Hyun-tae stood like a ghost stitched from grief. His presence was both anchor and blade, cutting through Ahri's resolve.
"You shouldn't cling to me," he whispered. "The Loom brought me back broken. If you hold me, you'll break too."
Ahri shook her head. "Then I'll break with you. I can't abandon you again."
Jin's shadow writhed violently. "Listen to him! He knows what you refuse to admit—the Loom is using him. It wants to bind you to its wound."
But Ahri's gaze didn't falter. She reached out, fingers brushing Hyun-tae's fading sleeve. For a heartbeat, warmth bloomed. Familiar, human. And then the wound flared crimson, threatening to swallow him whole.
"Do you see?" Hyun-tae asked, his smile fading. "I am the tether. The Loom bleeds through me. To heal me, you must cut me free. Again."
The words shattered her. She felt her soul splinter. First the sacrifice of herself, now the command to sacrifice him once more.
Jin stepped closer, eyes sharp. "Ahri. Make a choice."
But Ahri's silence spoke louder than words. She would not cut him. She could not.
And the Loom pulsed, as if satisfied with her weakness.