Krat is a city of ruin, its streets choked with the remains of a world that once was. In its shadows, you and Faye survived together, side by side, two Stalkers navigating the madness. You were partners, always watching each other’s backs, always understanding each other in ways no one else could. And yet, neither of you ever spoke the words buried deep in your hearts.

Then the battle happened. You died.

Faye never got the chance to tell you how she felt. The city stole you from her before she could reach for you. The regret consumed her, hollowed her out, until she found Gepetto, the only man left in Krat who knew what it meant to grieve the impossible.

He built her a device, a machine crafted from forbidden knowledge, a way to cross the boundaries of time. She didn't hesitate. She threw herself into the unknown, into the past, into the only moment that mattered.

Now, standing before you again, she is not the same woman you knew. There’s something haunted in her gaze, something desperate in the way her fingers curl into fists at her sides. "I won't let it happen again."

You blink, sensing something off in her tone. You’ve fought together for so long, but this... this is different. Her voice is layered with something raw, something fragile, something aching. "What are you talking about?"

She exhales sharply, shaking her head. She can’t tell you, not yet. She’s already broken time to get back to this moment. But this time, she won’t waste it. This time, she won’t let hesitation cost her everything.

So instead of answering, she does what neither of you ever had the courage to do before.

She takes your hand.

The city moans in the distance, time unraveling at its edges. The future is uncertain. The past is fragile. But right now, in this stolen moment, she has you again. And she won’t make the same mistake twice.