-----
"?!"
Mark's eyes widened slightly at Elayne's quiet confession. The weight of her words hung between them for a moment, soft but heavy.
"T-That would be incredible…" he admitted, voice low. "But isn't that a little too close to pure wishful thinking? Hoping for something that big without doing anything ourselves… it doesn't feel healthy. We still have to cultivate our own strength. Ignis is still there, right? A fragment of him, at least. Even if he's changed so much, the connection between you two hasn't vanished. And your blacksmithing techniques—if you can slowly recreate the same methods you once used… over time, piece by piece, the way everything else grows… I honestly believe you can reawaken your Status as Hephaestus' Descendant."
Elayne remained silent for a few seconds. Then she gave a faint nod, her expression softening.
"Thanks," she said quietly. "I guess I just needed to get this off my chest…"
