I rested against the rehearsal room wall, arms folded, quietly watching.
The room felt different to the first time I'd come here. It wasn't because anything had changed—the mirrors still stretched from floor to ceiling, the fluorescent lights still buzzed faintly overhead, and the tutor still paced around the edge of the room with a notebook tucked beneath one arm.
No.
It was Krista.
A few months ago, she'd hesitated before every line. Every movement looked rehearsed, like she was thinking about what came next instead of simply doing it.
Now she wasn't thinking anymore.
She was... performing.
There was a confidence to the way she carried herself. A little smile slipped onto her face as she delivered a line, and for a split second I couldn't tell whether it belonged to the character or to Krista herself. It didn't matter. Either way, it felt real.
She'd improved.
Quite a lot, actually.
And she'd earned every bit of it.
Even after everything that had happened—the invasion, me disappearing for three months, University being cancelled—she'd kept coming back. Week after week.
I was supposed to help her.
Instead, I'd spent three months wandering the cosmos, exploring planets light-years away from here.
Some promise that turned out to be.
A quiet laugh escaped me through my nose.
She'd managed just fine without me.
...Better than fine.
She was becoming the person she wanted to be.
The thought sat strangely in my chest. I frowned. Why did that bother me? It wasn't jealousy. At least... I didn't think it was. I wanted Krista to succeed. So why did seeing her improve make me feel so... uncomfortable?
My eyes stayed fixed on the rehearsal, but I wasn't really watching anymore.
I think...
I was jealous of the fact that she had changed.
…Change.
I couldn't stop thinking about that word. It was like an enormous weight that tugged on my heart in a way that I couldn't understand.
Or maybe I do understand.
Because I too have changed. The difference is… I'm not too sure I like who I've become. I'm practically a god now, yet with all that power, I yearn for things I can no longer have.
I can't eat.
Can't sleep.
My body has become a vessel for aethesium. And a horrific thought lingered at the back of my mind. A thought I had for a while now.
What am I without this power?
Krista's face was so expressive as she spoke to the others, her smile still gently warming her face.
It was the complete opposite of the face she had during the invasion. She had the look of absolute fear, as all hope of escape had left her. All because I couldn't do anything without my power.
How ironic.
I'd accepted this power to take control of my life. And instead, I'd simply just handed that control to someone else. This time, now distracted by flashy superpowers.
Meanwhile, Krista worked hard week in, week out to improve herself and chase her passion.
What's my passion? What happens after, if ever, I defeat Ultrua'is? What if I lost my powers tomorrow? Who would I be?
What if, somewhere along the way…
George McCullen had already disappeared.
And that thought terrifies me.
Voices echoed around the room.
Someone missed a cue. A few people laughed. The tutor stopped the scene and offered another suggestion. Chairs scraped across the wooden floor as everyone reset.
I hadn't heard a word.
"And... scene!"
The room broke into applause.
I blinked.
Had it already finished?
Krista walked over, grabbing her water bottle. "You alright?"
"Yeah." I looked up, giving her a faint smile.
"You've been staring at the floor for the past five minutes."
Krista held out her hand. As I grabbed it, she pulled me up to my feet. I'd gone numb from the hardwood floor.
I laughed awkwardly. Before changing the subject, "You looked better out there."
"You think?" She asked as we walked towards the exit.
"Hey, Krista!" The instructor yelled. "Good work today."
"Thanks, see you next week." Krista waved. "Sorry. What were we—oh yeah. It's been a while since you last saw me act. What did you think?"
"You looked so expressive. You didn't even look like the same person anymore."
"Turns out showing up helps." She laughed, giving a small shrug. "I mean... that's kind of the point. I just kept coming back every week."
"Guess it paid off."
"Eventually, yeah."
We stepped out into the evening air. A cool breeze rolled down the street, carrying the distant sound of traffic.
"Honestly..." I shoved my hands into my pockets. "Watching you out there made me realise something."
She glanced over.
"I think I need a hobby."
She blinked. Then looked ahead. "Yeah, it would be good to take your mind off of everything."
"…Yeah."
"So what you got in mind? You have art."
"Yeah, but I'm talking about something in like… a group setting or something—like your acting classes." I looked up at the cloudy sky. "I used to play football… I mean… I could get back into it, but I kinda wanna try something new, like a… fresh start or something."
"Another fresh start?" She giggled, "So what? Something sports-related, or…"
"Maybe. Either sports or like… I dunno, martial arts or something."
"I used to play Ice Hockey; you could try that."
"In sunny Marleille?" I chuckled
"Duh—Ever heard of indoor ice rinks?"
"I know, I know. It's not too different to football, is it?"
"Don't think you skate on ice in football."
"Or wield a stick. But the game itself is similar, right?"
Krista shrugged. "Don't know, never played football."
I planted my hand on my face as I shook my head. I reeled through more sports in my mind. "I could do basketball, but… I don't know, competitive sports are kind of hard to get into as an adult."
"Looks like martial arts it is. You could always do football as well—you don't have to completely scrap it, just because you want something new."
"…Yeah. I'll have a look if there's any local teams to join."
"Good." She smiled. "It's nice to see George McCullen again—"
I looked at her.
"—And not the Purple Entity."
The sun broke through the clouds, casting a warm glow across her face. Somehow… her smile seemed even brighter than the sun itself.
The conversation drifted away after that.
Not awkwardly.
Just... comfortably.
The kind of silence that didn't need filling.
The streets were busier than usual. Cars rolled lazily past, headlights beginning to cut through the fading evening light. People spilled out onto the pavements, some heading home from work, others beginning their nights out. Every so often, one of us would point out something mundane—a dog tugging its owner down the street, someone nearly dropping their shopping, a cyclist swerving around a taxi.
It felt…
Normal.
I hadn't realised how much I'd missed normal.
A warm orange glow caught my eye.
The familiar wooden sign swung gently above the pavement.
The Fox & Hound.
Krista looked towards me. "Want a drink?"
I looked up at the sign for a second. "…Yeah."
The bar glowed with a warm amber light, washing the dark wooden tables in gold. It was only about two in the afternoon, so the lunchtime crowd had already drifted away. A handful of regulars lingered over half-finished pints while quiet chatter blended with the clink of glasses behind the counter. It wasn't busy, but it wasn't empty either. Just enough people to make the place feel lived in.
Krista and I slipped into a table tucked away in the corner. Years of elbows, pint glasses and conversations had left the wood scarred with tiny chips and scratches, each one worn smooth by time.
I sipped on my beer. "I used to work at a place like this back home."
"That's nice." She replied, sipping her cider. "I used to work at a burger place."
"Yeah?" I laughed "Flipping burgers 'n shit."
"I wish; they shoved me on the register the whole time."
"Were the customers bad?"
"On the late shift, definitely; you'd get a bunch of people coming from a night out, drunk out of their minds."
"Yeah, we got that at the bar, too."
"Oh, god, that must've been even worse. Chucking beer all over the place—"
"Shouting, trynna be funny—"
"And then—get this—you had to give them more drinks."
Krista gasped sarcastically, and the two of us laughed.
Krista wiped a tear from her eyes. "So where is home for you?"
"Gascoigne. It's quite far from here."
"Quite far? It's on the other side of the country."
"Oh, you know where it is? Not many people do."
"Yeah, my dad's from there."
"Why did he move?"
"Work. He also supports Olympique Marleille, so it was a win-win. What about you? Why did you move to the other side of the country?"
I took another sip. "With everything that happened at home, and the fact that I was feeling a little bound down, I enrolled as far as I could."
"What did your parents think?"
"They were worried, I'd pretty much lost every friend at home. But… I think they understood, I needed a fresh start somewhere new."
Krista smiled. "And you've made a great start. You've got a cute roommate, you've experienced more than anyone ever will, and you're a hero." She tilted her head with a grin. "Did I mention hot. Sexy. Roommate?"
I laughed. "...You've definitely mentioned the roommate."
"Can't blame a girl for advertising herself."
I took a deep sip.
The word lingered.
Roommate.
Was that all we were?
"Something wrong?"
I stared into the amber beer swirling around the bottom of the glass. "...Can I ask you something?"
"…Of course."
"Back... during the invasion."
She looked up.
"When we were trapped in that classroom."
"...Why did you kiss me?"
Krista's gaze averted, cheeks flushed. "Erm—this is a bit sudden. Well, everything just happened so quickly—my emotions got the better of me—then we never got the chance to talk about it with… you being gone."
"…Yeah… I just…" I rubbed the back of my neck. "I've kinda been wondering what that meant."
"…So… what does that make us?"
Krista didn't respond.
"Yeah, that's a complicated question. It's just… what am I to you? Just a roommate?"
Krista took a deep breath up her nose. "I wasn't lying about what I said: You really did make me try. The kiss might've been a little… spur of the moment, but I do like you, George."
I looked down at my lap, where my fingers had been fidgeting instinctively. "Every time I switched into that form—every time I fought them… you're what gave me the strength."
"Me?"
"The thought of them hurting you— I… I couldn't let that happen."
"Everyone keeps calling me a hero."
I stared into my drink.
"...But that's not why I accepted this power."
"I accepted it because…"
I laughed bitterly.
"...I hated my life."
"…Hated who I was."
"When I fought…"
"I wasn't thinking about saving the world."
"I was thinking about you."
Krista didn't answer immediately.
She simply stared at me.
The chatter from the rest of the pub drifted around us.
"…Wow." She laughed awkwardly. "You really know how to kill the mood."
"George, who cares about your intentions? You still help people. I think having a personal reason makes it even more inspiring. Unless your reason was money." She giggled.
I smiled.
"It's nice to know I've got my very own guardian angel or a… knight in shining armour–No. That sounds way too cliché. But more importantly," She pointed at me. "You said you accepted the power."
"Whoa, wh—"
"So there is more to the story—"
"—oa, whoa, don't change the subject, you haven't even answered my—"
Krista placed her finger on my lips, hushing me into silence. "Just give me some time; I'll let you know, 'kay?"
"S-sure. But don't take too long; you've already had three months."
"Well, it's kinda hard to think about that when I was too busy worrying about whether or not you were even alive."
"Touché. Alright, take your time."
"I won't take too long, I promise."
I smiled, taking a long sip of my beer.
In another part of Grossaint, Himiko entered the Ghost-Line Six shared apartment, bag of snacks in hand. She was still struggling to get used to the new one. After the last one got destroyed in the invasion, a replacement was quickly picked out for them.
It wasn't bad.
It just wasn't the same.
Aiko was sprawled out on the couch, bathed in the glow of the TV. She was sucking on a lollipop as she stared blankly into the TV. "'Sup."
"Hey." Aiko shut the door behind her. "Where is everyone?"
Aiko blinked. "Nozomi and Kaoru are making out in some comic store or something," She smirked, "and Miko's in her room."
"Is she okay?"
Aiko's lips smacked as she took the lollipop out of her mouth. "She seems fine; she said she was tired."
"Hopefully that's it." Himiko placed the bag of groceries on the kitchen counter. "What you watching, anyway?"
"Just some crime show. What did you buy?"
"Just some snacks." Himiko grabbed a chocolate bar from the bag. Chomping on it, she sat down on the sofa beside Aiko. "You just gonna sit here all day?"
"It's my day off; I'm not leaving this sofa." Aiko sat up. "And you? You got any plans?"
"…No. I just went in to do some training."
"Again? Dude, it's your day off."
"I need to get better at shooting."
"Why? You're katana girl; that's your thing. Guns are my thing. Don't take my thing, girl."
"This isn't a video game." Himiko laughed. "I need to strengthen my weaknesses."
"Whatever, dude, you do you. I'm just gonna stick to enjoying my days off."
"We're still on-call, you know."
"Yeah, but we're special operations; there'd have to be a special operation for us to get called up. Like a… 'nother alien invasion or something."
"Don't jynx it."
"Don't worry, those red and purple dudes showed them not to mess with us."
"Maybe you're right. But let's not talk about that. Did you not want to go out with Nozomi and Kaoru?"
"No, I'm not a nerd. Besides, I don't wanna third-wheel their little bromance."
"Yeah," Himiko chuckled, "wouldn't want to break up their tight bond."
Aiko snorted.
Himiko took a final bite from her chocolate bar before rising from the seat
"Hey, Aiko," Himiko walked towards the bin in the kitchen, "How about you, Miko and I go out for a little girls thing?"
Aiko's eyes lit up. "Whatcha got in mind?"
Himiko's phone buzzed in her pocket. She reached her hand in and grabbed the phone. "I don't know, maybe—"
Incoming call
Father
"Oh, hold on one second, my dad's calling."
Himiko marched to her room, shutting the door behind her.
Her finger hovered over the answer button for a moment.
Then she clicked it.
"Hey… Dad. How are you?"
"I'm fine, Himiko. How's everything going? You've not called in a while."
Himiko looked out the window. "Yeah, sorry. Things have been hectic at work."
"At… the station?"
"…Yeah, my… boss—"
"Damn it, Himiko."
Himiko's heart dropped. "Dad?"
"I gave you a chance to own up. I've given you months. But instead, you continue lying to your own family."
"I don't even know who you are anymore."
"Dad—"
The phone cut.
"No."
All of a sudden…
The room felt very big.