As they made their way toward the junction, Theo, Ace, and Valt brainstormed idea after idea.
But nothing came up.
They were running out of time.
Then, suddenly—
Theo and Ace both had the same thought.
At the exact same moment, they slowly turned their heads toward Valt.
Valt was still doing his best to drive.
He glanced at them nervously.
"W-What?! W-Why are you guys looking at me?!"
Meanwhile…
Aqua walked along the empty roads without a care in the world.
The danger had been lured away.
For now, at least.
Abu quietly followed behind him, observing everything in silence.
The rain was heavy.
Loud.
It poured from the sky as if it had no intention of stopping anytime soon.
Aqua looked up at the dark clouds and chuckled.
"Looks like the rain is going to be the end of me."
It was a joke.
At least, he intended it to be one.
But for some reason…
Aqua felt as though the rain was waiting for something.
His eyes narrowed for a brief moment.
Then he dismissed the thought.
I'm just imagining things.
Behind him, Abu continued to observe.
Silent.
Calm.
Unmoving.
Aqua eventually reached his house.
A smile formed on his face.
But the moment he saw it—
The smile disappeared.
His house was destroyed.
The walls had collapsed.
The windows were shattered.
The entire building had been reduced to rubble.
Aqua froze.
"No…"
His voice was barely a whisper.
He stepped forward.
"No…"
His face slowly changed.
Fear.
Disbelief.
Despair.
He climbed onto the rubble and began searching frantically.
"Mom…?"
His hands moved the broken bricks aside.
"Dad…?"
Nothing.
He kept searching.
"No… No, no, no—"
His breathing became unsteady.
"NO!"
He desperately dug through the rubble.
"Please…"
His voice cracked.
"Please don't tell me…"
His eyes began to burn.
Then—
He saw something from the corner of his eye.
Aqua froze.
What's that…?
Slowly, he moved closer.
And then he saw it.
An arm.
Without a body.
Aqua stared at it.
His entire body went still.
Then—
"AAAAAAAAAAAH!"
His scream tore through the rain.
But the rain was louder.
His scream slowly turned into sobs.
His body trembled as he reached out and carefully picked up the arm.
Then he gently held it against himself.
And cried.
He cried with everything he had.
The rain poured over his back, carried by the cold wind.
It muffled his cries.
But it could not hide his pain.
And then Aqua remembered.
That feeling.
The strange feeling he had earlier.
The feeling that the rain was waiting for something.
Maybe…
Maybe that was why.
Aqua felt the cold rain falling against his back.
But for a brief moment—
He felt something else.
Two hands.
Touching his shoulders.
Warm.
Gentle.
Like a feather.
Yet somehow…
Heavy.
Aqua slowly looked up.
Above him was nothing but a black and stormy sky.
He stared into the darkness.
And wondered.
Maybe the rain was here for them…
His eyes trembled.
Maybe they were waiting for me to come home.
Maybe they were waiting to welcome me back.
The thought broke him even further.
Behind him, Abu stood silently.
An unnerving presence surrounded him.
His eyes remained calm.
Unnaturally calm.
Aqua eventually stood up.
He wiped the tears from his face.
His eyes were tired.
His body was exhausted.
But something inside him had changed.
He looked toward Abu.
"Follow me."
Abu nodded.
His eyes remained unclear.
Foggy.
As if something was hidden behind them.
And as the rain continued to fall…
The two of them walked away from the ruins of Aqua's home.