I stared at Yukie's shattered expression before me. Her face was wet with tears, her body trembling, and for the first time, she looked genuinely human. Not the ice statue I had known all this time.
"Then, Yukie," I said, my voice calm but full of authority. "You can apologize to me properly this time."
I willed it. With my power as the master of stopped time, I freed her from her bonds. Time around us remained frozen, but she could move now.
Yukie felt her body suddenly free. Her hands, which had been raised, fell limply to her sides. Her stiff legs could suddenly bend.
And she dropped to her knees.
"I'm sorry."
Her voice trembled, cracked, but was clear.
"I'm sorry for everything. For everything I've done to you these past two years. For all the pain I inflicted on you. For all the humiliation. For all the torture."
She lowered her head, her short white hair falling to cover part of her face. Her hands rested on her thighs, trembling.
