Kiana tossed and turned in her bed.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the plaza. She heard the cries. She felt the snow wetting her knees, saw it bloom red under the bodies.
Chris's voice—calm, resolute—echoed over and over. She will get used to it.
Her fists clenched into her pillow.
"Why would I ever… get used to that?" she muttered into the darkness. But the words felt hollow.
When she finally drifted toward sleep, the memory warped into something worse. She was on the stage, kneeling in the snow. The crowd cheered. And Chris was there, sword raised, Kallen smiling in the distance as if everything was fine—
"STOP!"
Her own scream jolted her awake. She sat upright, chest heaving, lungs clawing for air. Sweat beaded her forehead despite the winter chill.
For a long moment, she just sat there, staring blankly at the moon outside her window. It hung in the night sky, pale and unblinking.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed. Sleep wasn't coming back tonight.
The halls were quiet as she slipped outside, the cold air biting at her cheeks. Her steps were slow at first, aimless—until she found herself climbing, up and up, until the rooftops stretched out around her like a frozen ocean.
It was there she saw it.
A single tombstone.
It stood alone near the edge, a humble thing surrounded by neat, colorful blooms that seemed impossibly alive for the season. The snow around it lay untouched.
She almost walked closer—until she froze.
Chris was kneeling before it.
His massive frame was hunched, his head bowed, one giant hand gripping the stone so tightly the veins stood out along his forearm. His voice was low, almost lost to the wind.
"…I wonder if I did things right. If I am doing things right…"
He drew in a shaky breath.
"I can't help but realize how amazing you are… for shouldering not just me alone, but Edge, Infinity… all of us. And the world on your shoulders."
His words were heavy, carrying a weight Kiana had never heard from him before.
"I… know you could have done better than me in my position. But this is the only way I know for certain that will make sure the future is safe… so please… return soon and guide me once again. Guide me on the path that will make sure all of this… is for a cause."
Silence followed. Chris slowly stood, his hand lingering on the tombstone before he turned and walked away. His massive figure vanished into the shadows without another sound.
Kiana finally let herself breathe again. Her heart was pounding, though she didn't know why.
She stepped out from behind the rooftop archway where she had hidden, the soft crunch of snow marking each step as she approached the tombstone.
No name was carved into it. Just flowers—so many flowers, their colors rich and vibrant against the pale frost.
She crouched, brushing her fingers against one petal, wondering who this was for.
"…Did you ever wonder," came a soft voice behind her, "why the flowers… the trees… everything is so lively despite it being winter?"
Kiana flinched, spinning to find Kallen standing there. The moonlight caught in her hair, giving her an almost ethereal glow.
"I… yeah," Kiana admitted after a pause. "I do wonder."
Kallen stepped closer, her gaze drifting to the blossoms around the grave.
"It's because of Chris," she said quietly. "He showered them all with his blood… hoping everything in this world of his would live until the day he wishes to come."
Kiana's eyes widened. "…His blood?"
Kallen only nodded.
The two of them stood there in silence. The wind was gentle, carrying with it the faint scent of flowers that shouldn't even exist in this season.
Somehow, that made the night feel colder than before.
Kiana's fingers curled into the snow at her sides. The cold bit into her skin, but it was nothing compared to the tightness in her chest.
She looked up at Kallen, her voice trembling.
"...How? How can you be fine with all this?"
Kallen's eyes softened, but she didn't speak right away.
Kiana's voice cracked, and the words began tumbling out faster. "How can something be good if it hurts people to keep it? If you have to… kill… if you have to make people afraid just to hold it together? How can you just smile and say that's okay?"
Her hands shook as she pressed them to her eyes, hot tears pushing past her fingers. "I don't… I don't get it…! It's like everything here is backwards and everyone just… accepts it!"
Kallen took a slow step toward her, the snow crunching softly beneath her boots.
"I… I don't get it…" Kiana's breath hitched as she stumbled through her words, her frustration boiling over into sobs. "Every time I see Chris do something—every time I hear Otto talk—it's like… like they're both wrong, but they're also right in some way and it's driving me insane!"
Her voice rose as she finally looked Kallen in the eye, her cheeks wet. "So tell me—how can you just stand there and… and live with it?"
For a moment, the world felt frozen in place. Then Kallen moved forward and pulled Kiana into a tight hug.
Kiana stiffened at first, but the warmth—the kind that didn't come from the winter-defying flowers—slowly bled into her.
"I'm not happy," Kallen said quietly, her breath brushing against Kiana's hair.
Kiana blinked, surprised at the honesty in her tone.
"But… if all falls," Kallen continued, "then more will suffer. More will lose their happiness. Mercy without order breeds chaos. Order without mercy breeds tyranny. The trick… is deciding how much of each the world can survive."
Kiana felt her throat tighten. "That's just… an excuse."
Kallen gave a small, sad smile she couldn't see. "…It is."
Her arms trembled slightly as she held her tighter. "I'm sorry, Kiana. I'm not strong enough to fight… to save people… not the way I want to. I wish I was strong like you… but I'm not. This—" her voice cracked "—this is just what I can do. And I hate it."
Kiana's eyes widened as she felt something warm fall onto her shoulder.
"I want everyone to be happy too," Kallen whispered. "To be loved. Otto, Chris… everyone. But I can't make that happen. I just… can't."
Her voice wavered, desperation leaking into her tone. "So please, Kiana… follow your path. Don't be like me."
Kiana's arms slowly lifted, returning the embrace. She could feel Kallen shaking now, her own composure fraying at the edges.
They stayed like that for a while, surrounded by flowers that shouldn't bloom, under a moon that shone too brightly for winter.
Kiana didn't have an answer. Not for Kallen. Not for herself.
But she knew one thing—she didn't want to end up looking at the world the way Kallen did.
Not ever.