MY HEART RAMMED AGAINST my chest like a roaring ocean wave. The creature's gargantuan claws came crashing down on me, sending searing jolts of pain throughout my body, until I saw nothing but the crimson which splattered from my skin as I fell to the floor – the excruciating pain matched with the sight of my own blood had brought me to the edge of fainting.

"Ziya..?" Horrified, Subaru ran over to me and held me up. "Ziya! Please wake up, Ziya!"

I looked up at Subaru through a gust of smoke, my vision blurring. His tears dripped onto my cheek and mingled with my blood, stinging as they ran into the cuts. It stung just enough to keep me responsive.

"I'll be fine, Subaru. Save yourself." It hurt to speak, not that I cared. I finally understood how Licht had felt when he'd jumped in front of the monster for me. Is this what he meant when he said I always thought of others before myself? I could say the same thing about him. I could...

"Th-There's no way I'm leaving you, Ziya!"

I sensed the monster approaching; the eerie sound of it dragging its body drew closer and closer. "Please, Subaru! You have to get outta here!"

With each step it took, the wooden floor began to give way, until we were too late. The floor caved under Subaru and me, and we fell headfirst into a black abyss beneath. This is the end. I could hear the monster's furious roar from above as I slowly closed my eyes and drifted out of consciousness. Free-falling, the last thing I felt was the warmth of Subaru's body clinging tightly to me, to protect me. And then, I woke up.

The morning sun cast its rays through beige curtains. I was too disorientated to question how I'd come to be in the familiar second floor bedroom at the orphanage, or the lack of a blood red moon. Unlike the warm sunlight, my heart felt immensely heavy. It felt hard just to be alive.

"Subaru!" Out of nowhere, I caught sight of Ray's younger self. "Hey, Subaru, are you listening to me?"

Ray was talking to me. Confused, I tried to move my head, but I couldn't; something in the window caught my eye. The reflection took me by surprise for a second when I realised that this body wasn't my own. This was Subaru's body, and I couldn't help but wonder if I was dreaming. Surely, heaven didn't look like this.

"Were you sleeping?"

Without answering Ray, I looked around at the other kids in the room. Thoma was in the corner by himself and Monica on the carpet, playing with her dolls, when suddenly, the door creaked open. Licht came in, grinning from ear to ear.

"Licht! Where have you been?" Ray asked with a huff, the beginnings of his trademark scoff. "We could've started the game earlier, but now it's time for art class."

Licht laughed, shrugging off Ray's complaints. I could see a little girl trying to hide behind him. That girl was me. The other kids started to gather around, and Licht introduced my younger self. I just nodded despite everyone's enthusiasm, not a trace of a smile on my face.

"Subaru, come here!"

Subaru tried to take a step, but something held him back – it's an invisible force, something growling at the pit of his stomach. His sense of dread took over, and all I could do was watch as things unfolded, trapped behind the glass of his eyes. Ultimately, Subaru did as he was told and introduced himself – eyes downcast. His head low and his bangs over his eyes, he squeaked out a hello. Subaru did his best to hide his eyes, yet he bobbed his head up and down gently, testing to see if my younger self would react. But instead of recoiling in fear, I reached out to pat him on the head.

"Umm..." As Subaru lifted his head, his bangs swayed to the side, revealing both of his eyes completely.

"Ah." My younger self stared at Subaru with her vacant eyes, her petting hand caught in the air. "So pretty..."

I watched myself looking curiously at the boy, eyes now wide with wonder. My eyes... are pretty? My younger self smiled lightly, and suddenly, I started to hear and feel Subaru's thoughts and emotions inside of me as if they were my own. Why would she like them? I don't understand. All my life, everyone's said that my eyes are a curse. But she... She's looking at me! Aren't you afraid? The heavy burdens in Subaru's heart were lifted all at once. At that moment, I realised just how much my simple words had meant to him. For so long, he had been waiting to be accepted by someone.

"Subaru's eyes are pretty, right?" Licht smiled brightly as he looked at his friend. "Hear that? You better get a haircut and let those eyes of yours shine."

"I-I'm not getting a haircut..."

"What's your name?" imposed Ray. "That's funny. I heard you say something just a second ago. Are you mute?"

"That's not nice, Ray."

"Father said it's rude not to answer questions."

Subaru ignored Ray's remarks and took my younger self's hand. "My name is Subaru. What about you?"

"Ziya."

Ziya... I heard Subaru repeating my name in his heart, and with it, what felt like both love and the will to live budding inside of him. The will to live... As I began to drift away, I sensed in him his strong determination, proclaiming, 'Someday, I want to be able to save Ziya just like she saved me.'

I tried to prevent myself from waking up. Let me stay in this dream a little longer... But the closer I got to consciousness, the more pain I felt, until I was finally awake. I gently opened my eyes and saw Subaru kneeling beside me. He was gripping my hand as tears silently streamed down his face and upon my fingers. It seemed I had passed out more from the shock than anything – my cuts were shallow, by no means life-threatening. Running a straight line from my cheek to my collarbone, the scratches had already closed up, though I still felt hazy and lightheaded. Maybe it was because I kept drifting in and out of sleep. I was glad to be alive. Not just for my sake, but for Subaru, too.

He doesn't need to live with any more guilt.

"I'm so sorry, Ziya. You encouraged me to look ahead. I was determined to protect you, but I couldn't even do that. I couldn't protect the one person I cared so much about." I could hear the powerlessness in his voice as he clutched to my hand so tightly. He kept his gaze downcast, seemingly unaware that I was awake. "Nothing good ever comes of me being around people. This all happened because of me."

He's lived his life blaming himself for the suffering of others. Oh, Subaru... How many times do I have to tell you? I'm right by your side. "Don't... Don't say that," I managed to cough the words out of my dry throat.

"Ziya..." Disbelieving, he slowly looked up at me until our eyes met.

I gazed into his tear-filled red eye, a shimmering ruby. It really was pretty. I didn't understand why people treated him as if he were cursed. I placed my hand softly on his cheek.

"So pretty..." I said, just like the first time I saw him in the orphanage. "Right?" He looked at me as if an epiphany had just come to him. "Do you remember now?"

Subaru nodded firmly. "You complimented my eye so many times. Because we lost our memories, we were like complete strangers to each other when we met here in the nightmare world. Even then, the first thing you did was say that my eyes were beautiful. I can't express how much that meant to me." He bit his lip, and as he did, a tear slept in the crease of his mouth. "I've realised that every time I cursed and rejected my eye, it hurt you. That every time I rejected my eye, it was like I was rejecting you. But even still, it's no use," he uttered from the depths of his heart. "No matter how many times I tell myself, no matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to accept my eye... to actually like it."

"Subaru..." I paused, finding the words to say, as he gritted his teeth. "I understand. If that's how you feel, then you don't have to force yourself to like your eye. Even if you hate it, I'll love it for you, Subaru." Subaru opened his eyes, as though he was finally unashamed. "Just like you can't accept your eye no matter how hard you try, I'll never be able to hate it. Even if you reject it, my feelings won't change. So, there's no need to force yourself."

When I realised that neither of us had really stopped crying, Subaru wrapped me in a strong, loving embrace. I put my arms around him and hugged him twice as tightly.

"Thank you... for pulling me out of my darkness so many times. For lighting my path." Subaru released me and stared at my wounds – I knew that stare from when Ray had looked at me after I'd recovered my memories. "Ziya, I'm so sorry." As if not sure where to look anymore, Subaru averted his gaze. "It's all my fault you got hurt."

"Don't worry about it." I adjusted my jersey to hide my collar. "It was my decision to do what I did. You're not responsible for that. Besides, this is my medal for saving you," I smiled lightly and Subaru's mouth hung open. "I'm glad I did what I did. I was able to pay you back for what you did thirteen years ago."

"What do you mean?" he asked, subtly confused.

I gulped. "I didn't talk much after I was abandoned. Not even when Silas talked to me. There was nothing in my heart, Subaru. But when I saw you... When I saw the young boy with two gorgeous, gemlike eyes..." I paused, looking at him intently. His gaze was clear, but I could see his eyes welling up with all those unshed tears. "I felt something in my heart. Thanks to you, I was able to find my voice again." He stayed silent, but a stubborn teardrop started rolling down his face. When I noticed, I brushed my thumb across his cheek. Oh, Subaru. "It's not just because you've got beautiful eyes. It's because of how you make me feel when you look at me." Subaru closed his eyes, and his hand landed on top of mine, holding it to his face. He's finally loosening up. "So no matter how much you despise that red eye of yours, please remember that your eyes have brought light to people. Especially to that little girl from the orphanage – to her, to me, they're a miracle."

"That's..." Subaru nuzzled his cheek deeper into my palm. "Thank you." A faint smile lit up his face. It was fleeting, but it looked like it came from the bottom of his heart.

"Accepting yourself can be a very difficult thing. But you don't have to go through it alone."

"Ziya..." he smirked. "I promise you, I'll face my fears head-on." Thank goodness.

With Subaru finally calmed down, I stood up, without letting go of his hand. "I hope Ray and Licht are safe up there." We were in the basement now. I stared up at the hole in the ceiling through which we'd fallen. "Ray! Licht!"

No response.

"Let's go find them, Ziya." Subaru led us through the narrow corridors. "We should be fine if we follow this path." In the dark, we walked hand-in-hand. I couldn't help but look up at Subaru's face and smile, feeling the warmth in his hands, admiring how much more confident he'd become.

Just as we made it up the stairs leading to the surface, we ran into Ray and Licht, who were heading toward the basement. I tugged on Subaru's sleeve in my excitement.

"Look, there they are!"

"Finally," he sighed, and he suddenly seemed lighter.

"Hey!" Ray ran toward us with a smile of relief, but that relief quickly morphed into concern. "How are your wounds?" The first thing Ray did was check my injuries. Then, he looked me over, trying to find all the places that needed attention, and even though he was just examining me to make sure I was okay, it's embarrassing to have him stare at my body. For a second, my eyes met Ray's as he pensively inspected me. I immediately looked away. "Ziya? What's wrong?" he asked tenderly.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."

"Good," he smiled again in satisfaction. "It's not that bad, but we need to clean these cuts to avoid infection."

"Okay." I'd managed to walk all this way, so certainly nothing was broken, though I was sure I'd have more than a couple bruises in the morning.

Ray then went over to Subaru and quickly checked on him. I watched, curious to know if he'd been hiding any injuries himself. We'd fallen from quite high up. Now that I thought of it, it was remarkable that we'd gotten away with just a few scrapes.

"Hmm. You seem okay, too." Ray lightly patted Subaru's head. Subaru, like a spontaneous little puppy, closed his eyes and smiled at his affection. As always, I got caught up in how adorable they were, and before I knew it, Ray was turning back to me and patting my head, too. "Thanks for keeping Subaru safe, Ziya. You did good," he smiled broadly. I did? I thought you'd be angry.

Ray retracted his hand and reached into his pocket, looking a little puzzled. He fumbled through both of his coat pockets, and then through his pants pockets, frantically searching for something that clearly wasn't there.

"Goddammit..."

Uh-oh, I knew something was wrong. "What are you looking for, Ray?"

"Bandages," he breathed. "I know I always carry some around, but..." Ray scratched his head in annoyance. "Why now of all times?!"

He's really serious about this, huh? But after a few minutes going over where he usually kept his supplies, Ray sighed in frustration. He put a hand on his hip, and the other caught his head in a face-palm. He's so cute like this, I thought. I supposed I should have been more concerned about the vanishing bandages, but I wasn't. He's usually so calm and collected, but now he's all flustered. I accidentally let a giggle slip out.

"Wh-What are you laughing at?" he asked with that scoff of his.

He looked even cuter when he was sulky. So cute I wanted to pat him on the head. Haha, I wonder if he'd get angry if I did. Or maybe he'll surprise me by turning beet red. I stood on my toes so I could reach the top of his head. He stiffened for a moment, but after a few pats, the tension left his jaw.

"...What do you think you're doing?" He looked away on purpose, folding his arms.

"Hehe! You were so cute, I couldn't help myself." I peeked at his expression and saw the pout on his lips.

"Stop that. Jeez. You're still as clumsy as ever. What makes you think you can pat my head?" He took hold of my wrist and gently squeezed. His face was so serious, but I couldn't suppress my grin, even when I bit my lip to try. "I'm not a kid, you know." A blush appeared on his cheeks and I was brought back to my senses.

"I know, and neither am I. I'm not that frail little girl anymore, either," I said honestly, and he finally faced me with a resigned look.

"Don't risk your life like that again, please. You always throw yourself in the face of danger. Are you even concerned about your own safety?"

Oh... Did it look like I was recklessly endangering myself? "But –"

"Ever since Monica's death..." Ray looked down at his hold on my hand. He gently released me. "Up until now." He started blushing again, and I expected him to turn away, but instead, he placed his hand on my cheek. "You always end up putting yourself in danger."

"Ray..." He let his hand fall upon my shoulder, and I nearly pressed my face against it, already missing its warmth. He gazed at me so seriously that I couldn't help but hold my breath. This is...

"I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

My eyes widened at those words. Ray leaned into a hug, and the familiar scent of him hit my nostrils. "I'm sorry, Ray. I'm sorry for worrying you." My hands settled on his back, returning the embrace.

We stayed like this for a little while, content in each other's arms. I forgot about the danger, almost forgot about my scratches if not for the slight tingle – I was just me, in Ray's arms. Then, he pulled away, without taking his eyes off mine. Those eyes were so magnetic, I felt myself being pulled into them.

But then – "Ouch!" – he flicked me on the forehead. "What was that for? Jerk..."

I rubbed my skin as Ray chuckled, "Heh, you're a handful. But... that's what I like about you."

"What did you say?" My voice broke a little; I'd heard him just fine.

"I said scare me like that again and you'll get a hundred more," he told me quickly.

"A hundred more flicks?!" I wanted to get back at him, but he'd already turned away. I could have sworn I'd seen a blush on his cheeks...

Before I could ponder on it any longer, he started walking, then Subaru, then Licht. Neither of them seemed to have paid me and Ray any mind, which was probably for the better – I couldn't handle any more teasing. We decided to leave the orphanage for the time being. I stuck close to Licht at first, but for some reason I couldn't stay with him for long before I felt nervous all of a sudden. I glimpsed at his hand, half expecting him to take mine as he normally did when we walked together, but his attention was on the path ahead. I caught up to Subaru, who was evidently trying not to overthink. That's probably how I looked when I was about to get my memories back, to face my monster. Where had it gone off to anyway? Ray and Licht hadn't mentioned anything about running away from it, and it apparently hadn't followed them here. Had it disappeared? Was it lurking, waiting in the shadows?

Outside, Ray checked his wrist and sighed. "Ah, I keep forgetting time doesn't run here. I've been checking my watch out of habit."

"But we've been here for a while now. The bell will ring soon," said Subaru from near the fountain.

Licht smiled at us, poking his head out beside Subaru. "Then you can rest."

Our casual conversation was suddenly interrupted by a disturbing sound. We stopped walking at once, our feet sticking themselves to the stone courtyard.

"KILL... THE CHILD..."

Oh, no! Terrified, we gradually turned toward the direction of the voice, where a dark blob took form, rising from the ground and mumbling in all too familiar agony.

"It's the monster!" cried Subaru.

"Everyone, get back!" Ray warned, and I started to run, but something caught my attention.

Subaru was holding his ground.

"Subaru! Run!" I called out, shrouded with dread as I saw him facing the monster off. But Subaru didn't budge. Instead, he took a step forward.

"This is my past. I'd be lying if I said I'm not scared, but..." Subaru looked at me. "I've already made up my mind. I won't back down." I'd never seen someone so determined. I approached Subaru, reached for his hand, and he squeezed it back tightly. I promised you I'd be with you. "I'm ready to accept it all."

"FILTHY... DEMON BOY! I'M GONNA PUT YOU OUT OF YOUR MISERY!" The beast proclaimed, the threat leaving its orifice with uncharacteristic, terrifying ease. The poisonous tone that laced its tongue reminded me far too much of Subaru's mother.

Subaru sharpened his gaze as the monster charged at him. I believe in him!

"UGLY... RED-EYED... MONSTER!"

He took his stand, staring the monster down. "What of it?" he bit back. "This is what makes me who I am! No matter what anyone else says..." Subaru turned to me, his eyes shining. "No matter what anyone says, I've decided to embrace my eye. I don't care who rejects me. If just one person near and dear to me says she likes my eye, then I'm happy with that."

Subaru... I grinned, despite the terror looming over us; his eyes were determined as ever, yet peaceful, and so, so beautiful. The monster grew restless, bellowing out an anguished cry in a cacophony of tones. It's working! The monster groaned and staggered in agony. Bright white light enveloped us, and then disappeared a moment later as Subaru fell to his knees.

"Subaru!" I heard Ray calling to him before I could.

Subaru put a hand on his heart, wearing a pained expression as if an arrow had just pierced through his skin. "I feel hot."

The only thing we could hear in that moment was the soft sound of Subaru's breathing. His cheeks flushed red. It's just like when I got my memories back. He did it. He's completely accepted his memories. I felt a sense of pride swelling up inside of me. Ray looked around, checking the area for any signs of the creature. Finally, he faced us with a growing smirk.

"The monster's gone!" Ray started chuckling, shaking his head as if this moment was truly unbelievable. I couldn't blame him.

"Good going, Subaru!" Licht gave him a thumbs-up, a proud smile on his face.

We really did it... My heart beat again, this time, for the warmth it felt in light of our victory. Ray extended his hand to help Subaru up, and the latter took it with a reserved smile.

"Thanks, Ray." Subaru dusted himself off, and then noticed me looking at him. "We did it, Ziya." We sure did! Before I realised it, my feet were taking me into his arms, and Subaru staggered a few steps back. "Whoa..." But he didn't shy away. Instead, he hugged me tighter, his heartbeat against mine.

This is it. After all we've been through... "We're finally free." I stepped back and looked at each of them, realising how far we'd come together. This world has been so cruel to us. But we got through it. "So, what do we do now?"

"The bell should ring any minute now," said Ray. "I can't wait to wake up." He stretched his arms and yawned.

Subaru smiled at him hopefully. "Licht should wake up in the morning, right?"

"In theory, he should," I answered. "After all, we returned the memories back their original owners."

"I can't wait to see all of you for real. It's been too long," Licht said sincerely.

"Well, the world's changed a lot," added Ray.

"That's true, but I have you guys. I'll figure it out in no time."

Hearing Licht say that made me feel excited. We may have started as strangers, but now we have our memories back. We found out the truth about our bonds. And everything that's happened has just made those bonds stronger. All of us... we're truly friends, we care for each other. I found myself staring at the moon, hoping that our salvation had come. This is the last time I'll have to look at that ghastly moon. Clouds floated just across it, casting a shadow on us, when out of nowhere, we heard an eerie groaning sound, as if the shadow had brought a companion with it.

"What's that?" Licht listened intently, a worried frown on his brow.

The groaning got louder and louder, and we swiftly found ourselves huddled together, keeping an alert eye on our surroundings. Then, the ground started to rumble.

Why is this happening?

A lump of gooey liquid materialised from the pavement, steadily growing as we watched it form in front of us. Just when I'd thought we would never have to set sight on that disgusting monster ever again, it once again appeared right before our eyes.

Licht gasped, "The monster's still alive?!"

The splotch spiked itself in all directions as it expanded, reaching heights far taller than we had seen before. I gulped.

"This can't be good."

"There's no way around it! Run!" I heard Ray's voice, but I didn't stop to look for him or wait for him to say it twice; I just moved.

We all made a run for it, trying to get as much distance between us and the monster as possible.

"GRUUWAAAGHH!"

Why? I forced myself to run even faster, despite the feeling that the world was quaking. Blood rushed to my head, my ears burning. Why did it come back?! No matter how much I pondered it, I couldn't think of a reason. Had our understanding of the nightmare world been entirely wrong? Were there no rules at all? The road ahead darkened with despair. Then, how do we get rid of this monster? I can't think of any other ideas.

Just when I had given up, suddenly, we heard a muffled cry come from the creature. "H-HELP! PLEASE..." There had always been those desperate, strained voices, but now...

At the sound of that recognisable voice, we all stopped running and turned around one by one.

"Did you guys hear that?"

"It's Thoma!" Ray answered me without a beat.

Then, through the swelling mist, the monster screamed again, this time, in a much higher voice. "HELP!"

"That's Monica!" I cried. "Are these their lost memories..?" Thoma and Monica had died rejecting their memories, and it had made the monster even stronger.

"GRAAAGH!"

"Dammit, our memories alone weren't enough!" said Ray, when the monster started advancing. "We'll have to figure out a way to accept Thoma and Monica's memories! But how?!"

"I can buy you guys some time!" Licht stepped forward, and then he came close to me.

"You mean you're going to sacrifice yourself?! Don't you dare! How many times do you need to sacrifice yourself for us?" I scolded, my throat burning. "I won't let you do this!"

"Ziya, please," he implored persistently. "Let me protect you."

The monster was coming closer. It glared at me with its disgusting eyes like it wanted me next. The sounds it made seemed to crawl up inside of me, sending horrid shivers along my spine. I resisted the fear with all my might while desperately trying to come up with a plan. What do I do? I considered my options: leave with the others, stay with Licht, or pull him along with us. There was only one way out of this.

"Licht!"

"Ziya?"

"We've gotta facethis thing together!" It's the only thing that feels right. The others knew it, too.

We all walked up to Licht's side.

"Ziya..." he smiled with gentle respite.

Ray stepped up to him. "Can't let you be the hero all alone now, can I?"

Subaru nodded swiftly.

"Ray, Subaru..." Licht trailed off in the same way.

"Thoma's in there, after all. I have to do this for him." Ray's glare was set with resolve. His voice sounded so sure, but the moment he took my hand, I felt the chill on his skin. He was trembling. Bravely, I looked at him, pressing my lips together, and he nodded at me with a smile.

"We promised Ziya. We'll see this through to the end." Even Subaru... Everyone's here.

Wide-eyed at first, Licht looked at each of us at his side, but then he closed his eyes, lips curling up in satisfaction. "Together. I like the sound of that."

I took his hand in my free one as we faced forward. And so we stood, hands joined together, feeling the energy of our bonds flow through our cores. Suddenly, it felt as though nothing could stop us. Not even the demons of our past.

Licht lifted his chin. "Let's finish this."

The monster charged at us with a high-pitched scream, and I stared it down, releasing all my emotions into a powerful gaze. The ground shook as the giant drew nearer, but we were unmoved. Thoma, Monica. I'll never forget you. We'll bear your burdens. And with that, the strain of Monica and Thoma's fears began washing over us. Their memories... so much pain, grief, and suffering. How can this world be so cruel? I... I can't breathe. I felt like I was going to disappear as their grief swallowed my heart. The pain was unbearable, but I was not running away, no matter how much it hurt. Thoma's guilt, Monica's fears of neglect... even memories we forcibly threw away needed a place to belong. No matter how awful, they were still a part of us.

They complete who we are.

I glared at the monster as if we'd already won, watching as it started twisting and jutting in all directions, and I noticed a faint vision, a mirage, which took the shape of two people. Is that... Thoma and Monica? They floated across the space, smiling as they joined our side. You guys... Tears clouded my vision and warmth spread through my chest as I realised that they, too, would be at peace once this ended.

We're all together now! "Let's give it all we've got!"

We held each other tightly, feeling stronger than ever before. And we were. Soon after, the monster screamed, and a blinding crimson light illuminated our surroundings. It was so bright my eyes couldn't take it. It was as if the sky was bleeding over the sun.

"Don't look away!" shouted Ray. I gripped his hand tighter, with no intention of letting go.

"GNNNGGG–" The abomination showed no sign of stopping, and we were forced to take a collective step back.

"Stay together!" Ray huffed.

He's right. We still have to try! We took another step back, but this time, I felt myself growing weaker. Oh, no... I glanced at the others, trying to gauge how much fight we had left, while the monster grew closer and closer. It opened its mouth with a violent moan, and I nearly collapsed at the sight of its shining fangs, like daggers glossed in spit and blood. But I strengthened my grip on the two hands I was holding and felt a surge of power rush back from them both. It's going to be alright. Just stay calm. Stay calm.

Suddenly, a streak of light came out of the monster's mouth. The creature shrunk back in agony, groaning louder than ever before. It seemed to vibrate, shaken by something deep within, like a parasite, and I took pleasure in knowing that parasite had something to do with us. Its body went black as pitch, except for its eyes, which glowed in contrast, a disturbing shade of red. And finally, with one last cry, the monster began to melt. As the light dissipated, we all exchanged looks of disbelief, letting out a breath. The courtyard faded to a cool blue, the moon looked like the moon again.

Subaru sighed, "Did it work for real this time?"

The monster was reduced to a murky liquid, which spread across the ground as if to reach our feet.

"Watch your step!" warned Licht, and we all shifted back.

Is it still alive? But the puddle disappeared into the gaps in the cobblestone, like it was never there. Just then, we heard voices again.

"Thank... you..."

It was faint, almost a whisper. But in my heart, I was sure. Monica... Thoma... Thank you for lending us your strength! We couldn't have done it without you. The ghosts of Monica and Thoma vanished away in a humble burst of light, smiling upon us. We'll never forget about you two. I offered up a prayer for them in my heart. We love you.

"I guess this means we've won?" Licht supposed.

I beamed. "Yeah, I guess so!" For real this time. Just as we all shared a smile of relief, the ground started shaking belligerently. This night had already lasted far too long, but of course it wasn't over yet. "What now?!"

"The nightmare world is coming apart!" yelled Subaru.

Just as he'd said, cracks started opening up everywhere – the fountain, the benches, the orphanage walls, the cobblestones. I could hear the sound of the pillars which held Bluebells together start to crumble and crash. It was the beginnings a disaster, yet it brought me so much peace, like a slow song or a sweet dream. We're free. We can go home.

"Ziya!" Licht shouted, pulling me from my thoughts, and when I looked down, I discovered that the cracks which ripped through the world were now making a beeline toward me.

Before I could react, the ground split beneath my feet, and I screamed falling in. All sense of vision abandoned me.

The last thing I heard was the voice of the one I loved.