"Sometimes…" I continued, "there are things we simply cannot control."
I lifted my hand and waved it lightly. The metal cube Dante had given me, the key to his ship, appeared in my palm.
North watched it quietly, her fingers tightening around mine.
"We'll carry him with us," I murmured. "Not as guilt… but as a reason to keep moving forward."
She nodded, eyes glistening but steady.
I stepped toward the ship's door. The runes on the hull flared to life, one by one. The engines hummed awake beneath our feet.
*****
The moment North and I stepped into the control room, the main panel lit up on its own.
A square compartment slid open at the center, its shape identical to Dante's metal cube.
I walked forward slowly, and placed the cube into the slot.
It fit perfectly.
A soft hum followed, the cube sank into the console, and a bright blue glow spread across the panel like ripples across water.
Then a projection flickered to life above it.
