Eclipse Within

Location: Gaia HQ – Medical Bay, Morning

The sterile light of the infirmary bathed the room in muted white. Hikari sat on the edge of the medical cot, her wounds mostly closed thanks to Joseph's healing and Thea's swift orders to rest. She wore a loose training jacket over her uniform, scythe resting beside her like a loyal sentinel.

But her thoughts were not at rest.

"It still whispers sometimes," she said, eyes staring into nothing.

"The scythe?" Sylvia asked gently, seated beside her with a tray of tea.

"No," Hikari murmured. "Me."

Sylvia didn't press. She simply handed her the tea, its scent sweet and grounding.

"You don't have to walk this part alone."

"I know," Hikari whispered. "But I feel like… if I let anyone too close, I'll lose control again."

She looked down at her hands—delicate, trembling.

"I was strong in the arena, but now? I feel like I'm fading."

Sylvia placed a hand over hers.

"Strength isn't staying sharp all the time. Sometimes it's surviving the dull moments without shattering."

Location: Gaia HQ – Knight's Garden, Afternoon

Cyg stood alone among the glass lilies and obsidian roses. His expression unreadable, eyes fixed on a distant statue of Gaia's founder. The silence suited him, until Charlotte walked in with her usual unannounced chaos.

"Brooding again, Ice Prince?"

He didn't turn. "I'm observing."

"Sure. Observing existential dread, probably."

She plopped down on the bench beside him. Her mechanical visor flicked with data, scanning his vitals subtly.

"You're worried about her, aren't you?"

Cyg was quiet.

"You don't need to answer," she added. "I see it. You two are orbiting each other like unstable stars."

He finally looked at her. "That's dangerous."

Charlotte's grin faded. "So is caring. But it's the only thing that keeps us from becoming like them."

She nodded toward a plaque—one honoring those lost to the Abyss, corrupted by their own powers.

Location: Hikari's Room – That Night

A knock echoed in the dark.

"Come in," she said softly.

Cyg entered, unusually hesitant.

"I brought this," he said, offering a digital tablet. "Mission logs. I thought reading might help you… stabilize."

She accepted it but didn't look at the screen. Instead, she looked at him.

"Why do you always help, but keep your distance?"

"Because I'm better at solving problems than feeling them."

"And what if I need both?"

Cyg froze. That answer wasn't in any report.

"I…" he began, faltering.

"You don't have to be perfect, Cyg," she whispered. "I already trust you. Even with the parts of me I don't understand."

A silence passed between them. Warm, fragile, and new.

He sat beside her. Not as a tactician. Not as a fellow Knight.

Just as someone who stayed.

Location: Orion Satellite Outpost – Simultaneously

Far away, Erebus watched a glowing screen replaying Hikari's training simulation. A slow grin formed.

"The scythe awakens. Good…"

Marta Sirova, Widowmaker of the Void Council, stood in the shadows behind him.

"Should we intervene?"

"No," Erebus said smoothly. "Let them think she's healing."

He turned from the screen, eyes burning with crimson intent.

"Wounds fester best when they feel closed."