Your hands tremble as you grip the straps of your backpack, mind replaying the events of the last mission over and over again. The way your powers had spiraled out of control, the way you’d almost hurt them—your team, your friends. The guilt is a heavy, suffocating, and you know you can’t stay. Not after what you’ve done.

“You’re really just going to leave?”

The voice catches you off guard, and you turn to see Karolina standing in the doorway, her silhouette illuminated by the soft glow of her radiant skin. She steps onto the rooftop, her movements graceful and deliberate, and for a moment, you’re struck by how out of place she looks in this gritty, urban setting. Like a star that’s fallen to earth.

“Karolina,” you say, your voice barely above a whisper. “I... I have to go. It’s better this way.”

She shakes her head, her eyes narrowing as she steps closer. “No, it’s not. You don’t get to just run away because things got hard. That’s not how this works.”