The battle was over.
The Shardbeast Alpha's body fell with a loud crash, splitting into glowing pieces of crystal. Magic sparks danced in the air like falling stars. Everyone was quiet at first—too shocked to speak.
Then the cheering started.
The trial was done. The team survived.
Harvie stood near the broken edge of the temple platform, breathing hard. His hands were shaking, and his knees almost gave out. The last hit—the [Volt Rend]—was too much. He wasn't ready to use a copied skill that strong.
But it saved her.
He turned slowly. Edna was alive.
She was standing in the light of the broken Seal chamber, hair messy, lips cut, and cloak torn—but alive. Her eyes searched through the group, and when they found him, she walked straight over.
"Harvie," she said, her voice low but firm.
He tried to act calm. "Still in one piece."
She crossed her arms. "You charged in when the beast went berserk. I told you to stay back."
"I know."
"So why didn't you listen?"
Harvie didn't answer right away. He could still see it in his mind—her getting crushed under the beast's claw in the timeline before this one. The scream. The blood. The way it shattered something inside him.
He had to die to bring her back.
"I just… moved," he said. "Didn't think."
"That's not true," she said. "You knew where the shardbeast would strike. You knew how it moved. You even predicted the rebound magic zone."
He looked away. "Lucky guess."
Edna stepped closer, eyes narrowed. "No. You're hiding something."
A long silence fell between them. The other team members were gathering supplies, patching wounds, cheering their victory. But here, it was quiet.
Harvie looked at her. Really looked. Her arm was trembling, probably from overusing fire magic. A burn mark peeked from her collar. She was proud, brave—and tired.
He wanted to tell her. About Unlamented. About dying. About rewinding the day just to save her.
But the system pulsed.
[WARNING: Unauthorized Disclosure Detected. Wipe Protocol Ready.]
Pain sparked behind his eye. He swallowed it down.
"You're right," he said. "I am hiding something."
Edna's eyes widened slightly.
"But not because I want to lie to you."
"Then why?"
He looked down. "Because I care. That's all."
She didn't respond.
The silence grew heavier.
Then, quietly, she said, "You're strange."
He gave her a tired smile. "Yeah. I know."
Edna stepped back. "You fight like someone who's already lost everything."
Harvie didn't answer.
She turned to leave but paused. "Whatever secret you're carrying… just don't let it break you."
And with that, she walked away—toward the others, toward the temple, toward the Seal that waited ahead.
Harvie stood alone for a moment longer, eyes dim with something deeper than fatigue.
Then he followed.