Silence fell.
Not the peaceful kind.
The kind that stays after something too heavy has been said.
Kai lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, his chest rising slowly, unevenly. The voice's last words kept echoing in his head.
"I just refused to let you disappear."
His fingers curled into the blanket. "You really think you saved me?" he whispered.
"I know I did," the voice replied.
"Even if it meant hurting someone else?"
"Yes."
No hesitation.
Kai shut his eyes. He didn't feel anger. He didn't feel fear.
He felt small.
"I don't know if I can live with that," he said.
"You already have."
The room felt… different.
Not darker.
Just thicker.
Kai opened his eyes.
The air near the foot of his bed rippled, like heat rising from pavement. His breath caught in his throat.
"What's happening?" he asked.
"You finally let me be seen," the voice said.
The ripple grew.
Then—
Two feet touched the floor.
Kai jolted upright.
A girl stood there.
Not glowing.
Not fading.
Real.
Dark hair. Calm eyes. A presence that felt exactly like the voice he had heard for years.
His face went hot instantly.
"…You're a girl?" he blurted out.
She blinked. "Is that surprising?"
"Y-Yes!"
His heart was pounding. He looked away, embarrassed. "You were a voice a second ago!"
"And now I am this."
"That's not helping!"
A tiny smile tugged at her lips.
"So you're really… you," Kai said quietly.
"Yes."
"You're not in my head?"
"I am," she replied. "And I'm also here."
"That doesn't make sense."
"It never has."
Kai swallowed. "What are you?"
"I am what was sent to guard you."
"A guardian…"
"Yes."
His gaze softened. "You don't even have a name, do you?"
She hesitated. "Names are for those who belong."
"You belong," Kai said.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"…Eloine," he said. "That should be your name."
She repeated it softly. "Eloine…"
The air shifted.
"I like it."
Kai's chest tightened.
Outside his door, Sora suddenly felt a chill run through her.
She pressed her ear against the door.
Inside, Kai was staring at the girl he had just named.
"You can make people do things," he said. "Like the locker."
"I only guide what already exists," Eloine replied. "I chose the path that kept you alive."
"That's terrifying."
"So is losing you."
Their eyes met.
"Why do you look at me like that?" Kai asked.
"Because you are my world," she said quietly.
His face burned again. "That's too much."
"But it's true."
The silence between them was heavy now.
Outside—
"Kai?" Sora whispered. "Are you okay?"
Kai flinched.
"She's there," Eloine said.
"I know."
Sora knocked. "Kai, please. Open the door."
Kai looked at Eloine. "If she sees you—"
"She will," Eloine said gently.
The door creaked open.
Sora stepped inside.
Her eyes went straight to Kai.
Then they shifted.
And froze.
A girl was standing in his room.
"…Kai?" she whispered. "Who… who is that?"
Kai couldn't speak.
Eloine didn't hide.
She just stood there.
For the first time, someone else could see what had always lived inside him.
And the air felt like it was about to snap.