything.
The moment she met Fu Xuan, she'd known. But reuniting with Anming had been too joyous to dwell on implications.
They'd bared their souls to each other. She would wait—for him to explain in his own time.
That was trust.
"What became of Glamoth?" Anming asked.
"Titania destroyed it." The memories surfaced effortlessly—silver armors blotting out the sky, reducing the empire to stardust. Innocents and sinners alike perished.
She judged no one.
As the last Molten Knight, she entrusted history to time. Glamoth's tale was over.
"Titania..." Anming's gaze fell on the ring adorning Silver Wolf's finger. She kept her promise.
He hoped Titania had found freedom in the end.
"Here."
Silver Wolf unfastened the golden transformation device—twin cyan wings cradling its core—and offered it to Anming.
"It's time to return this."
She no longer needed it. Anming's hand in hers was power enough.
His fingertip brushed the device's surface, recalling the day he'd burned himself out pushing human limits.
Then he gently pushed it back.
"This was my vow to protect you. Let it stay by your side."
Thank you for guarding her when I couldn't.
Silver Wolf's eyes sparkled. She produced a second device—SAM's core—and pressed it into Anming's palm.
"I knew you'd say that. So... SAM is yours now."
Her smile turned sly. She'd anticipated his refusal and planned this exchange.
My turn to protect you.
Anming accepted it, warmth lingering from her touch.
Of course. Silver Wolf had always been this gentle—a firefly glowing selflessly.
"Does this make them our tokens of love?"
Silver Wolf tilted her head. "Do we need tokens?"
Anming ruffled her hair. "Give me a little more time."
Time to sort his thoughts. Then, as before, he'd lay everything bare.
She squeezed his hand. "Luckily, I'm good at waiting."
Just like old times.