The rift closed after Solara resealed all of Reimu's army within it. The heroes celebrated the victory — they laughed, applauded, threw their arms around one another with a loud and overflowing joy, as if to make up in a few seconds for everything they had held back for hours. Nozomi, for his part, felt above all relieved that it was over. The sun was rising, bathing Paris in a warm, golden light. Nozomi and his brothers and sister had perhaps just lived through one of the most difficult and defining nights of their lives. So many things had happened. They would not emerge from that night unchanged — something in each of them had irrevocably shifted.
Shinrei was on the ground, unable to walk. He had fought forty soldiers entirely alone, without any help. He had succeeded — but at what cost. His legs were so exhausted they simply refused to carry him. His parents, who had stayed at his side, helped him walk and joined him where Harris had collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed by accumulated fatigue and pain. Overcome by exhaustion, Harris lost consciousness.
Nozomi, for his part, left the heroes to celebrate on their own. He came down from the mound and rejoined Solara to help her. He was deeply grateful to her — for her help, for her presence, for everything she had brought. He was fully aware that without her, victory would have been nothing more than an impossible dream.
He asked her, his voice soft and worried. "Are you alright?"
She smiled, relieved. "It's nothing, I just need rest. But give me your right arm."
Nozomi obeyed without asking a question. Solara took hold of his arm, and an instant later, the pain devouring it vanished like a blown-out flame. Solara looked at him. "Your arm isn't healed yet, but this should ease the pain and make it more bearable. Try not to move it too much."
Nozomi was impressed. Despite everything she had accomplished, despite her condition, she still found the strength to tend to him. That gesture moved him deeply. From the very beginning, Nozomi felt something rare in her presence — a warmth, a comfort, a safety he wouldn't have known how to explain. She remained a stranger, and yet he felt safe beside her.
But that moment was interrupted by a voice calling his name. "Nozomi!"
Nozomi looked up — and his face fell apart. He saw Aria running toward him, Kael's unconscious body levitating on a disc of aetherium. She arrived before Nozomi and Solara and, without giving them time to speak, said in a panicked voice. "It's Kael — he's not doing well. My healing techniques aren't working, and his condition is only getting worse."
Nozomi, gripped by fear, immediately thought of everything Reimu had inflicted on Kael. His brother's worrying state was no longer truly surprising — but it didn't make it any less painful to look at. He asked, his throat tight. "Why can't you heal him? What's happening to him?"
"I don't know. No matter what I do, nothing works."
Solara took charge without waiting. "Aria, can you set Kael down on the ground gently? I'm going to examine him." Despite her fatigue, her voice was firm and reassuring. In her intonation and in the expression on her face, it was evident that she cared about these young people — sincerely, without reservation.
Aria hesitated. She didn't yet truly know who this woman was, or whether she deserved her trust. She cared about Kael and didn't want to entrust his case to someone unknown. Nozomi read it immediately on her face. He reassured her in a calm voice. "Don't worry, Aria. You can trust her."
Nozomi's words were enough. If he said so, she trusted her. She set Kael's body on the ground with infinite delicacy, as if the slightest abrupt movement could worsen his condition. Solara leaned down and examined his body with aetherium, probing every part of his organism.
The more she examined him, the more her worry grew. She said nothing — she didn't want to alarm Nozomi and Aria. But Kael's condition was concerning on several levels. Burns, broken bones, surface wounds — but above all, serious internal damage. The aetherium veins across his entire right side were severely damaged. Several bone fractures could lead to permanent paralysis if not treated quickly. And on top of all of that, Kael had sustained a blow to the head liable to cause lasting, possibly lifelong mental after-effects.
Aware of the gravity of the situation, Solara thought fast. They had to act without delay — every minute counted. She turned toward Aria, her gaze hesitant but determined. "Aria, you have a strong mastery of pure aetherium, don't you? I'll need your help."
"I'll do everything in my power to help you."
"Good. We don't have much time. Come closer. I'd like you to converge the surrounding pure aetherium toward Kael — I, for my part, will redirect it to heal each of his wounds. Do you feel up to it?"
Aria didn't answer. Her gaze said far more than any words could. At once, she positioned herself and concentrated deeply — first feeling the pure aetherium around her, drawing it slowly toward herself, before transmitting it toward Kael.
Solara concentrated as well, drawing on her last strength. Her knowledge of medicine and her abilities were indispensable to Kael's survival. She tackled the most life-critical wounds first.
Unfortunately, despite Aria's efforts, the pure aetherium she was providing was far too insufficient to hope to heal Kael entirely. Solara was aware of it — but she also knew that Aria was already giving everything she had. She could not ask more of her. She had to make do.
Thanks to the pure aetherium, Aria's senses had developed considerably over the course of training. This allowed her to perceive with clarity that the energy she was providing was far from sufficient. She was fully aware of it — and that awareness was unbearable to her.
She thought, desperately. "It's not enough. More is needed, so much more. Please… more power. For Kael. I can't abandon him." Guilt flooded through her entirely, crushing. "In the end, I could do nothing. I was of no help. So at least this once, just this once, let my presence not be insignificant. I want to save Kael."
Suddenly, Aria's eyes began to glow, and sparks burst all around Kael — like tiny stars lighting up one by one in the air. This was Aria's doing — manifesting an extraordinary quantity of pure aetherium. All at once, that entire mass of energy converged toward Kael's body in a luminous surge.
Solara, surprised, couldn't help but let out a quiet. "Impressive." That quantity far exceeded anything she had hoped for. That Aria was capable of manifesting so much was simply staggering. With this, Solara could now heal Kael entirely — without compromise.
She closed her eyes and concentrated fully. Her hands settled on Kael's body with a precision and gentleness that contrasted with the violence of everything they had just been through. She healed each of Kael's wounds — large or small — with absolute meticulousness, lingering over each fracture, each damaged vein, each mark left by Reimu. Nozomi watched her in silence, unable to look away, his heart tight with a mixture of recognition and gratitude he couldn't put into words. The energy Aria was providing was such that she could afford to treat even the most insignificant injuries. Once the procedure was complete, Aria was struck by a lightning exhaustion. She gradually lost consciousness and fell backward. But Nozomi caught her with his good arm, preventing her from touching the ground. Before she fell entirely asleep, he managed to murmur to her. "Rest well. You were incredible, big sister."
Solara rose, exhausted and breathless. "She needs rest — as does Kael. Their lives are no longer in danger. You and I should do the same. The night was long."
Without being spotted by the authorities, they all slipped away discreetly, and the heroes, with Solara, rested aboard a vessel. The days that followed were devoted to recovery, especially for Kael, Aria, and Harris, who needed it most. Shinrei, despite his injuries, was back on his feet in barely three days thanks to the care of the hero medics. And Nozomi received all the necessary treatment to recover as quickly as possible.
The world's authorities, after that momentous night, converged on Paris to assess the situation and the full extent of the damage. The city was completely ravaged, unrecognizable. The reconstruction was going to cost a fortune — but what mattered most was that fewer than a thousand people had lost their lives, which was nothing short of a miracle given the scale of what had occurred.
The world's authorities were searching for the heroes who had fought. They were demanding explanations and compensation. Nozomi felt responsible. Alongside Solara, he held a meeting with all the authorities — his face concealed, his voice controlled — and together they explained the situation, revealing as little sensitive information as possible.
Earth had always been a world kept apart from the stakes of the universe — and Nozomi intended for it to remain that way. Through long and delicate discussions, Nozomi and Solara worked together to preserve that protective ignorance. They eventually reached an agreement: the heroes would participate in repairing the damage, in exchange for which the authorities would stop asking questions and leave them alone once the repairs were complete. Nozomi made a point of adding personally that no event of this kind would ever happen again. He said it with a conviction so firm and so calm that no one in the room dared question his word. It was the voice of someone who had paid the price of that promise with their own flesh.
Weeks passed. Everyone was able to spend quality time with their loved ones and recover fully from their wounds and emotions. Then came the day they all prepared to visit Kael at his home — with Solara, who wanted to be present.
On the way, Aria crossed paths with Solara and they decided to walk together. The tension between them was palpable — from the start, they had never truly spoken to each other. But Aria had something she wanted to say to her. She took a breath and said, a little awkwardly. "Thank you for the other day. Kael is alive because of you."
Solara smiled warmly and rested her hand gently on her head. "It's rather thanks to you. I only assisted. You did the hardest part of the work." She paused briefly and added with gentleness. "And have a little more respect for yourself."
Aria didn't say a word. But she was deeply moved. The tension that had settled between the two of them evaporated entirely at that moment.
On the way, Aria spoke up, a slight hesitation in her voice. "I'd like to ask you something." Solara looked at her in silence, giving her her full attention. Aria continued, her eyes straight ahead. "Nozomi told me about the way you fought. I'd like to ask whether it would be possible for you to train me and help me become as strong as you."
Solara was silent for a moment, observing her carefully, before asking. "Why this request, and why now?"
Aria lowered her head, the words coming out slowly, as if voicing them cost her something. "During the battle, I wasn't of much use. I want to become powerful so I can help and support them as I should. I want to fight proudly at their sides — not watch them sacrifice themselves from a distance." She lifted her head slightly. "I want to be like you."
Solara listened to her without interrupting. Then a proud, warm smile drew itself across her lips. "I understand that feeling perfectly — wanting to be useful to those you love. That's one of the most beautiful reasons to become strong." She rested her gaze briefly on Aria. "We'll talk more after, Aria. We've just arrived."
Once they arrived at Kael's home, the others were already there. Together, they talked, laughed, and spent a good while together — as they had before Reimu's arrival. As if, for a few hours, they could pretend that nothing had changed. They bickered over silly things, stole sweets from one another, exchanged knowing glances — everything that made them who they were. And yet, something had changed between them — something subtle but irreversible. They all knew it without needing to say it. The night they had just lived through had bound them in a way that words could never quite describe.
But after a time, Solara spoke up. "I'm sorry to interrupt… but I think it's time we had a discussion. And that I tell you a little more about myself."