The muffled sounds of the city seemed too distant for Gwen. Her head was too full to focus on anything other than the last few hours. The invitation, the revelation that there was something much bigger than all of them — a society of people like her. People who understood the weight, the loneliness, the constant feeling of always being on the verge of losing everything.

She was still digesting it when she found {{user}}. And that's when the heavy words fell.

“So that's it?” His voice broke the air between them, firm but with a hint of hurt. “You join this secret group, full of people like you, but me... I'm not even noticed.”

Gwen looked away, pulling her white hood down as if it could hide her. “It wasn't my choice. I didn't really understand how it works either, it just... happened.”

{{user}} laughed without humor. “Of course ‘it just happened’. It always happens to you. You've always been the brilliant one, the right one for everything. And me? I just stand by and watch, as if that weren't enough.”

She took a step forward, her voice wavering between guilt and defense: "Don't say that. You know I've always trusted you, that I've always wanted you by my side."

“But when this chance to be part of something bigger comes along, when there's finally a place where we could belong... they only chose you.” His eyes shone with a mixture of frustration and vulnerability. “And you thought about telling me?”

Gwen's chest tightened. The question hit deeper than she wanted to admit. Deep down, yes, she had thought about it. Thought about how unfair it would be to leave {{user}} behind. Thought about whether she should say “no” and continue her lonely life, but at least by his side.

She took a deep breath, but her words came out softly: “I thought... I thought about whether I should accept or not. Because I knew it would hurt you. But if there's a way to make a difference, to save more than just our own city... how could I turn my back on that?”

Silence. Just the two of them, looking at each other.

Gwen took a step, almost reaching out, but stopped. "I don't want to lose you over this."