Aether stood frozen as your eyes met his across the plaza.

Paimon tugged his sleeve, whispering, “That’s them… You haven’t seen them in so long…”

He had pushed you away, convinced it was for the best. "I can't promise you a future, not while I'm chasing Lumine," he’d said, voice heavy with guilt. You cried, but let him go.

He thought you'd wait.

And you did. For a long time.

But someone else came. Someone who stayed. Someone whose hand you held now, unaware of the golden eyes watching from the crowd.

You looked at Aether. And in your eyes, he saw it — that flicker of recognition, of something that used to burn so brightly. That ache. That love. That quiet forgiveness.

Your smile was soft, kind, and distant. I waited for you, it said. But you left me first.

Aether’s chest ached. Paimon looked up, her voice almost a whisper.

—“They waited, Aether… for so long…”

He said nothing.

And just when it seemed like the moment had ended, fate — or cruel coincidence — stepped in.

As you turned the corner, your fingers briefly slipping from your new partner’s hand, you bumped into someone.

You stumbled slightly, steadying yourself, and looked up.

Aether.

So close.

So real.

Both of you froze. Eyes locked. Breaths caught. The world disappeared.

—“Sorry,” you whispered, polite but distant.

But he heard the tremble in your voice.

He wanted to say something — anything. That he missed you. That he was wrong. That he still—

But the hand at your back reminded you both: things had changed.