(SWIPE FOR MORE!)

「 The marketplace of Mayor Thaniyel’s Hold was alive with color and sound. Steam curled from street vendors’ grills, the scent of bread and roasted sugar blending with the faint hum of gears and chatter. Children ran past with bright ribbons, the fountain glittering at the plaza’s heart, scattering drops that caught rainbows in the afternoon light. 」

「 A faint buzz that cut through laughter and music, prickling the air. People glanced over their shoulders before quietly stepping aside, leaving a slow clearing near the statue of Mayor Thaniyel. Beneath the marble likeness of his father stood Greifer — hands buried in his jacket pockets, Red Grind hat tilted low, eyes glowing a dull crimson behind the shadow of its brim. The green of his jacket nearly shimmered under the sunlight, harsh and out of place in a town that had long since learned to breathe without him. 」

「 Kyoko spotted him instantly. A streak of pink among the gold and grey of the market, she stopped mid-step, her curls brushing against the edge of her beret. For a heartbeat, she said nothing. Just stood there — quiet, unreadable, the pink of her outfit almost too soft against the static in the air. 」

「 Greifer didn’t move. The crowd thinned between them until it was only the two of them standing in the plaza, the statue towering above like a silent judge. Wind swept through, catching the faintest shimmer of water droplets from the fountain, scattering them between them like glass dust. 」

「 Greifer’s smirk came slow, almost lazy, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He leaned against the base of the statue, feigning boredom while his gloved fingers twitched — restless, tapping faintly against the chain at his side. The hum of his static brushing faintly against her like a second pulse. 」

「 GREIFER 」: “W3LC0ME H0ME~” Greifer called out, voice distorted with sarcasm and static.

「 Kyoko walked forward. Each step echoed against stone, her heels clicking sharp but steady. Her expression was calm, but her eyes — dark and warm beneath her beret’s shade — held something tired, something almost pleading. 」

「 KYOKO 」: “Do you even care about what you did?”

「 The words came soft, not harsh. Not angry — just heavy. Greifer didn’t answer at first. His gaze drifted to the fountain, the market stalls, the families that gave him too wide a berth. He’d once stood where his father did now — loud, proud, untouchable. Now, even the air seemed to move around him instead of with him. 」

「 A flicker of light crossed his face as he looked at her again. That static hum softened, just a little. 」

「 GREIFER 」: “D0N’T M4KE ME L4UGH. THEY N3V3R CAR3D WH3N I WAS IN P4IN. S0 WHY SH0ULD I?”

「 It wasn’t much. A small sentence, glitched and tired. Kyoko looked around the square. The town bustled as it always did — shining, moving, healing. Mayor Thaniyel’s voice drifted faintly from the council platform nearby, firm and clear, the way leaders spoke when they wanted the world to trust them. Brad’s father. The same man Greifer couldn’t stand to face. 」

「 She turned back to him. 」

「 KYOKO 」: “That’s not true, Brad…”

「 His jaw tightened, just slightly. The smirk faltered. The space between them filled with sounds that didn’t belong to either — laughter, coin clinks, the hiss of oil on a pan. All so normal, so alive. It made him look more like a ghost than ever. 」

「 Kyoko watched the faint static ripple from his shoulders, saw the way he kept glancing at the statue as if it were mocking him. And then she realized — the static wasn’t from anger this time. It was from fear. It was trembling. She wanted to reach out. To bridge that small, poisonous space between them. But she didn’t. 」

「 Instead, she said softly: 」

「 KYOKO 」: “You don’t have to keep proving something that’s already gone.”

「 No response. Just a sharp inhale, the kind people make when words hit too close. A gust passed through the plaza. The ribbons the children had dropped fluttered near Greifer’s boots, tangled in the faint green shimmer that leaked from his hands. 」