"Yes," Alumna said gently. "The choice is yours. If you choose marriage, I will train both you and Yuma, ensuring you can follow your dream safely. However If you choose freedom, you must also respect Reige wishes as a parent. To live a normal life means no secret hunts, no weapons, no armor, no training beyond that of a regular high school student. Your safety must come first, even if that means stepping away from becoming a Geist—for now. You will live as a normal high school girl, safe from danger, free from obligations—but still under your father's protection in the way he intended."
Reige's face reflected a mixture of relief and fear. "So… she can choose not to marry… but she must live normally?"
"Exactly," Alumna replied. "And if she chooses the marriage, both of her and Yuma will be trained, both will be prepared, both of them would be ready for whatever dangers await. This is not punishment, This is reason. Respect her wishes, while ensuring her life is not put at risk."
Serena's tears fell freely. She looked at me, wide-eyed, uncertain, scared. "Yuma… I… I don't know what to do…"
I squeezed her hand gently. "Whatever you decide… I'll support you. I just want you to be safe… and happy."
For the first time, Serena's sobs were not only of frustration, but of relief. A small measure of control returned to her. The room was heavy with emotion, but for the first time, she truly had a choice—and Reige's love, fierce and protective, was still standing beside her.
"Uncle Alumna.. Could you, dad, mom and aunt Melda leave the room for a second. I want to talk to Yuma"
I watched as Alumna, Reige, Erika, and Aunt Melda quietly left the room, the door closing behind them with a soft click.
The sudden silence felt heavy… almost suffocating.
Serena slowly sank onto the edge of the bed, her shoulders trembling. Her fingers twisted nervously in the fabric of her skirt as if trying to wring out the anxiety building inside her. Her eyes were wide and glossy, tears clinging stubbornly to her lashes.
"…Yuma," she whispered, her voice trembling.
"I… I don't know what to do."
I stepped closer and crouched in front of her so our eyes were level.
Up close, the fierce girl who had threatened me with a dagger earlier was nowhere to be found.
Instead, I saw someone else.
A scared girl.
A girl cornered by a decision she never wanted to face.
"Serena… whatever you decide, it's your choice," I said gently, trying to keep my voice steady.
"I'll support you. Always."
I reached out and gently squeezed her hand, hoping the small gesture could convey what words couldn't.
Serena blinked, her tear-streaked face softening slightly before she let out a shaky breath.
"…Yuma," she whispered again, voice barely audible.
"Why… why are you so… so nice to me?"
I froze.
The question clearly cost her everything to ask.
She looked at me with wide, vulnerable eyes—eyes filled with confusion and something dangerously close to guilt.
"All I've done," she continued, voice trembling, "since… since we met… I've yelled at you… kicked you… called you a pervy deviant…"
Her fingers tightened around mine.
"And yet… you're still here. You're still protecting me… supporting me… even when I don't deserve it."
Her voice cracked.
"Why?"
I took a slow breath, choosing my words carefully.
"…Serena… I know why you've been like that."
Her brows knit together.
"You weren't being cruel to me," I continued softly. "You were angry at the hand fate dealt you. You were forced into something you didn't choose. Anyone would feel bitter… frustrated… scared."
Her shoulders flinched.
"And I just happened to be the person standing in front of you when that anger had nowhere else to go."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"I'm not here because you treated me nicely," I said, shaking my head.
"I'm here because I respect you."
Silence filled the room.
"I respect the fact that you're willing to sacrifice yourself for your dream," I continued. "Even if it hurts you more than anyone else."
My grip on her hand tightened slightly.
"That's who you are, Serena. Brave. Stubborn. Passionate."
Her lips trembled.
"And I can't just stand by and watch you give that up because fate decided to make things complicated."
Her eyes widened, a mixture of disbelief and fragile hope blooming inside them.
"…Even after everything I've done to you?" she whispered.
"Yes."
My answer came without hesitation.
"Even then."
Her breath caught.
"Because I understand you," I said quietly. "And because I believe in you."
Her chest rose and fell unevenly.
"You don't have to carry all of this alone," I added.
"I'll fight alongside you… if you let me."
Serena's gaze dropped to the floor.
Her voice became small.
"…Yuma… if I… if I don't marry you… if I refuse…"
Her fingers trembled in my hand.
"…then I won't be able to become a Geist. Ever."
The words hung in the air like a quiet confession.
"And if I marry you…" she continued, voice breaking, "I have to live with… with this… with you… forever."
She clenched her fists against her knees.
"Even if I don't… even if I hate it…"
Her head shook violently.
"You don't understand!" she cried, tears spilling freely again.
"I've dreamed of being a Geist my whole life!"
Her voice echoed in the quiet room.
"My sisters… Dad… everyone! I thought… I thought I'd have the choice to become one on my own!"
Her breathing grew ragged.
"And now… now everything depends on you!"
Her eyes searched mine desperately.
"…Yuma," she whispered, voice fragile.
"If I do this… if I marry you… I… I'm not sure I can…"
I squeezed her hand gently.
"You can," I said softly.
"And I'll be with you. Every step."
"You're not alone, Serena."
She shook her head weakly.
"Yuma… you don't understand… I don't want to be selfish."
Her voice dropped into a whisper.
"You have your own life."
"It'd be unfair to you…"
"Unfair?" I asked quietly.
She nodded quickly, tears falling again.
"You have your life… in the Philippines. Friends. Freedom. A future."
Her voice trembled.
"And because of me… because of what my family forced… you got dragged into this mess."
Her shoulders shook.
The guilt pouring from her words was suffocating.
I shook my head and gently took both her hands in mine.
"Serena… listen."
"I never had a life in the Philippines."
Her eyes widened.
"Not really," I admitted with a small shrug.
"No one to talk to. No friends my age. No one who understood me."
My voice softened.
"Until I met you."
Her breath caught.
"You're the first person my age I've ever really talked to," I said.
"The first person who made things feel… real."
Her lips parted slightly.
"You're why I finally feel like I belong somewhere."
Tears shimmered in her eyes.
"I… I didn't know…" she whispered.
"It's okay," I said gently.
"You don't have to feel guilty."
I squeezed her hands.
"I'm happy with what I have."
"Because… I have you."
Her shoulders trembled again.
"And if it comes down to it…" I continued quietly.
"I'll become a Geist."
Her eyes widened in shock.
"Not because someone told me to."
"Not because I have to."
"But because I want to."
My voice steadied.
"Because it means I can stand beside you."
Her lips trembled violently.
"You'd… do that… for me?" she whispered.
I nodded.
"Yes."
"Because I respect you."
Her breath hitched.
"You're willing to sacrifice everything for your dream," I continued.
"And I don't want you to face that alone."
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"That's why I'll do this," I said softly.
"For you, Serena."
"Always."
For a moment, she simply stared at me.
As if trying to understand how someone could say those words so easily.
"…You really are… something else," she whispered weakly.
I smiled faintly.
"Maybe."
"But that 'something else' will be standing beside you no matter what."
Silence settled between us.
The chaos of everything—the forced engagement, the impossible decision, the future waiting beyond that door—faded for just a moment.
All that remained was the quiet promise between us.
That neither of us would face this alone.
Serena lowered her gaze to our intertwined hands.
They were still trembling.
And when she spoke again… her voice was barely a whisper.
"…How am I supposed to choose… when either way… someone loses something?"
Her grip tightened around mine.
And for the first time since this whole conversation began…
I realized the truth.
Serena wasn't just choosing between marriage and freedom.
She was choosing between her dream… and the guilt of taking someone else's future with her.
And that was a weight no one should ever have to carry alone.