The apartment was quiet now. The city's broken skyline cast fractured beams of neon through the blinds, painting strips of emerald across Gendai's hair as she sat on the edge of the couch. Sando's presence still hung heavy in the room, the closeness of their earlier exchange replaying in her chest with a throb that felt too dangerous.
He had leaned closer than he should have. She had let him. The air had been charged—too fragile, too combustible. And before either of them could cross that invisible line, Gendai had risen abruptly, clutching her jacket like a shield.
"I should… go," she whispered, though her voice wavered, betraying her.
Sando had looked at her, those tired but earnest eyes softening in disappointment. He didn't stop her. He didn't chase her. And somehow, that hurt worse than if he had.
The streets of Capriha were restless, scarred by war yet buzzing with survivors trying to stitch together fragments of normalcy. Gendai walked alone, her boots crunching over broken glass, the city lights reflecting in her green hair. Each step pulled her further from the warmth of the apartment, but the further she went, the more her thoughts circled back to him.
His words. His silence. His nearness.
By the time she returned to the looming silhouette of the Prismic Gathering mansion, the weight of it had become unbearable. She slipped inside quietly, her presence unnoticed, and made her way to her room.
Alone at last, she collapsed onto her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her emerald aura faintly shimmered around her as if her powers, too, were restless. She closed her eyes, and for the first time in a long while, she didn't think of Kazimir… she thought of Sando. The way his voice softened when speaking to her, the way he looked at her like she was more than her scars.
Her chest ached, her hands trembling as she pressed them against her face.
Why does it feel like he's still here… with me?
The night lingered, long and silent, as Gendai fought against emotions she didn't want to admit—and longed for a presence she had just walked away from.