91 Chapter 91
Dreams aren't always pleasant to watch..
Aruno watched the battlefield from above, separated from it, like he was standing outside his own skin.
Below him, the fight replayed exactly as it had happened. Caelith's light tearing the sky apart. The spear driving through his heart. The moment his body collapsed.
So that's how it looked.
He watched himself rise again.
Watched the Solarii freeze mid-motion. Watched their bodies break and stand back up as something else. Watched Caelith disappear beneath countless cuts, erased in less than a second.
The version of Aruno fighting never hesitated.
He didn't question, didn't falter, didn't stop.
Then that version slowed. It turned its head upward.
And looked directly at him.
My chest tightened.
Those eyes weren't angry. They weren't proud. They were calm. Certain. Like it already knew something I hadn't accepted yet.
The battlefield twisted.
Serenia stood where the city had been destroyed, frozen in place. Her eyes were wide, locked on him. Not afraid of Caelith.
Afraid of me.
I felt it sink in then.
I did all of that in front of her.
I crushed gods. I killed knights. I laughed. I didn't stop.
And afterward I smiled like it was nothing.
The other me followed my gaze to Serenia. Then it looked back at me.
This time, its expression changed.
Regret.
I woke up gasping.
Aruno sat upright in bed, breath sharp, heart pounding against his ribs. The neon glow of Plaga bled through the window, painting the room in cold color. Rin was asleep nearby, unmoving.
He rubbed his face slowly, grounding himself.
Serenia hadn't spoken much since the fight.
That silence weighed heavier than any wound.
"I really did all that in front of her," he muttered.
He leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
For the first time since Caelith's death, Aruno didn't feel powerful.
He felt seen.
And he knew, deep down, that this was the beginning of something else entirely.
I tried to lay back down to sleep but, a flash beams into my head.
Black blood pours over me, thick and heavy, clinging to my skin as it sinks in. I can feel it even now, the weight of it, the way it didn't burn or resist me. It accepted me, or maybe I accepted it. Someone stands over me as it happens. I know that much. I try to see their face, to remember what they looked like, but every detail slips away the moment I reach for it.
I never fought it.
That's what scares me.
Aruno heads over to the only window in the room to try and relax, after waking up to hell already.
I don't realize how long I've been staring out the window until I hear movement behind me.
The city is still glowing outside, neon bleeding into the dark like it refuses to sleep, and my mind is somewhere else entirely. Somewhere colder. Somewhere quieter. I'm barely aware of the room until I hear Rin shift.
When I turn, it hits me all at once.
She's standing there, completely naked, hair messy from sleep, eyes half-lidded like she hasn't even fully woken up yet. My brain short-circuits. I freeze, every thought derailing at the same time.
I look away immediately, heart jumping in my chest. "Rin—!"
She blinks, looks down at herself, then back at me. There's no panic. No embarrassment. Just mild surprise, like she forgot something obvious.
"Oh," she says simply, as if she just realized she left a window open.
She stands up properly, stretching a little, completely unbothered. I keep my back turned, staring far too hard at the city skyline, wondering how this is somehow more disorienting than killing a god.
"You're already awake," she adds, casual, like this is normal. Like I'm the weird one.
I clear my throat, heat creeping up my neck. "Yeah."
She hums in acknowledgment, moving around the room to grab clothes like nothing about this moment is strange. I can hear fabric shifting, drawers opening. Still, I don't turn back until I'm sure she's covered.
Only then do I glance over my shoulder.
She's dressed now, sitting on the edge of the bed, watching me with that same quiet look she's had since everything ended. The one that says she's thinking more than she's saying.
I rub the back of my neck. "You, uh… don't usually think twice about things like that?"
She smiles faintly. "Should I?"
I don't answer right away. I just look back out the window, eyes reflected faintly in the glass, feeling more tired than I want to admit.
"No," I say finally. "I guess not." I guess I have been around Zyra too long.
Rin steps closer, fast enough that I don't have time to turn away this time. Her hand grabs the front of my shirt, fingers curling into the fabric, pulling me back from the window just enough that I have to face her.
Not hard. Not violent.
Intentional.
I look down at her hand first, then at her face. Her eyes aren't playful. They aren't shy either. They're steady, searching, like she's already decided she won't let this slide.
"Aruno," she says quietly, "did you think about what I said before we went to sleep?"
The question lands heavier than any punch Caelith threw.
For a second, I don't answer. I just breathe. I can feel how close she is now, the tension between us tightening instead of breaking. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I'm aware of how tired I am, how drained my body feels, but this cuts deeper than exhaustion.
I did think about it.
I thought about it when I closed my eyes. I thought about it when the dream replayed the fight. I thought about it when I realized Serenia had watched everything I'd done.
I thought about Rin's voice cutting through the chaos.
She's still holding my shirt. Still waiting.
"I did," I say finally.
Her grip tightens just a little, not pulling me closer, not pushing me away. Just there, anchoring me.
"Then?" she presses.
"I didn't say anything because I didn't think I should," I continue. "Because everything around us keeps burning down, and I didn't want to give you something else to carry."
She lets go of my shirt.
From the outside, it probably looks calm. Two people standing too close in a quiet room. But inside me, it feels like standing at the edge of something I can't undo.
Rin takes a half step back, crossing her arms, thinking. Then she looks up at me again, chin lifted just enough to be stubborn.
"Whoa Rin what are you tryin-"
I barely have time to process, before me Rin lands—a soft, almost playful jab into my chest, but it catches me off guard. I stumble back a step, hand instinctively going to my shirt where her fist grazed me.
Then her hand moves, impossibly fast. She's cupping my face, fingers pressing gently into my jaw and cheeks. Before I can even think, before my mind has a chance to sort what's happening, her lips meet mine.
The first shock is absolute. I freeze, stunned, my mind screaming this isn't happening, this can't be happening. But then there's something else—something I understand, something that's been there under the surface all this time.
I let her. I can't fight it, not fully, not when every chaotic thread in me—the blood, the power, the weight of everything I've done—screams to just let this moment exist.
Her lips move with intent, not hesitant, not testing, but certain, and my hands rise slowly, one touching her waist, the other brushing the side of her face. I feel it—the raw, stubborn resolve behind this, the weight of what she's been holding back.
I'm still trying to breathe, still trying to reconcile my racing thoughts with the softness of her touch, when a noise from the door freezes us both.
Yoru.
The door creaks open, and I see her eyes widen, taking in the scene. Her expression is a mix of confusion, surprise, and a tiny edge of "I knew this would happen someday."
I pull back slightly, heart hammering, my eyes meeting hers. Rin's eyes are bright, still flushed, still holding that stubborn fire I've come to recognize.
"Go, Rin! Finally taking control of your feelings, huh? About damn time!"
Rin freezes, cheeks flaming hotter than before, and I can't help the corner of my mouth twitching. She's glaring at Yoru but not moving, caught between embarrassment and satisfaction.
From the doorway, I see Ko slowly step forward, shirtless, muscles relaxed, casual as if this is the most normal thing in the world. He smirks, slapping Yoru's ass as he walks by.
"What's all the fuss about?" he asks, voice teasing, perfectly deadpan.
Yoru spins around, eyes blazing, a mix of outrage and pride, and Rin finally steps back, crossing her arms like she's suddenly on guard—but her flush doesn't fade.
I watch them, red eyes flicking between the chaos behind me and Rin's stubborn, flustered face, and I can't stop the small, tired laugh that escapes me.
It's ridiculous. Chaotic. Perfect.
But in that absurd moment, I feel it—the weight of everything we've been through, the blood, the fights, the monsters and gods—and still, somehow, we're just… here. Together.