....AVY....
I woke up in my old bed.
The ceiling I knew too well. The room untouched.
For a second, I wondered if the year had been a hallucination.
Then I heard something unfamiliar.
Laughter.
From downstairs.
My brother's voice. My sister's.
I walked down slowly.
They froze when they saw me.
There was no tension.
No cold air.
Just… hesitation.
My brother stepped forward first.
"You're back."
Not angry. Not distant.
Just steady.
On the table beside him was the watch.
The one Ishita bought.
He still wore it.
My sister touched the locket around her neck unconsciously.
The same one.
Something inside me shifted.
I had expected to clean up damage.
Instead, I found something repaired.
"She… tried," my sister said softly.
I nodded.
"Yes," I replied. "She always would."
That night, I didn't lock myself in my room.
I sat with them.
It was quiet. Awkward.
But not broken.
Ishita had not ruled my empire.
She had mended my home.