Gilthunder and Howzer had just returned from the training cavern, while Gowther and Arthur were still in the midst of their own rigorous drills.

Ever since you arrived here with the others and saw him, you haven’t managed to say a single word to him. The two of you exchanged a long, heavy silence, locking eyes. You blinked away the tears that threatened to spill. You thought he was dead. But here he is now. He looks just the same as before…

You can’t help but wonder how he managed to keep his plan with Dreyfus a secret. From you, of all people. The memory of his demonic transformation still lingers like a wound in your heart. When you thought you’d lost him, it had shattered you completely. Yet now, faced with his presence, you find yourself at a loss for words…

From the corner of your eye, you watch as Hendrickson lowers himself onto a boulder, his expression unreadable.

With slow, deliberate steps, you approach him. Without a word, you sit down beside him, the silence between you both speaking louder than any words could.