Yuto let out a long breath and dropped to his knees.

The adrenaline that had carried him through the fight was gone.

Without it, every injury announced itself at once.

Pain throbbed through his ribs where Tami’s punches had landed. His shoulders felt heavy. His muscles burned. Even standing felt like more effort than it should.

The divine fire had vanished.

No golden flames danced along his skin anymore.

Only exhaustion remained.

Exhaustion and silence.

Yuto lowered his gaze.

Tami lay where he had fallen.

Motionless.

Still.

The black stone beneath him was stained dark around the wound.

For some reason, the sight twisted something inside Yuto’s chest.

A heavy feeling settled over him.

Loss.

Not grief exactly.

Not yet.

Just an unpleasant weight he couldn’t shake.

It made him angry.

It made him tired.

It made him want to stop thinking altogether.

Ethereal killer.

The voice in the back of his mind chuckled.

It’s barely been months since you became an Ethereal and you’re already responsible for the deaths of two Ethereals.

Yuto squeezed his eyes shut.

"Shut up," he muttered.

The words echoed softly through the chamber.

He rubbed a hand down his face.

The last thing he wanted right now was another reminder.

He didn’t want to think about the first death.

He definitely didn’t want to think about this one.

Tami had fought beside them.

Shared meals with them.

Walked beside them through the wasteland.

And now he was dead.

The thought sat heavily in his stomach.

A soft groan interrupted him.

Yuto’s head snapped around.

Maya.

His heart jumped.

She shifted slightly against the floor, brow furrowing as consciousness slowly returned. One hand lifted toward her face.

Yuto was moving before he realized it.

He crossed the distance quickly and dropped beside her.

"Don’t move suddenly," he said. "You’re injured."

Maya blinked several times.

Confusion lingered in her eyes for a moment.

Then memory returned.

"Tami."

Her voice sounded rough.

Yuto nodded.

"He knocked you out and tried to kill you."

Maya closed her eyes briefly.

"I know."

Yuto frowned.

"You know?"

She slowly pushed herself upright, wincing slightly as she settled into a sitting position.

"I always suspected there was something fishy about Tami."

Yuto stared at her.

Then irritation surged through him.

"Then why were you traveling with him?"

His voice rose before he could stop it.

"If you suspected him, why put yourself in danger like that?"

Maya didn’t answer immediately.

Her gaze drifted toward Tami’s body.

The silence stretched.

Finally she spoke.

"I could sense the Mark of Divinity on him."

Yuto frowned.

"The what?"

"The Mark of Divinity."

She folded her hands neatly in her lap.

"Some people are born carrying traces of divine attention. Those who bear the mark tend to be favored by fate."

She paused.

"Strong. Lucky. Important."

Her eyes lowered slightly.

"I believed he was likely to succeed in conquering the tower."

Understanding slowly settled over Yuto.

"So you stayed close to him."

Maya nodded.

"Yes."

Then she sighed softly.

"I was supposed to keep my guard up around him."

A brief silence followed.

"I just..."

For the first time since he’d met her, uncertainty crept into her voice.

"I guess your presence made me lower my guard."

Yuto blinked.

"What does that mean?"

Maya looked away immediately.

The reaction surprised him more than her words.

A faint blush appeared along her neck.

Subtle.

Barely visible.

Yet impossible to miss.

Silence stretched between them.

The massive chamber suddenly felt much quieter than before.

Finally Maya spoke.

"I feel naturally safe around you."

Yuto froze.

His thoughts came to a complete halt.

Safe?

Around him?

Of all people?

Several seconds passed.

He still couldn’t think of a response.

Then guilt arrived.

"In that case..."

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I guess I’m the one to blame."

Maya looked back at him.

"If I made you lower your guard, then I put you in danger."

For a moment she simply stared.

Then something happened that Yuto had never seen before.

Maya smiled.

Not one of her tiny almost-smiles.

A real one.

Small.

Gentle.

Warm enough to transform her entire face.

For a second Yuto genuinely forgot what he was about to say.

"Yes," Maya said.

Yuto groaned.

Maya’s smile widened slightly.

Then she added,

"But you saved my life."

Her eyes met his.

Steady.

Unwavering.

"So I think that makes us even."

Yuto looked at her for a moment before finally nodding.

"I had no choice."

Maya tilted her head.

"No choice?"

"I would’ve protected you anyway."

The words escaped before he could stop them.

The moment they left his mouth, he regretted them.

Maya blinked.

"Why?"

Immediately heat climbed into his face.

His mind scrambled for an answer.

Any answer.

A joke.

An excuse.

A lie.

Something.

But when he looked at her, every prepared response vanished.

Her dark hair was messy from the fight.

There was dried blood near her temple.

Dust clung stubbornly to her clothes.

Faint bruises marked her skin.

She should have looked exhausted.

She should have looked terrible.

Instead she looked...

Beautiful.

Not in a delicate way.

Not in a fragile way.

She looked like a sculpture carved from moonlight and ice.

Elegant.

Composed.

Almost unreal.

Yet beneath all of that cold perfection was something else.

Something he hadn’t noticed when they first met.

Warmth.

A quiet warmth hidden deep beneath layers of caution and reserve.

And right now, for once, she wasn’t hiding it.

Yuto felt himself leaning forward.

His heartbeat thundered against his ribs.

Maya’s eyes widened slightly.

But she didn’t move away.

The distance between them shrank.

Neither spoke.

The portal hummed softly somewhere behind them.

The tower stood silent around them.

Neither seemed important anymore.

A foot separated them.

Then only inches.

Yuto could hear her breathing.

Could see the faint pink color still lingering on her cheeks.

His heart felt like it was trying to break out of his chest.

Still she didn’t move away.

And when he finally kissed her, she didn’t stop him.

For one impossible moment, the world disappeared.

The tower.

The portal.

The fight.

Tami.

Everything faded.

There was only warmth.

Then Maya kissed him back.

Yuto felt something burst open inside him.

Not excitement.

Not relief.

Not even happiness.

Something deeper.

Something that settled into his chest and spread through him like sunlight after a long winter.

The divine flames of Sadara had burned through his body.

They had filled him with power beyond anything he had ever imagined.

Yet somehow this felt warmer.

More overwhelming.

More dangerous.

Eventually they pulled apart.

Slowly.

Reluctantly.

Yuto found himself staring at her.

Maya’s cheeks were faintly red.

Her breathing had quickened.

And the perfect composure she always carried had cracked just enough to reveal the person beneath it.

Gods.

She was beautiful.

Yuto swallowed.

Then forced himself to lean back before he completely forgot where they were.

Or what had happened.

Or why they had come here in the first place.

The portal still waited nearby.

The way home.

"We conquered the tower," he said quietly.

Maya looked at him.

Then toward the portal.

A small smile touched her lips once more.

"Yeah," she replied softly.

Her eyes returned to his.

"We did."