The last remnants of corrupted aura bled from R's body, and for the first time since this started, his eyes looked human again. He collapsed to his knees, gasping, and the weight in the air began to shift. I didn't know if it was over, but something had changed.
I rushed to his side, catching him before he hit the ground. His breathing was shaky, his voice barely a whisper.
"Kay... I could hear it all. I was still in there. But it... It wouldn't let me move."
"You're back now. You're alright," I said, even though I wasn't sure if that was true.
His body jerked, not from pain, but from something pulling at him. That's when I felt it—a soft pressure in the air, like reality was folding inward.
She appeared.
始寂 stepped silently through a thin veil of light forming just beyond the field. The air shimmered around her like heat, and her expression was softer now, almost... regretful.
"He won't last here," she said calmly. "The corruption didn't leave, it's hiding. If he stays, it'll take him again. Next time, it won't let go."
I stood between her and R. "You're not taking him."
"I'm not here to hurt him. I'm here to guide him. There's one place that can protect him now."
"What place?"
"The Land of Souls."
A portal opened behind her, no flashing lights or loud sounds, just a tear in space, calm and glowing like moonlight on water. R looked up at me, still trembling, but there was a peace in his eyes.
"I don't want to hurt anyone again," he said. "I trust her. I think... I have to do this."
Before I could speak, she was already beside him, lifting him effortlessly with a motion that defied gravity. The portal widened.
He looked back at me one last time.
"Thank you, Kay."
And then they were gone.