Stonegate Penitentiary
A low hum of fluorescent lights filled the corridors. The concrete walls were damp, lined with rust-stained pipes that hissed faintly in the cold. Metal clanked in the distance, the sound of another door slamming shut.
Inside a dim cell, a man stirred awake on his cot.
"On your feet." The guard's baton hammered against the iron bars, the echo crawling through the silence.
Markus Hayes lifted his head. His eyes were dull, shadowed by sleepless nights. Without a word, he rose. The guard unlocked the cell, grabbed Markus by the arm, and led him through the narrow hall.
The prison smelled of old iron and disinfectant. Footsteps echoed, the rhythm slow and deliberate, until they reached Gate A — a reinforced checkpoint before the visitation wing.
"Who's this one?" asked a bored voice from the processing office.
"Markus Hayes," the escort replied. "Charged with large-scale destruction and attempted murder."
The man inside whistled low. "Impressive. Try not to get your throat slit."
Markus gave no reaction. The gate buzzed open, and he stepped through. The hall beyond stretched long and colorless, lined with wired glass windows and lights that flickered at random intervals. The hum of the building was constant, an industrial heartbeat that refused to die.
He was seated at a visitation booth moments later, the thick glass separating him from the world beyond. His hands, cuffed in front of him, rested against the metal table.
Across the glass sat Sosuke Estrella. His expression was calm, his violet eyes sharp under the sterile light.
Markus hesitated before picking up the black telephone receiver. The plastic felt cold.
"Hello, Crimson," Sosuke said quietly, voice barely carrying through the line. "I have some questions for you."
Markus let out a dry breath that almost became a laugh. "What's this, huh? Gabriel sent you?" His lip curled. "Tell him he can shove it up his ass."
Sosuke's smile was faint, humorless. "Gabriel doesn't know I'm here." He clicked a pen, the sound crisp against the silence. "I'm not here for him. I just want to know about Gabriel Aurelius and his past, as well as what you believe to be the truth."
The air between them grew still, the quiet hum of the prison swallowing their words whole.
⸻
January 1st
Sosuke leaned against the window of the train as it slowed to a stop. Outside, the world blurred by in streaks of white and silver. The stars above the city burned bright against the winter sky, scattered like embers.
He checked his watch. 9:24 p.m.
The doors slid open. The cold hit him instantly, sharp, biting at his neck and fingers. His breath escaped in thin clouds that vanished before reaching the streetlight.
He walked alone through the quiet streets. The city was muted, wrapped in snow and distant noise. Street lamps hummed softly. Windows glowed faintly in the dark, like fragments of life he wasn't part of.
His boots crunched against the icy pavement. Each step sounded louder than it should have.
Sosuke stopped at the glass door of his apartment building. His reflection stared back at him, pale, tired, a scar catching the light across his right eye. He brushed his thumb over it, the motion slow and absent.
"What a birthday," he muttered under his breath, a trace of irony breaking through the monotone.
He climbed the stairs, each creak of the wood echoing up the narrow hall. The building was silent except for that sound. No voices. No footsteps. Just the steady rhythm of him and the empty space around him.
He reached his door and froze. The key lingered in his grasp. For a moment, he didn't move, his expression distant, like something inside him hesitated to return to the quiet waiting beyond the door.
He exhaled slowly, forcing the key into the lock.
The door opened. Darkness.
Then light.
"Happy birthday!"
The voices burst through the room all at once. Reid stood at the front, Rin beside him, Elowen and Ren behind. Confetti fluttered through the air.
Sosuke blinked, caught between disbelief and confusion. "What…?"
Reid lunged forward and wrapped him in a hug so tight it knocked the air from his chest. "Come on, man! It's your birthday! What's with that face?"
Sosuke gave a small smile, quiet and uncertain. "Didn't expect this, that's all." His gaze wandered over the table, plates laid out neatly, candles flickering beside a small cake. He could tell Rin had been the architect behind it all.
Rin stepped closer, her smile bright and genuine. "Hi. I wanted to surprise you earlier, but someone decided to work himself into exhaustion."
"Busy day," Sosuke murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I can't say no to food."
"This means we can eat, right?" Ren asked, his tone serious as ever.
Rin laughed softly. "Yes, we can eat. He's been acting strange all evening because he's starving."
"Sorry I took so long," Sosuke said, voice low.
"It's not your fault." Rin's tone gentled. She reached out and took his hand. "Now stop overthinking and enjoy your birthday for once."
"Okay." He grinned faintly.
Sosuke followed Ren and the others, weaving through the small crowd as they picked up drinks and food. The chatter around them buzzed softly. Elowen lingered by Rin's side, her gaze flicking toward Sosuke before she turned.
"I've never really spoken to him," Elowen admitted, voice light but uncertain. "I'm not sure how I'm supposed to… start a conversation. You know him better than anyone."
"Just talk to him, I guess." Rin tilted her head, thinking for a beat. "He's not gonna stab you."
"It's just…" Elowen's fingers fidgeted at her sleeves. Her eyes shifted toward the floor. "He's tall and kind of intimidating."
"That's like Arthur," Rin said. "You talked to him like it was nothing."
Elowen blinked, then laughed softly. "Oh yeah. Thanks." She smiled, the tension easing from her shoulders, and walked off.
"Okay…?" Rin muttered under her breath as she watched her go.
⸻
Two hours later
The rain began its slow descent, faint trails slipping down the windowpanes of Sosuke's small apartment. The steady patter echoed through the quiet living room. He sat alone in a worn sofa chair, the book in his hand unopened, thumb resting on its edge. His eyes drifted toward the window, lost somewhere in the reflection of city lights blurred by rain.
Rin's footsteps padded softly across the hallway before she appeared, leaning against the wall. She yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. "Don't you have work tomorrow? I thought you'd be asleep by now."
He didn't look up. "No. I'll just take a sick day."
Her brow arched. "Really? That's a surprise."
"Why?"
"You seem to love working there so much. At least, that's what I figured since you're always there so late." She pushed off the wall and crossed into the room, stopping near the edge of his chair.
Sosuke's lips pressed into a thin line. His gaze stayed fixed on the rain. "Not really. It's nothing special. I just have nothing else to do."
Rin's expression softened. She stepped closer, then quietly lowered herself into his lap. The movement was hesitant, almost shy. Her hands rested against his chest as she looked away.
Sosuke's eyes widened slightly. "W-what is it?"
"You said yourself that you needed this job." Her voice was gentle. "But I can see it's not doing anything for you. I want you to be honest with me for once, about how you really feel."
"I… don't know what you mean," he whispered.
"It's hard being left in the dark when all I want is to help." She pressed her palm against his chest, feeling the slow, uneven rhythm beneath. "Tell me the truth."
He covered her hand with his own and finally met her gaze. "I'm miserable. I thought killing Julius was the end goal, but it left me empty. I still have no family. My core's damaged. What can I do without the power I had?"
Rin smiled faintly, though her eyes glistened. "That's not all there is to you, Sosuke. You're more than what you can destroy. Magic isn't everything, we're still human. You haven't lost everything… I'm still here."
A small chuckle escaped him, quiet and unsteady. "That's a little selfish, don't you think?"
"I don't." She lifted her head, eyes firm. "You feel this way because you think there's nothing left, but what happened to wanting to change things? Didn't you want to make a name for yourself? Help people?" Her brows knit. "There's so much you can still do. You just can't see past your own doubt."
"Maybe."
"We're in a time of peace now. Losing most of your powers just means you'll never have to be used as a tool of war again."
The words struck him like an echo. Tool of war.
⸻
Military Camp — Hours before the battle with Julius
The stench of medicine and damp canvas filled Gabriel's tent. Faint light filtered through the flap as Sosuke entered, rain hammering the field outside. Gabriel lay propped up on a cot surrounded by humming instruments, tubes coiling into glass cylinders that pulsed faintly with mana.
"You are considering going, are you not?" Gabriel's voice rasped, each word measured like a man who still counted his breaths. He lay propped on pillows, tubes and soft mechanical hums arrayed around him. Even sick, he carried the posture of a ruler.
Sosuke could only nod. "The doctor said the damage would be permanent." His voice came out small, as if the word itself might shatter something.
Gabriel's thin smile tightened. "There are always means to remedy any issue." He folded his hands with slow ceremony. "Your friends stand in danger, Sosuke. The force you carry, the potency of your core, it could bring an end to this ruin." His tone turned grave, then proud. "I went once with the thought that I might not return. I went to end Julius myself. Fate spared me. Now I ask this of you. Do something that will change the world." He made an effort to sit up. His arms trembled, but his eyes did not waver. "I hold full confidence in your ability."
"You already told me that." Sosuke stared at the floor, the tent's canvas blurring at the edges. The counselor's words echoed, but they did not become lighter. The image of Julius, of ruined streets and crushed people, rose up beside the image of his power vanishing like smoke. Both futures were unbearable.
Back in his own tent, the idea looped in his head. It did not resolve. It multiplied. He began to pace. The canvas beneath his boots whispered. He bit his thumbnail until he tasted metal.
I have to. I do. He told himself, then almost immediately countered the thought. What am I without the magic that could level armies? It's my only chance to become something, someone people remember. Maybe then my father would be happy. His jaw clenched. The memory of his father's face, the impossible gravity of making him proud, pressed against his ribs.
Heat climbed his neck. His vision narrowed into a tunnel of gray. The air felt thick as wool. His hands trembled at his sides. A buzzing filled his ears, high and urgent. He attempted to slow his breathing. He couldn't. Each inhale came too fast. His chest tightened until it felt like someone had wrapped a band around it and pulled.
Thoughts broke apart into shards. What if I fail? What if I die and it means nothing? I'll disappear, a nobody who only made things worse. The questions stung like cold iron. His pulse hammered in his throat. Sweat slicked his spine.
He doubled over, hands on his knees, breath hitching. The tent seam blurred. Distantly he heard the hum of the camp, the murmur of other lives. Closer came the memory of Gabriel's gaze, steady and expecting.
You are a tool, he told himself, anger sharp against the fear. A weapon made for war.
⸻
Present Moment
"Sosuke?" Rin's voice was soft, uncertain. She could feel his heart pounding beneath her palm. "What's wrong?"
He turned toward her, dazed.
What am I doing? She's right. I was terrified of failing, of falling short. But I didn't. I achieved everything I wanted… yet what did it cost?
His breathing steadied. Their eyes locked. Sosuke's fingers tightened around hers. Tears gathered and slid down his cheeks, catching the faint glow of the room.
"Sosuke, say something." Rin's voice wavered as she brushed the tears away.
"It's my fault…" His voice cracked, trembling. "I killed people. Ryoma died because of me. How can I live with—" His throat closed up. "The guilt?"
"You move forward." Her voice trembled, but she didn't look away. "If you spend the rest of your life doing good, it'll make up for what's been done. You're not a bad person. You've just made mistakes. But because of that guilt, you saved millions." She cupped his cheek. "The world sees who you are. Isn't that proof enough that there's good in you?"
He leaned into her touch, eyes half-closed. "Thank you. Where would I be right now without you?"
"Don't say that." Rin smiled faintly, voice breaking with warmth. "You'd still be amazing, even if I wasn't here. I needed you more than you needed me." She rested her forehead against his.
Sosuke wrapped an arm around her waist and glanced toward the window. The rain had softened to a drizzle, light tapping against the glass.
There's still good I can do out there, even without magic. It only means another challenge to face as I find new ways to help others. I'm strong now, with the position and influence I hold, and strength carries an obligation to protect those who can't protect themselves.