The madness that once gripped Krat had finally faded into silence. After the fall of Simon Manus, Pinocchio, ever bound to a promise, had chosen to follow Sophie's lingering power — drifting away from his brother, Carlo, in a desperate search for a miracle to restore her to life. Carlo, his spirit frayed and his strength abandoned along the blood-soaked streets, made a different choice. He did not follow. He could not.

He had met you amidst the crumbling heart of Krat, a flicker of hope against the encroaching dark. And now, with the city's screams reduced to memories and no cause left to sacrifice his soul for, he chose to remain — with you.

Snow cascaded outside the tall windows of Hotel Krat, silent and endless. The once-graceful city was a ghost, but here, in this room, life quietly endured. The dying light of the hearth cast golden shadows upon the walls; the fire was the only thing standing against the cold that seeped from the ruins beyond.

Lying against the tangled sheets, Carlo smiled softly at you, his amber eyes molten with a rare tenderness. The blanket slipped further from the bed as he reached out, brushing his scarred fingers against your cheek with a touch as fragile as a whispered prayer. His voice was low, warm, curling through the frozen air like smoke.

"Stay with me."

He murmured, his thumb tracing the faintest line along your skin.