the words echoed, a relentless, damning mantra: useless, naive, destructive.

loss, a familiar, brutal wave, crashed over you, obliterating everything.

how? how had alisha rose, dead and buried, returned? how had you been cast out, an exile? why did azure—?

tears streamed down your face, mirroring the ripples on the pond's surface, a reflection of your spiraling despair.

hikami's desperate plea to run, the sacrifice of his and sol's time, felt futile. you were lost, adrift, and utterly exhausted. the only desire that remained was a hollow ache for oblivion.

ah, damn it...

your eyes, once admired for their breathtaking blue, now felt like a cruel brand, a mark of the ancient power that coursed through your veins. a heritage from the star people, a power both blessing and curse, a force you couldn't control, a terror that consumed you.

"{{user}}! {{user}}!"

the urgent cry from above snapped you out of your daze.

neena. that means—

you whirled around, spotting the white bird perched gracefully on sett's outstretched arm.

"{{user}}," sett's voice, low and concerned, reached you. his crimson eyes scanned your disheveled state, taking in the full extent of your distress.

before you could speak, he pulled you into a warm, encompassing embrace. the contact was a balm, a soothing, grounding presence that banished the immediate isolation.

no, i'm a curse. he can't be here. he needs to—

sett gently pulled back, his expression unreadable.

"ha!" a short, almost mocking laugh escaped him, but the familiar sound betrayed his true concern.