"So yeah," she shrugged as we headed toward the small store just a few meters down the road.
"It's kind of like stars suspended in a vacuum," she continued. "Floating without falling, without colliding."
She gestured vaguely ahead of us, as if pointing at something far beyond the sky.
"Realities. Totality bubbles. Collective Sphere–like structures."
"All of them drift the same way. Inside this unending vacuum we Outer Gods usually call the Ruins."
Her tone stayed casual. Almost bored.
Like she wasn't describing the space that held everything, but just explaining how dust gathered under furniture.
After buying what we came for, and exchanging a few stolen glances with curious onlookers. Anathasia and I headed back home, where Mom was already waiting.
—
By the time we got back, cars were already parked along the road near the house.
Most likely my aunts and uncles.
Even from a few meters away, I could hear cackles and overlapping conversations spilling out from inside.
"So they're here…" Anathasia murmured.
She glanced at me. I looked back, and we nodded at the same time.
We stepped inside.
Loud conversations echoed through the house, voices bouncing off the walls. Typical.
But the moment Anathasia and I passed by the living room—
Everything went deathly silent.
For just a second.
We didn't stop. We kept walking toward the kitchen.
After helping Mom with the ingredients, Anathasia and I exchanged a subtle look.
[Avoid them, got it.]
She gave a small nod.
[If possible, yeah…]
We stepped out of the kitchen.
"Kyle," one of my uncles called out immediately.
"C'mere."
I stopped in place and let out a long sigh.
Beside me, Anathasia just shook her head.
Then she placed a hand on my shoulder as I slowly turned to her. For some reason, her expression looked soft. But before I could dwell on it, she smiled gently.
"Good luck," she said. "You'll be fine."
"…I'm not going to die or anything," I shot back flatly.
"—And bring your girlfriend as well," another of my uncles added.
Anathasia stiffened completely.
For a moment, we just stared at each other, both fully aware of the incoming barrage of questions waiting for us just a room away.
"Should I just skip this part—"
"No." I cut her off immediately.
I glanced back toward the living room.
"I think you already did enough during the three weeks before our finals."
She went quiet, clicked her tongue, and looked away.
"…And here I was thinking of trimming things again…"
"Let's just give them what they want for now," I said, already turning as I headed into the living room. "If not, they'll keep bothering us about details."
"I mean… I can't argue with that," she muttered, hesitating before letting out a small sigh and following after me.
[Just this one time.] she whispered.
I inclined my head slightly, then looked toward my uncles on the couches.
"Long time no see—"
—
A few minutes after the short interview, or interrogation.
Anathasia immediately collapsed onto my bed, groaning as I sat down on the edge.
"Ugh… they kept asking about my hair. And my family." She buried her face into a pillow. "Like I'm supposed to have one."
"At least it's over," I said, reaching out and idly twirling a strand of her hair around my finger.
"And then," she added, muffled, "they kept asking if we already did it for some reason…"
"I thought your family was conservatively religious?"
I paused.
"Well… back then, yeah. They're more open now. Probably because of my mom."
"She was the first to just accept things as they were and move on. That's why she argued with her siblings so much before I left to live on my own."
Anathasia shifted, rolling onto her side to face me. Her gaze lingered on my hand before she gently caught one of my fingers between her teeth. Then started nibbling on it for some reason.
"…Yeah," she murmured. "I saw that. When I was watching from outside this reality."
"Mhm," I nodded, tugging lightly at her hair. "That's pretty much how everything changed."
She paused, then pushed herself upright and looked at me.
"Hey—weren't you an atheist back then?" She tilted her head slightly.
"…Yeah? Why?"
Anathasia hummed, glancing out the window before letting herself fall back onto the bed.
"Just curious," she said, then looked back at me. "What about now?"
"Agnostic," I replied. "Atheism's more about not believing there is a god."
I ruffled her hair.
"Now that I know gods actually exist—just… not the way the Bible describes them."
I shrugged.
"But honestly? I don't really care that much about it."
She nodded.
The day simply continued after that.
Family members occasionally called us over to help with chores, mostly with the cooking, which Anathasia and I ended up handling ourselves.
"You done on your end?" Anathasia asked, washing her hands as the scent of garlic and spices filled the kitchen. The pan sizzled softly while I worked on the last dish.
"Just one more," I said, stirring. "Give me five minutes. Then we'll go for a walk."
She stepped closer, peering into the pan.
"Stir-fried vegetables?"
"It's Mongolian beef."
"The beef's from Mongolia?" she asked.
I shook my head, a small chuckle slipping out.
"No. Just the style and recipe. Not literally from Mongolia."
"Hoh… is that so…" she hummed, casually reaching over to pluck a small strip of beef and pop it into her mouth.
She nodded, delicately licking her fingertips before giving me a thumbs up.
"That should be good enough."
"Eh?" My eyes widened slightly. "It hasn't even been five minutes—"
I stopped, my expression flattening.
"Another trim?"
"Another trim," she replied, offering a wry smile.
I sighed, transferring the dish onto a plate and setting it with everything else we'd cooked.
"That's done, then." I dusted off my hands, slipped out of my apron, and headed into the living room where Mom and the others were talking.
Anathasia followed close behind.
"Ma, we're done cooking. You'll be fine if Anathasia and I go out for a bit, right?"
Mom, seated across the couch, glanced at me before giving a small nod.
"Go on. Take care, alright?"
Her gaze shifted to Anathasia standing just behind me.
"And you as well. Be careful, you two."
Anathasia and I exchanged a brief glance, then nodded before turning away.
"Mhm. We'll be back later."
As we stepped outside, the conversation inside resumed. Even then, I could still hear our names come up. But that wasn't really my concern right now.
Once we were walking along the road, Anathasia casually clasped her hands behind her back. Cars hummed past, other couples walked side by side. Christmas lights dotted the streets, but watching her walk just a step ahead made everything else blur into a soft haze.
She noticed almost immediately and glanced back over her shoulder.
"Something bothering you?" she asked quietly.
I shook my head, lifting my gaze as the sky and everything beneath it slowly took on an orange hue.
"It's not that," I said, offering her a small smile. "I'm just… thankful."
"For everyone. The people who helped shape me into who I am. The ones who gave me experiences, good and bad." I paused.
Anathasia stopped a step ahead of me and turned around. Worry flickered across her face as she took a step closer.
"And you."
Her eyes widened for a brief moment before softening as she stopped just a step away.
She reached out slowly. Her fingers brushed my cheek before gently cupping it.
"What's with you…" she murmured, her voice low, a little unsteady. "Dropping lines like that when we're supposed to be on a quiet walk…"
"That's… my bad—"
"Don't," she said firmly, pressing a finger to my lips.
"I'm not saying it's bad. It just… caught me off guard, that's all."
Her gaze lowered for a moment. She took a long, steady breath before lifting her head, her eyes meeting mine. A small, gentle smile curved at her lips.
"You're welcome," she whispered.
"And thank you."