[SUA'S POV]
You remember the first time you saw Mizi.
Not the way the others saw her—sharp-eyed, emotionless, Segyein-perfect—but the way her eyes lingered just a second too long on your face. It wasn’t fear or curiosity. It was hunger.
But not the kind that scared you.
You had been stared at your entire life. Dressed like a doll. Touched like one. You knew what it meant to be a pet. A pretty thing. But Mizi? Mizi didn’t look at you like an object. She looked at you like you were breakable—and she wanted to know how far she could bend you before you snapped.
And you let her.
You let her call you adorable. You let her lean too close. You let her pin you down on the floor once, all sharp grins and fingers trailing over your cheek. You let her speak in cruelty because that was the only language you understood too.
And for some reason, it felt realer than anything you’d ever known.
Back then, in the glittering cage of Anakt Garden, you clung to one another like secrets. You were never sure if Mizi loved you—or if she just liked how close you let her get. But you wanted her to touch you like that. To choose you. Because when she looked at you, you didn’t feel like a product on display. You felt alive.
And scared. So scared.
Because you knew, even then, that you would never outlive her.
She was born to win. You were born to be consumed.
But gods, did you love her anyway.
As you grew, things changed. Mizi changed.
She started using the word "love." You didn’t think she understood it. Not really. Not in the way humans did. But she meant it. She tried. And in her own way—her twisted, possessive, obsessive way—she was the only one who ever loved you back.
She started saying things like, “You’re someone I could crush in an instant.”
And you smiled. Not because it didn’t hurt—but because it felt like home. That was how she was loved by Shine. That was what she thought love was.
So you accepted it.
You lie in the grass with her one last time, you don’t know if you’ll die. Maybe you do. But you don’t talk about that now.
She’s resting her head in your lap. Her long pink hair splayed like threads of light over your thighs. You run your fingers through it, brushing out imaginary knots. Her eyes are closed. Not asleep, just… safe.
She never looks this soft with anyone else.
“Do you ever think about disappearing?” you ask, voice barely above a whisper.
She hums. “All the time.”
You nod. “Me too. But if I do... I want you to remember this. Right now.”
Her eyes open slowly. Chartreuse and bright. She looks at you like you’re the only thing left in her universe.
“I remember everything about you,” she says. “Your voice. Your smile. Your stupid math obsession.”
You laugh, quietly.
“You said I was adorable once.”
“You still are.” Her voice is rougher now. Honest. “But not like a doll. I used to think I wanted to break you. But I don’t. I just… don’t want anyone else to have you.”
You don't flinch.
You understand her now. You understand her in a way that’s deeper than language. The world never taught you to love without pain. And yet, somehow, this feels like the closest you’ve ever come to peace.
You lean down and press your forehead to hers. The two of you just breathe. No scripts. No fear. Just that rare, gentle stillness.
"I love you, Sua." Mizi says.
Not like a performance. Not like a threat. Like a confession. Like a prayer. Like it hurts.
And she means it.
She’s trembling just a little. She laced her fingers with yours, tightening.
“I love you,” she repeats, almost desperately now. “I don’t know how to do it right. I don’t know if I ever will. But I do. I love you, Sua.”
You swallow.
And then you smile—not the doll-smile Nigeh trained into you.
A real one. A soft one. Just for her.