The forest was still.
A breeze stirred the grass as Johan sat on a worn log behind the Butterfly Estate. His sword rested beside him, untouched. The stars above shimmered faintly through the canopy.
He could hear Kanae approaching before she even said a word.
"You've been sitting out here a while," she said gently.
Johan didn't respond at first.
He was lost in thought, watching a small moth circle a wildflower blooming in the moonlight.
She sat beside him, not too close, but not far either.
Silence lingered. But it wasn't awkward.
"I felt it," Kanae said at last. "Back there… in the forest. Something changed in you."
He turned his head slightly. "What do you mean?"
"You used to fight like someone trying to survive," she murmured. "But this time… you fought like someone with nothing left to lose."
Johan exhaled, slow and quiet.
"I remembered something," he said, voice lower than before. "Who I was… before all of this."
She looked at him, searching his face. "Did it hurt?"
"Not as much as forgetting did."
Kanae leaned back, gazing up at the stars.
"You feel heavier now. Like your heart's been carrying things it wasn't built to."
"I don't think it ever was," Johan replied.
They sat in silence again. But this time, it was warmer.
Closer.
Her hand brushed against his—not by accident. Slowly, he turned his palm up, letting her fingers rest over his.
"You protected me," Kanae whispered. "More than once now. Even when you were bleeding."
"I always will," he said without hesitation.
His voice didn't waver. He meant it.
She glanced at his shoulder. The wound from earlier was gone.
Completely.
No scar. No sign it ever happened.
"You're healing too fast," she whispered. "That's not normal."
Johan didn't respond.
His eyes stayed fixed on the horizon, unreadable.
Kanae didn't press.
She just nodded softly and leaned her head against his shoulder.
"You're not just strong, are you?" she said quietly. "You're something else."
"…Maybe."
"But you're still you. And I… I'm glad I met you."
He looked down at her, eyes shadowed by moonlight. For a second, a genuine smile touched his lips.
"You're the only one who makes this place feel like home."
Johan stared up at the stars again, this time with a clearer mind.
He didn't need to tell her the truth.
Not yet.
But for now… her presence grounded him.
Kept the darker parts of him at bay.
And maybe, just maybe, he'd found something worth protecting beyond revenge and power.