The fire burned lower now, embers glowing against the night as the students sat huddled in their circle. The day's battles had left them scarred in ways they hadn't yet understood, but the silence weighed heavier than fatigue.
Sylphie leaned against Lucas, her head resting lightly on his shoulder. Lucas, ever the cheerful one, had gone unusually quiet, simply letting her stay there.
Aria's gaze lingered too long on the sight, her lips pressed into a thin line as she looked away, pretending to poke at the dirt with a stick.
Marcus finally broke the silence, his dark eyes narrowed. "That eye… it wasn't there before."
"Of course it wasn't," Kaelith said, his voice clipped, sharp as a blade. "Which means something happened when he was gone."
"Gone where?" Ruby muttered, her crimson hair catching the firelight. "We don't know. He disappeared, came back with golden eyes, blood on his clothes… and acts like nothing happened."
Eren frowned, his hand tightening around his knee. "But he's still Nex. He fought with us before. He laughed with us before. That hasn't changed."
"Hasn't it?" Kaelith's eyes flickered. "You saw him tonight. You saw what was in that gaze. People don't just change their eyes — or their presence — overnight."
Rose spoke softly, almost to herself. "He looked… different. Not weaker. Just… heavier."
The group lapsed into silence again — until they noticed someone was missing.
Ryan.
---
While the others spoke, Ryan had quietly slipped away, his steps soft against the dirt. His small frame carried none of their suspicion, only the simple thought that Nex was their friend. He padded toward the camp tents until he stopped in front of Nex's.
Inside, Nex sat alone on the cot, headphones still hanging around his neck, white curls shadowing his golden eye. He looked up at the soft rustle of the tent flap.
Ryan poked his head in, his expression bright despite the day's darkness. "Hey."
Nex blinked, surprised. "…Ryan?"
The boy slipped fully inside, plopping down on the cot opposite him. His voice was cheerful, unguarded. "They're all talking about you, you know. The eye, the blood, the… everything." He tilted his head. "I told them you're still Nex. You're good."
Nex's lips curved faintly — not quite a smile, but something softer than his usual calm. "You believe that?"
"Of course," Ryan said simply, as though the answer was obvious. "You're my friend. Doesn't matter if your eye's gold, or silver, or green with stars in it." He laughed at his own joke, shoulders shaking.
For a moment, Nex said nothing. But deep inside, that warmth — faint and fragile — spread against the weight he carried.
"…Thank you," he murmured, the words almost too quiet to hear.
Ryan grinned, leaning back on his hands. "Tomorrow, I'll drag the others with me. We'll come see you. They're just scared, that's all. But they're your friends too."
Nex's golden eye glowed faintly in the dark, but his voice was gentle. "Tomorrow, then."
---
Back at the fire, Aria finally tossed the stick into the flames. "Fine," she said, sharp and sudden, startling the others. "Tomorrow. We'll go to him. Ask him ourselves."
Lucas nodded, determination flashing in his usually easy eyes. "Yeah. No more guessing."
Marcus leaned back, arms crossed. "If he hides something, I'll see through it."
Ruby gave a small nod, her expression calmer but resolute.
Even Kaelith, though silent, inclined his head ever so slightly.
Sylphie, still resting on Lucas's shoulder, whispered softly, "Tomorrow."
The fire crackled louder for a moment, as if sealing their unspoken pact.
Tomorrow, they would go to Nex.
---
The camp had long since quieted. Students were asleep, guards patrolled in silence, and only the night wind stirred the grass.
Nex sat at the edge of his tent, headphones resting around his neck, the faint hum of static still alive in their wires. His golden eye caught the faint glow of the moonlight, gleaming against his white curls.
The memories threatened to claw back — the children, their voices, their final embraces — but Nex exhaled softly, steadying himself. He would not let himself be swallowed by grief.
"I still have things to protect," he murmured to the empty night. "I can't sit here and play the tragic hero."
He let out a short laugh, light but genuine, breaking the silence. It carried more life than sorrow, the kind of laugh that said I'm still here, I'm still standing.
Lifting his head, his gaze caught the night sky. Stars shimmered faintly across the void, but one shone brighter — brighter even than the cold, radiant cosmic moon.
His lips curved into a smile.
"That's you, isn't it?" he whispered, his voice gentle. "The name I gave you… it suits you better up there."
The golden-haired boy's image flickered in his mind — innocent, radiant, fading into light with a gift he could never repay. Nex's smile deepened, quiet but sure, his eye glinting with that lingering warmth.
"Shine for me, little star," he said softly. "I'll keep walking. You'll see."
And with that, he leaned back, letting the night breeze brush over him. No brooding. No tragedy. Only resolve, carried forward beneath the endless sky.