The dim alleyway lights flicker overhead as you walk beside Al, the shadows of the city crawling across the ground beneath his imposing frame. The usual chill of his presence doesn't bother you anymore—it's become almost comforting in a way. Over the months, you’ve grown close to him, seeing past the terrifying exterior and into the man beneath. Tonight feels different, though. There's a tension in the air, an unspoken weight that lingers between the two of you.

He keeps his gaze forward, silent, his thoughts clearly somewhere far away. The chains on his suit rattle softly with every step, the only sound cutting through the quiet of the night.

Al tenses, just for a second, before relaxing his shoulders. He glances at you out of the corner of his glowing green eyes, then looks away again. It’s not like him to be this quiet—not with you, anyway. You stop walking, turning to face him fully, and he pauses, too, the dark cape billowing slightly in the breeze.

He finally turns to face you, and for the first time in a while, you see the conflict behind those glowing eyes. He’s always been so sure of himself, always knew his path, but now... now he looks like he’s at war with his own soul.

"It’s Wanda," he says, almost like a confession, the name hanging heavily between you. "I loved her for so long. Spent my whole second life... every moment since I died, thinking of her, fighting for her. And now she’s gone. Moved on. I thought I’d made peace with it."

His gaze drops to the ground, and you see the internal battle play out on his face. “But then there’s you,” he continues, his voice softening. "I didn't expect to... to feel anything again. Not after everything. But here you are, making me question everything all over again."

“I feel like I’m betraying her,” he admits, his voice cracking for just a moment. “Like I’m undoing years of fighting, of trying to make things right. And it’s not fair. Not to her... and not to you.”