Evening descended like a whisper-thin veil over the city.
The golden light had returned – muted, hesitant, as if afraid of being too bright again.
On the rooftops, rain dripped from burst pipes, the humming of generators the only sound that remained.
Rhea and Eiko had sealed off the Control Center. Only Alaric and Lina had stayed.
They sat in the small room behind the Observation Station, a wall of glass between them and the vibrating world.
He had rolled up his sleeves, head resting in his hands.
For hours, he had said nothing.
Lina observed him, every small movement, every twitch beneath his skin.
He was quiet – too quiet.
And under his skin glowed something that was no longer just light.
"How do you feel?" she finally asked.
"Empty," he said after a while. "But somehow... lighter."
"You mean, liberated?"
He nodded slowly. "As if someone pulled a weight out of me. But –"
He paused.
"But?"
"Something else remained."
"What?"
