Nujah was still struggling to stand.
The core had cracked; his blood dripped to the ground.
Mitra's eyes no longer belonged to anyone he once knew.
With each blow, Nujah grew more certain — he couldn't win this fight.
But worse still: if he kept going, not just Mitra, but Mother and the entire Shiora realm would be destroyed.
He withdrew his power, dropped to his knees… and stabbed his sword into the earth.
> "Alright… You win, Mitra."
He steadied his breath, raised his hands, and spoke one final time:
---
> "If this battle is what brings you peace… strike."
"If I'm the root of all this pain, then erase me from this world."
"But before you do, know this: I never abandoned you."
"You were my most beautiful mistake — and still my most precious truth."
"You can destroy me, but you can't erase how I loved you."
"I didn't betray you. I simply… couldn't catch up."
"So now… whatever you do with that anger in your hands — it's your choice."
---
Mitra trembled.
The mask gripped her face like a vice.
She looked like she wanted to speak — but no sound came out.
> "You're lying!" Mitra screamed.
"I was left alone — you vanished, and then everyone else turned their backs!"
"You weren't the only one who died that day!"
"Everything inside me burned too, father!"
"In that endless darkness, this mask was all I had left…"
"Because you were the only one in this universe who ever truly saw me."
Nujah noticed Mitra's fingers trembling ever so slightly.
That tiny, involuntary twitch… it meant her old self was still in there.
> "I'm coming, my daughter," Nujah whispered inside.
"Everything will be better."
He lunged forward in an instant.
He focused all his remaining strength into one single point —
the center of the eye on Mitra's mask.
The strike landed — the eye cracked. The mask tried to regenerate, but…
Nujah grabbed the mask with both hands.
Bleeding, in pain, he shouted:
> "LOOK AT ME, MITRA!"
Mitra tried to turn her face away.
"LOOK AT ME! FORGET EVERYTHING ELSE — JUST SEE ME!"
"I'M HERE!"
"I'M HERE! YOU'RE NO ONE'S SLAVE!"
"YOU GET TO CHOOSE YOUR OWN LIFE!"
I L..e Y..
Before he could finish his last sentence…
Nujah's body shattered into golden light, scattering like dust.
As if a memory, a prayer, a final hope… drifted into the sky.
---
Mitra watched it all.
Then she dropped to her knees.
With shaking hands, she reached for the mask… and ripped it from her face.
The pain was unbearable — but with her teeth, she tore it apart.
When the last piece of the mask was gone,
Mitra bowed her head…
and cried with a voice that echoed across the entire universe.
---