Chapter 18: Broken
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"We can't do this."
Suddenly Ghost spoke, stepping back a few paces. The closeness they'd just shared snapped apart, becoming unreachable in an instant.
Namiya stared at her actions in disbelief, her lower lip was bitten between her teeth, betraying the turmoil inside. She wanted to step forward, to close the distance again, but Ghost's steady gaze stopped her.
Namiya clenched her hands, eyes fixed on Ghost, waiting for an answer. Ghost only repeated, quietly, the same words.
"We can't do this."
There was a distance in her tone now — the first time Namiya had heard such a voice from Ghost, and directed at her.
"Why?!" Namiya's voice rose. She'd never spoken like that outside of a performance before. This was an accusation, a demand. She accused Ghost of avoiding her.
Ghost did not answer. She only looked at Namiya in silence.
Rage and hurt flared in Namiya, she stepped forward again, shedding the shyness and embarrassment she'd worn moments ago. A year of practice had taught her strength, self-reliance — lessons she'd learned from Ghost — and now she used them.
Her steps pressed on, each one a small act of courage. Ghost kept retreating, surprise flickering over her face as if she hadn't expected Namiya's sudden change in posture.
Then, in a rush, Namiya lunged forward and embraced Ghost, who had still been trying to pull away. The sudden weight threw Ghost off balance, her weakened body could not hold, and she slipped.
Ghost instinctively wrapped her arms around Namiya to keep her from falling. They tumbled, cushioned by the plush carpet, and neither suffered harm — only hearts pounding.
In that tumble, Namiya found herself hovering over Ghost, supporting her with both hands, staring down into those eyes.
"Why are you rejecting me?" she demanded.
"Namiya, we can't do this." Ghost's voice was low, distant, as if she could not bear to say more.
"Why?!" Namiya repeated, desperate.
"I'm just a phantom."
"What does that matter? I like you. I like you without a doubt. So what if you're a phantom? I just like you!" Namiya's words tumbled out — a raw, brave confession.
Perhaps it was the memory of their first meeting on the podium, or the countless small moments that had unfurled between them, but this was not an impulsive outburst, it was the culmination of long-borne feelings. Namiya had rehearsed this confession a thousand times in her head — at midnight under fireworks, at dawn in warm light, after a triumphant performance — each version grander than the last. She had planned to let time do its work, to let love grow slowly and surely.
But something in her told her there was no more time to wait.
Pinned above Ghost, Namiya waited for the answer. Ghost's body trembled, the pain of the fall and the fragility of her form swept through her. She looked up, lips parted as if to speak, then seemed to surrender the words.
Finally, she whispered, "I'm not worthy, Namiya. I am a phantom, wandering in the palace, unseen by anyone, unheard by anyone. I am not worthy of your affection."
Namiya's first instinct was to protest, but a finger pressed gently to her lips and she paused.
Ghost went on, voice thin and wistful. "I want to go out. I want to see the world you describe— the mountain, the stream, the apple tree. I long to see them."
Namiya understood, a cold knot forming in her chest. Ghost sounded as if she was saying farewell.
"Namiya, you are already a true queen. Don't be afraid. Believe you can face everything to come." Ghost tried to steady her, to give courage back to Namiya.
"No. I don't want that. I only want you." Namiya's reply cracked, raw and immediate.
For the first time, Ghost's frailty was obvious. The blue glow seeping from her body intensified, she seemed on the verge of dissolving. Namiya reached to help her up, but Ghost moved first, leaning weakly into her arms.
"I wanted to hug you again… but it seems I don't even have the right to do that," Ghost murmured. Her strength ebbed, the blue light around her brightened like a brittle lantern about to break.
"I originally meant to say a proper goodbye," she whispered, "but why did you have to fall for me… It's troublesome."
"No... no... no..." Namiya crumpled. The stubborn queen dissolved into a trembling, tear-streaked girl. She tried to hold Ghost's hand, but her fingers slipped through air — intangible, cold. Panic and grief knotted her throat.
"Ghost…" she sobbed, voice breaking.
Ghost managed a small smile and leaned forward once more, head lowering as if to close the distance. This time she did not pull back.
But before lips could meet, Ghost's form shattered. Blue fragments flared like glass catching light, and then scattered—vanishing into nothing. The luminous shards spun, glowed, and were gone, leaving no trace behind.
Namiya sat stunned, numb, staring at the empty space where Ghost had been. Only one faint voice echoed in her ear, like a whisper from a memory.
"…I like you too."
Those words lingered, a ghost of their own, while the room around her filled with the unbearable silence of loss.
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