Night settled over the Guild Headquarters like a breath held too long.
The emergency wards had dimmed, their once-blazing gold reduced to faint runes etched into stone. The building should've felt safe again—but safety was a fragile illusion now, cracked by whispers and fear.
Kuro lay awake.
The guest room ceiling felt too close, too unfamiliar. His body was exhausted, but his mind refused rest. Every time he closed his eyes, the same sensations returned—
That whisper.That presence.That feeling of almost remembering something that was never meant to be remembered.
Like standing at the edge of a name he wasn't allowed to say.
A soft knock broke the silence.
"…Kuro?"
Mika's voice.
Kuro turned his head. "I'm awake."
The door opened slowly. Mika stepped inside, no armor this time—just a dark shirt, sleeves rolled, collar loose. His sword leaned against the wall near the door, close enough to reach without thinking.
Lucien slipped in after him, holding a candle like he was sneaking into a forbidden library.
"Well," Lucien whispered, squinting, "there goes my five-silver bet. I thought you'd be unconscious till noon."
Mika shot him a look. "This isn't the time."
Lucien shrugged. "I cope with humor. If I stop joking, I scream."
Kuro managed a small smile. "Thanks… for coming."
Mika didn't hesitate. He crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed, posture careful—close, but not crowding.
"You don't have to thank us," he said quietly. "You're not alone in this."
Kuro's fingers tightened in the blanket.
"…It feels like I am," he admitted. "Like everyone's walking forward, and I'm standing still. That thing knew me. Not just my name—me."
Lucien leaned against the wall, candlelight flickering over his uneasy expression. "Yeah, well, lots of creepy things know stuff they shouldn't. Doesn't mean they own you."
[For once, I agree with him.]Elvastia's voice was unusually subdued.[Whatever that was… it wasn't whole. And neither are you. That matters.]
Kuro swallowed. "It said I'm incomplete."
Mika's jaw tightened. "Then it doesn't get to decide what that means."
Kuro looked up at him.
Mika met his gaze steadily. "You're here. You breathe. You feel. You choose. That's already more than whatever it is."
Lucien nodded. "Also, if you were secretly an ancient world-ending entity, I feel like there'd be more lightning. Or chanting. Or at least a dramatic soundtrack."
Despite himself, Kuro let out a quiet laugh.
The tension eased—just a little.
Mika exhaled, shoulders loosening. "The Guildmaster is reinforcing the inner wards tonight. You'll be moved to a protected wing tomorrow. Until then…"
He hesitated, then spoke more softly.
"…I'm staying nearby."
Kuro's chest warmed at that. "You don't have to."
"I want to."
Lucien cleared his throat loudly. "And before this gets too heartfelt, I'll be right outside. Someone has to make sure nothing eldritch crawls out of the vents."
[Bold of him to assume vents are the issue.]Elvastia sighed.[But… I'll stay quiet tonight. You need rest.]
Kuro blinked. "You… will?"
[Don't get used to it.]
Mika stood, then paused. "Kuro."
"Yes?"
Mika hesitated—then reached out, resting his hand gently over Kuro's, grounding, warm.
"Whatever you were," he said firmly, "you're you now. And that's enough."
For the first time since the whisper, the cold eased.
Kuro nodded, holding onto that warmth like a tether.
"…Okay."
The candle was extinguished. Lucien slipped out. Mika stayed a moment longer, then quietly took his place by the door.
As Kuro finally closed his eyes, one last thought lingered—
Whatever truth waited for him in the dark…
He wouldn't face it alone.