Soft humming. A warmth cradles his head. Silence, but not peace.
Akihiro stirred. His body felt light—detached. He blinked, slowly, once… twice. Nothing.
Darkness.
"…I… I can't see," he whispered hoarsely.
He raised a trembling hand toward the sky—or what he thought was the sky—and felt the gentle touch of a smaller, warmer hand meeting his own.
"It's going to be okay," Stella said softly, her voice laced with a tender sorrow. "I'm healing you."
Akihiro let out a shaky breath. "Stella… thank you… for saving me."
There was silence between them, but not a peaceful one. Something lingered.
"My friends… died," Akihiro murmured. "But I feel no rage. No sadness. I don't even cry." He paused. "Why is that? Why… am I like this?"
Stella did not respond.
A soft breeze—unusual for the spirit realm—brushed past them. Slowly, Akihiro's vision returned. At first, it was just blurred smudges of white and purple… then shapes… then—
His heart stilled.
"Stella…?"
Her face was cracked.
