Blade and Heart

Location: Gaia HQ – Training Arena 3A, Early Morning

Blades clashed under the pale dawn light.

Hikari's scythe whirled with eerie grace, slicing through the training drones like ribbons in the wind. Her movements were less frantic now—measured, composed.

Across from her stood Tryce Synthesis 16, his crystalline bow glimmering with frost.

"You're improving," he said, loosing a cold-tipped arrow that missed her by inches.

"You're holding back," she replied, twirling Sanguira to deflect a second shot.

"You still flinch when it glows. You're afraid of what it'll do."

"...No." Hikari's voice dropped. "I'm afraid of what I'll do."

Tryce nodded solemnly. "Then stop fighting it. Learn it. Like any weapon, it reflects the wielder."

He lowered his bow, eyes softening behind his glasses.

"Come with me. There's something you should see."

Location: Outer Edge – Ruins of Kaltaya

A forgotten battlefield. Snow clung to the shattered pillars of a temple long reclaimed by frost.

Tryce knelt, brushing away ash to reveal a faded crest: the symbol of Ayane Synthesis, the scythe's former wielder.

"This is where she fell."

"They never told me," Hikari whispered, brushing her fingers over the frozen stone.

"No one wanted to. She fought alone—burned too bright, too fast. Not because the power consumed her… but because she never trusted anyone to help carry the weight."

Hikari stood silently, eyes cast down.

"I don't want that to be me."

"Then stop hiding behind silence."

"I'm not ready."

"You never will be. That's what love and war have in common."

She flinched.

"Love?"

"You don't have to say it out loud," he smirked slightly. "But we all see it. The way you look at him."

Location: Gaia HQ – Private Chambers

Gian's quarters were silent. Cyg sat hunched over his desk, still in his uniform, fingers twitching over battle reports and tactical projections.

His door clicked.

He turned.

Hikari stood there, unusually steady, in her uniform and cloak. Sanguira rested against her back.

"You didn't knock," Cyg said flatly, not looking up.

"I wasn't sure you'd answer."

"You're not wrong."

She stepped forward, stopping just short of his chair.

"Can I ask something?"

"You're going to anyway."

"Why do you act like no one can understand you?"

Cyg looked up, startled—not by the question, but by the intensity in her voice.

"Because they usually don't."

"And if I do?"

Silence.

Hikari stepped closer, slowly, until they were face to face. Her heart thumped wildly—but she held firm.

"I know what it feels like. To be afraid of hurting others. Of getting too close. Of letting yourself… feel."

Cyg's gaze dropped.

"I'm not good at—"

"Neither am I."

She reached out and touched his hand.

"But we don't have to keep walking in circles."

Cyg didn't pull away. Instead, he looked at her—really looked—and something in his expression softened. The cold mask faltered.

"You want to try?"

"If you do."

He nodded.

"Then… let's learn together."

Location: Council Room – Moments Later

Thea, Astron, and Irene watched surveillance quietly as Hikari left Cyg's room.

"Finally," Irene sighed with a motherly smile.

"Took them long enough," Astron muttered.

Thea allowed a small grin.

"Perhaps even the frost can bloom, when nurtured."

Location: Weapon Vault – Artifact Chamber, Nightfall

That night, Hikari stood alone with Sanguira.

"I'm ready," she said quietly. "Not because I've mastered you… but because I've begun to understand me."

The scythe pulsed. A deep crimson glow radiated from its center—brighter, warmer. Less like a curse, more like a heartbeat.

She closed her eyes and smiled.