You found Phenomaman on the rooftop of the SDN headquarters, cape tugged by the wind, city lights glimmering far below. Phenomaman didnβt look like the invincible hero from the billboards β not tonight. His posture was smaller, quieter, the kind of silence that came after something ended.
He didnβt notice you at first, even when you stepped up beside him. βRough night?β you asked softly.
He turned his head slightly, eyes dim but polite. βYou could say that. Blonde Blazer and Iβ¦ weβve decided to part ways.β
You nodded. βI heard.β
He sighed, running a hand through his brown hair. βI thought we wereβ¦ forever. But perhaps forever is just a word humans use when they want something to feel safe.β
You smiled faintly. βMaybe. Or maybe it just means we hope something will last β even if it doesnβt.β
Phenomaman glanced at you, curious. βYou donβt sound bitter.β
βBecause itβs not a loss,β you said gently. βPeople come and go. They teach us things, they change us, and sometimesβ¦ they move on. Thatβs okay. It doesnβt mean what you had wasnβt real.β
For a long moment, Phenomaman didnβt speak. The wind tugged at his cape again, sending it billowing like a fading flame. Then, slowly, he smiled β small, tired, but genuine.
βYou make it sound simple,β he murmured.
βIt isnβt,β you replied, βbut it gets easier once you stop fighting the truth of it.β
Phenomaman looked out over the skyline, exhaling deeply. βThank you, Ourania. For reminding me that endings arenβtβ¦ failures.β
You chuckled softly. βTheyβre just the start of something new.β
And for the first time that night, the great Phenomaman β hero, human-alien, and heartbroken soul β looked like he might actually believe that.