She arrived late.
Not because fate delayed her—but because fate no longer hurried anyone.
Emilia stepped into the capital under a sky that felt strangely quiet. The insignia she had come to reclaim no longer called to her, no longer burned with the certainty that this was her role.
Puck hovered at her side, unusually silent.
"…Something's wrong," he finally said. "Very wrong."
Emilia nodded. "I feel it too."
The world felt honest in a way that frightened her.
They found him near the central square.
A man dressed in black, standing calmly amid a crowd that instinctively kept its distance. The air around him was still, heavy—not oppressive, but absolute.
And beside him—
"Subaru?" Emilia said softly.
Subaru turned, eyes widening. "Emilia!"
He rushed toward her, stopping himself awkwardly. "You're okay. You're really here."
Emilia smiled, relieved—then looked past him.
Her breath caught.
Something about the man made it hard to look away. Not beauty. Not menace.
Authority.
Not granted.
Inherent.
"Who… are you?" Emilia asked, forcing herself to speak.
Anos Voldigoad turned to face her.
A half-elf.
Silver hair.Amethyst eyes.A soul weighed down by expectations she never chose.
"So you are one of the candidates," Anos said calmly. "Or rather—you were meant to be."
Emilia stiffened. "Meant to be?"
Puck's fur bristled. "Oi. Watch how you talk to her."
Anos glanced at the spirit.
Puck froze.
Not restrained—evaluated.
"…You're not human," Puck muttered. "You're not even a spirit."
"Correct," Anos replied. "I am Anos Voldigoad."
The name echoed strangely, as if the world itself paused to record it.
Emilia swallowed. "Are you the reason the insignia stopped working?"
"Yes."
"…Why?"
Anos met her gaze directly.
"Because your worth was being measured by an object," he said. "And you accepted that without question."
The words struck deeper than any insult.
"I—I wanted to help people," Emilia said. "I wanted to prove—"
"That you deserve to exist," Anos finished. "A common lie."
Silence fell.
Subaru looked between them, tense.
Anos continued, voice calm but uncompromising.
"You were chosen because the future required a symbol. Not because you were ready. Not because you were free."
Emilia clenched her hands.
"Then what am I now?" she asked.
Anos considered her.
"A person," he said. "Nothing more. Nothing less."
Puck exhaled slowly. "…That's terrifying."
"Yes," Anos agreed. "And honest."
He turned away.
"The world will no longer demand you become something for its sake," he said. "If you choose to act—it will be your decision."
Emilia watched him walk away, heart pounding.
For the first time, she did not feel rejected.
She felt unburdened.
Subaru followed Anos instinctively.
Emilia hesitated—then took a step forward as well.
Not because prophecy guided her.
But because she wanted to understand the man who had broken her fate.