Celia vanished into the fog, and with the last glimpse of her golden hair, silence returned once more.
The forest sank back into its eternal hush, and the cold air bit at Arian's face again.
He stood there for a while, unsure whether to move or stay, until he murmured quietly:
> "Even the breeze that used to visit me… is gone."
He turned toward the cabin, his steps slow and heavy—as if he carried years on his back, not days.
The old wooden door creaked as he pushed it open. Inside, he sank into the small chair before the fire.
Stretching a hand toward the weak flame, he muttered:
> "A whole week… a week with no one but myself."
His voice mingled with the faint crackle of burning wood.
But suddenly—another voice came from behind him, familiar and laced with warm mockery:
> "Didn't I tell you you wouldn't last more than a week alone?"
Arian froze.
He turned sharply, a faint smile of disbelief tugging at his lips.
> "Falco?! You've been gone for a week! Where were you?"
From the shadows on the wall, a wavering black shape began to form—gathering until it became a small body with translucent wings and gray eyes that shimmered in the dark.
Falco smiled lightly.
> "I've been watching you from afar… I wanted to see what you'd choose—silence or rage."
Arian frowned.
> "You were watching me? Why?"
Falco fluttered closer, landing on the table in front of him, his wings trembling gently.
> "Because when a person is thrown into darkness, he either drowns… or forges a new light.
And I wanted to see which one you'd become."
Arian looked at him, weariness clouding his gaze.
> "I didn't become anything. I can't even find hope anymore."
Falco's lips curved in a sly grin.
> "Hope isn't something you find—it's something you steal.
And that's exactly what we're going to do."
Arian raised an eyebrow.
> "Steal?"
Falco's voice carried a playful edge.
> "Yes. We'll steal our chance.
Instead of waiting for the academy to decide we're worthy."
Arian leaned back, a spark of defiance flickering to life in his tone.
> "And what exactly are you planning?"
Falco's voice lowered, now calm and deliberate.
> "I'll get you out of here. Change your face. Hide your identity.
You'll go beyond these walls—train, fight, and learn the true nature of spirits yourself.
Then, when the tournament is announced in seven months… you'll return.
Not as a student, but as a force no one can stand against."
Arian paused, eyes reflecting the dance of the firelight.
> "So… I leave the academy?"
Falco twirled in a small spiral of shadow, grinning.
> "Sometimes you have to step outside their cage… to learn how to truly fly."
Arian stood.
A gust from the window stirred the flames, and the firelight burned in his eyes.
For the first time in days, his voice came out steady.
> "Alright… if that's the path, we'll take it.
But promise me one thing, Falco—don't disappear again."
Falco chuckled softly, circling him like living smoke.
> "As long as you walk in the shadows… I'll never leave your side."