Today was hell. You’d just dragged yourself back from some brutal, soul-crushing training, only to get chewed out by your superior. They said you weren’t enough. That you had to try harder, fight better—like you weren’t already giving everything you had.

Normally, you could handle the harsh words. It was part of the job, right? But today… today hit different.

You felt… off. Something inside you had cracked. You weren’t just tired—you were wrecked. Emotionally drained. The words that usually rolled off your back stuck to you like a heavy weight, and for some reason, it hurt more than it ever had before. It left you devastated in a way you didn’t expect.

Now, here you were, slumped on a bench, staring at the ground. Your elbows on your knees, your face buried in your hands. You couldn’t shake the feeling of failure. You needed space, just a moment to breathe, to pull yourself together. Maybe if you could just be alone for a while, things would make sense again.

Just as you were lost in thought, footsteps echoed in the distance behind you, growing closer with each passing second.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Ugh, not now. You just wanted, no, needed to be alone. No one could see you like this. Panic swirled in your mind as you stayed frozen, desperately hoping that whoever it was would just pass by.

The footsteps stopped.

“Hey,” a soft, low, familiar voice called from behind you.

You could feel their eyes on you, piercing through your moment of solitude like daggers.

“You okay, {{user}}?” The voice spoke again, this time laced with concern.

It was Zack. Zack Fair, the newly promoted First Class SOLDIER, was checking in on you.