Another day passed.
Kael didn't move.
The sun rose and set, but the world outside his dorm window might as well have stopped spinning. The meals went uneaten. His teammates trained without him. His Will remained dormant, untouched, like it, too, was mourning something.
Tetsu stopped by again—twice that day.
The first time, he brought breakfast. Kael didn't speak.The second, he brought a plate of hot lunch and some words of encouragement. Kael just stared out the window.
He couldn't eat. Couldn't sleep.Couldn't let go of the image burned into his mind—
Hana's face.
The blood.
The scratch that could've been a deathblow.
Even Eri's words, as calm and kind as they were, couldn't reach the locked door inside him. He wanted to believe her—tried to. But every time he looked at his hands, all he saw was failure.
Then came the knock that made him turn.
The voice that cut through his silence.
"You know… it's okay," said Hana.
Kael's eyes widened. He turned slowly to face her. She stood in the doorway, arms behind her back. Her expression was soft, calm. There was a tiny bandage on her cheek where the scratch had been.
That bandage hit him like a dagger to the heart.
"It's not okay," Kael said, voice shaking. "It's all my fault."
He looked away. "Seeing you like this—it's like a scar on my mind. I did that to you…"
Hana sighed and stepped inside.
"You don't have to feel guilty," she said gently. "Even the best make mistakes."
She walked across the room slowly, her steps echoing in the silence. Kael didn't look at her until she reached him—and gently placed her hand on his face.
Her palm was warm.
Her touch, steady.
"Now," she said, eyes locking with his, "let's train harder. Let's grow stronger. And then, together, let's defeat those beasts and villains out there."
Kael's lips parted.
"But what kind of person am I," he whispered, "if I can't even protect a friend?"
"You didn't hurt me because you weren't trying to protect your friends," Hana said softly. "I got hurt because you were. You lost control during training—while trying to get stronger for us. For all of us."
She leaned in closer and hugged him.
Kael froze.
His heart skipped a beat.
The scent of her hair, the warmth of her arms… it all felt too real.
"I'm sorry, Hana," he said, voice cracking.
"It's okay," she whispered back. "I know who you are, Kael. And I'm not afraid."
Kael hesitated—then slowly, shakily, lifted his arms and returned the hug.
He closed his eyes. For the first time in days, his breathing slowed. The weight on his chest loosened, just slightly.
Outside, the wind carried the sound of training and battle cries. But inside Kael's room, it was still.
After a moment, Hana pulled away and smiled softly.
"Now, get up," she said. "You smell like regret and unwashed laundry."
Kael blinked—then gave the faintest, smallest smile.
"Okay… okay," he muttered, standing slowly.
She tossed him a clean shirt. "Tetsu's waiting. And Eri made something new. We're testing it today."
Kael took a deep breath.
The shadows inside him weren't gone. But Hana's voice, her warmth, her words…
They gave him just enough light to take the first step out.