Three weeks later.
Haru sat on a bench in the hospital garden, watching clouds drift across a sky that was simply blue.
No violet.
No resetting.
Just blue.
Kenji sat beside him, eating an apple he'd stolen from the cafeteria.
"You know," Kenji said between bites, "I still don't remember everything. There are gaps. Whole years I only remember as feelings."
Haru nodded. "Same. But I think that's okay."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. We lived it. That's what matters."
A bird landed on the grass in front of them, hopping closer, curious.
Kenji watched it with wonder in his eyes.
"In the world... I never saw birds. Just shadows and light."
Haru smiled. "They're real here. Everything's real."
They sat in comfortable silence for a while.
Then Kenji spoke again.
"What do we do now? I mean... I don't have a family. The doctors said I was found alone. No records. No history."
Haru had thought about this.
"You come with me."
Kenji looked at him sharply.
"What?"
"My mom... she's gone. The organization... they took her. When the fracture happened, she was replaced. She became a monster." Haru's voice wavered. "But before that... she was trying. She wasn't perfect. She might never have been perfect. But she was trying."
Kenji was quiet.
"I'm sorry."
Haru shook his head. "It's okay. I've accepted it. She's at peace now. They all are."
He looked at Kenji.
"But you're here. You're real. And I'm not letting you go."
Kenji smiled — bright, real, alive.
"Together?"
"Together."
---
That night, Haru dreamed.
Not of battles.
Not of loss.
Not of violet skies.
He dreamed of walking through a field with Kenji — green grass, blue sky, warm sun. No monsters. No pain. No fear.
Just walking.
Together.
He woke with a smile.
And for the first time in as long as he could remember, he wasn't afraid of what came next.
---
End of Chapter 8