Season 2, Chapter 1: A new Faith

Three years had passed since the trial that changed everything.

Itsumi sat quietly in a sunlit office, the soft ticking of a clock filling the silence. Across from him, Dr. Liang, his therapist, watched him with patient eyes. The walls were lined with books and gentle colors, a world away from the cold, sterile rooms of his past.

"How have you been sleeping, Itsumi?" Dr. Liang asked, her voice calm and warm.

Itsumi hesitated, searching for the right words. "Better," he said at last. "The nightmares… they're not as strong as before. Sometimes I even forget them when I wake up."

Dr. Liang smiled gently. "That's progress. And outside of sleep? How do you feel about your work?"

He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers as if remembering old scars. "It's… different. I'm not like the others in Public Security. I work alone. The missions are dangerous, but… I can handle them. I have to."

She nodded, jotting a note. "You're part of the Special Damage Defense Unit, right? The only member?"

He nodded. "DDE. They send me where no one else can go. Against Ethereals, criminal syndicates, things that would kill a normal officer. I don't mind. It's… easier than talking to people."

Dr. Liang's eyes softened. "You're not alone anymore, Itsumi. You know that, right?"

He managed a small, almost shy smile. "Zhu Yuan reminds me every day. She's… she's my friend. My best friend."

There was a pause, filled with unspoken gratitude and relief. Itsumi's expression softened, the mask of indifference slipping away for just a moment.

"With her, I can talk. I can be… softer. But with everyone else, I don't know what to say. I don't know how to act. I'm… still learning."

Dr. Liang leaned forward. "That's okay. You're allowed to learn. You're allowed to feel lost sometimes."

Itsumi nodded, his gaze distant but no longer empty. "I'm not the same as before. The pain is still there, but… it's quieter now. I can breathe."

The session ended with a sense of quiet hope. As Itsumi left the office, he found Zhu Yuan waiting for him in the hallway, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and a gentle smile on her face.

"How'd it go?" she asked.

He shrugged, but there was a lightness in his eyes. "Not bad. Dr. Liang says I'm making progress."

Zhu grinned. "Told you. You're tougher than you think."

They walked together through the bustling corridors of New Eridu's Public Security headquarters. Officers nodded as they passed, some with respect, others with curiosity or awe. Itsumi, dressed in his black DDE uniform, moved with quiet confidence, but his eyes always searched for Zhu, his anchor in this new world.

Outside, the city pulsed with life—a world of color, noise, and possibility. Itsumi paused, taking it all in. For the first time, he didn't feel like a ghost haunting the living.

He was still healing. Still learning. But now, he was walking a new path.

And for the first time in years, he allowed himself to hope.