Evelisse gasped. "You mean... Fluffy left me? Or—did I lose my system?"
But the older figure was fading now, disintegrating into light, her hood falling, revealing a face too worn for her age—too sad.
She lifted a trembling hand. Tried to reach for Evelisse. Her mouth opened. But only half a word left her lips.
"Mar…"
Then, with a final pulse of light—she vanished.
The echo of her last breath still rang in the air.
Evelisse stood frozen.
The chamber around her shuddered.
At her feet, where the hooded girl had stood—
A single plush sunflower pin lay, familiar and worn. It had Marcus's embroidery pattern on the stem. She bent and picked it up with trembling fingers.
"…Mar…" she whispered. "Did she mean Marcus?"
She didn't know.
But something inside her twisted. A knot in her stomach that wouldn't untangle.
The tunnel behind her opened with a hiss.
And suddenly, the way back to the garden stood clear.
But nothing felt safe anymore.
Nothing.
