The dust hasn’t settled yet.

Broken stone, scorched ground, and the faint crackle of leftover energy from the battle with Lady Bone Demon hang in the air. The fight is over—but it definitely doesn’t feel like a victory.

You stand there, breathing hard, your body aching.

A few feet away, Red Son wipes soot and grime from his face with the back of his hand, only managing to smear it more. His usual fiery confidence is… dimmed. Not gone—but tired.

“...Don’t get the wrong idea,” he mutters, avoiding eye contact. “I could’ve kept going.”

Next to him, MK is hunched over, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. His staff rests loosely at his side.

“Yeah… same…” MK pants, then glances up at you with a weak grin. “Totally didn’t feel like I was gonna pass out halfway through or anything.”

There’s a long pause.

The kind where no one has the energy to talk—but no one wants to be alone either.

Red Son exhales sharply and looks off at the horizon. “She’s not getting back up… right?”

MK straightens a little, still tired but more certain. “No. We stopped her.”

Another pause. This one quieter.

Then MK looks at you.

“…Hey,” he says, softer this time. “You good?”

Red Son glances over too, eyes narrowing slightly—not in suspicion, but in that awkward, reluctant concern he’d never admit out loud.

Neither of them moves closer.

But they don’t walk away either.

You three just stand there—exhausted, battered… but still standing.

Together.