Chapter 61 — The Choice That Never Should've Existed
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9:33 AM | Altar Ruins, Still Bleeding Light
The room was quieter now.
But not silent.
Yume stood naked before him—ethereal, unreal, divine.
Her body pulsed with longing. Her eyes held infinite acceptance.
She was perfect.
But she wasn't real.
Yuuto looked at her one last time…
And said, with trembling breath:
> "Yume…
You were the part of me that wanted escape.
But I want something real."
He turned to Aika.
Still scarred. Still recovering.
But with a soul.
A girl he cried for. Bled for.
Fell in love with… through all the ugliness.
He took her hand.
> "I choose her."
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Yume's Final Smile
Yume didn't cry.
She smiled.
> "You always did… choose pain."
Her body began to dissolve—
like mist in morning light.
But before she vanished, she walked to Aika.
Placed a hand on her cheek.
> "Then be everything… he dreamed of.
Because you are more than me."
And with a final sigh, Yume turned into golden particles—
returning to the deepest parts of Yuuto's heart.
Gone.
But never forgotten.
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Aftermath
Yuuto held Aika tightly.
No cursed magic.
No artificial perfection.
Just two broken people.
Their lips met.
And this time…
no spirits wept.
No rituals stirred.
Only the soft, quiet sound of love becoming whole.
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