Creation's hands stilled on his fishing rod. For a long moment, he didn't say anything.
Destruction, to my surprise, also stopped crunching. His red eyes flickered, something cold and sharp flashing behind the usual lazy violence.
"So... you failed," Destruction said bluntly, like he was stating the weather.
I flinched.
"I know," I muttered, shame prickling under my skin.
"You're lucky you're alive," he added, voice low but oddly... not cruel. Just... final.
I opened my mouth, ready to fire back — to say something, anything — but the words just... died.
Nothing came out.
Because the truth slammed into me harder than I wanted to admit.
If things had gone even a little worse...
If I hadn't had Agnos deactivating the orbs' security magic, Jiuge figuring out the surrounding puzzles, runes, and clues, Heim covering my back...
I wouldn't be sitting here whining about it.
I'd be gone.
