The cave was quiet except for the crackle of the fire and the soft winter wind blowing outside.
For the first time since escaping the dungeon, everyone breathed slowly again.
Nova sat hunched beside the fire, arms wrapped around her knees.
Her eyes were swollen, her voice tired, her heart heavy.
Sataro sat on the opposite side, jaw clenched, refusing to look at her.
Ren and Lira waited for answers — scared, confused, but hopeful.
Finally, Nova spoke.
Nova's Truth
"I need to tell you everything," she whispered.
No one interrupted.
Nova stared at the firelight dancing over the stones.
"My parents were taken by the king," she said quietly.
"He told me he'd spare them if I served him… loyal and unquestioning."
Her throat tightened.
"I was given one mission:
Find the Eclipsed brothers.
Gain their trust.
Lead them into an ambush."
Lira swallowed hard.
Ren muttered, "Damn…"
Nova nodded, ashamed but steady.
"I followed your tracks for months. Watched you. Learned about you.
The way Sataro protected Haruto… the way Haruto trusted him…
It didn't make sense to me."
She shook her head.
"I didn't want to betray you. But I believed if I didn't, my parents would die."
Sataro closed his eyes.
"You let me die," he whispered.
Nova flinched like she'd been stabbed — but she didn't deny it.
"I did," she said softly.
"I made the worst choice of my life."
The guilt didn't control her words.
She wasn't crying out of weakness.
It was honesty.
Real honesty.
Haruto Awakens
Haruto groaned, shifting on the blanket.
Everyone rushed to him.
His eyes opened slowly — hazy, confused.
Lira gasped.
Ren grinned.
Sataro leaned in, breath trembling.
"Haruto…?"
Haruto blinked.
His vision sharpened.
And the moment he saw Sataro, he broke into tears.
"S-Sataro… you're alive… you're really alive…"
He threw his arms around Sataro, sobbing into his brother's chest.
Sataro held him so tightly his arms shook.
"I'm here," he whispered.
"I'm right here, Haruto."
Lira cried quietly.
Ren looked away, wiping his nose.
Nova lowered her head.
No one said a word for a long time.
The Vision
When Haruto finally calmed, he rubbed his eyes.
Then it hit him.
A flash.
A burning world.
A horned silhouette.
Chains wrapping around the sky.
Arkhamis whispering:
"Your fate has begun."
Haruto gasped and clutched his cursed hand.
Sataro immediately turned to him.
"Haruto? What's wrong—?"
Haruto forcefully shook his head.
"N-nothing. I'm just… dizzy."
He hid the truth.
He didn't want to.
But he felt he had to.
Something deep inside told him this vision was dangerous, terrifying, and somehow tied to Sataro's death.
So he kept it secret.
Two Months Later…
Winter passed.
Snow melted.
And the group slowly healed.
Haruto
His strength returned first.
He laughed more.
He trained daily.
But his dreams kept getting stranger — filled with flames and voices he didn't understand.
He told no one.
Not even Sataro.
Sataro
He led the group like before, but something new weighed on him.
He didn't understand how he survived.
He didn't understand Haruto's curse mark.
And he didn't understand Nova.
Because she stayed.
Helped.
Trained.
Listened.
And every now and then… she looked at him
like she wanted to say something but never did.
Ren
He became their scout — stealing maps, food, clothes, anything they needed.
Lira
She kept everyone steady.
She was always beside Haruto, supporting him quietly.
Nova
She trained alone at night.
She cooked when she thought Sataro wasn't watching.
She patched the holes in his cloak.
Brought him extra blankets when it snowed.
Sat near him, too afraid to sit with him.
But she never said a word about her feelings.
Not once.
A Quiet Moment — Nova's Subtle Feelings
One late evening, Sataro went outside the cave, sharpening his blade.
Nova followed quietly and sat beside him — not close, not far.
Just… near enough to feel his warmth.
Sataro didn't look at her.
"You need something?" he muttered.
Nova shook her head.
"No."
Silence.
The moonlight reflected on Sataro's blade.
Nova watched him work — the sharp jawline, the calm focus, the scar above his eyebrow.
She swallowed nervously.
"You're… different lately," she said gently.
"Calmer. Stronger."
He glanced at her.
"I'm alive. That's enough to change someone."
Nova nodded, fingers playing with a loose thread on her cloak.
She wanted to say she cared.
She wanted to say she watched over him every night.
She wanted to say she never stopped thinking about him.
But instead, she said something simple.
Something safe.
"…I'm glad you're still here."
Sataro looked at her — really looked at her —
and saw something honest in her eyes.
Something she was scared to say out loud.
He didn't answer.
But he didn't walk away.