The white space shattered.
Not violently.
Not suddenly.
But completely.
And then—
Cain's body remembered weight.
Air rushed back into his lungs—
harsh.
Uncontrolled.
His chest tightened—
And for the first time—
He felt it.
Pain.
Not like before.
Not overwhelming.
But deep.
Like something inside him had been strained too far—
and forced back into place.
Outside—
His fingers moved.
A slight twitch.
Then—
His body reacted.
A sharp breath tore through him.
"—!"
The mist around him broke.
Not fading—
Collapsing.
Rei moved instantly.
"…He's back—!"
Aera was already there.
"Cain—!"
His body staggered.
The stillness broke—
And everything hit at once.
His legs gave out.
Rei caught him before he hit the ground.
"…Hey—!"
Cain's breathing was uneven.
Too fast.
Too shallow.
Like his body was trying to catch up with something it couldn't process.
Aera's hands were already on him.
"Heal—"
Mana flowed.
This time—
it connected.
But not fully.
Her expression tightened.
"…It's not enough."
Liora stepped closer.
Her gaze moved over him—
sharp.
"…He's stable."
Rei looked at her.
"…This is stable?"
Cain's grip tightened weakly against Rei's arm.
"…It's… fine."
His voice was low.
Strained.
Aera shook her head immediately.
"No, it's not."
Her hands didn't stop.
"…Something's still off."
Cain exhaled slowly.
"…I know."
The words came out quieter than before.
But clearer.
Rei studied him.
"…What the hell just happened?"
Cain didn't answer immediately.
His gaze drifted slightly.
Not unfocused—
Just… processing.
"…It responded."
Rei frowned.
"…What does that even mean?"
No answer.
Because Cain wasn't explaining it.
Not yet.
Aera's voice softened slightly.
"…Does it hurt?"
A small pause.
"…Not like before."
That wasn't reassuring.
The cat shifted on his shoulder.
For the first time since it had gone still—
it moved.
Its form flickered slightly—
then settled.
Liora noticed.
"…It's stabilizing too."
Rei glanced at it.
"…Your cat was never normal."
Cain almost responded—
But stopped.
His breathing steadied slightly.
Not fully.
But enough.
The room felt different now.
Not heavy.
Not distorted.
But not normal either.
Something had changed.
Not outside.
Inside him.
"…We're leaving."
Liora's voice cut through.
Not loud.
But final.
Rei didn't argue.
"…Yeah. No way we're staying here."
Aera nodded.
She didn't remove her hand from Cain.
"…Can you stand?"
A brief pause.
Cain tried.
His legs held—
barely.
Rei kept a grip on him anyway.
"…Don't push it."
Cain didn't resist.
That alone said enough.
They moved toward the exit.
Slowly.
Carefully.
The containment room fell silent behind them.
But the fragment—
Was gone.
Not physically.
But entirely.
Absorbed.
As if it had never been there.
Aera noticed first.
"…It's gone."
Rei glanced back.
"…Yeah."
A small pause.
"…So that thing was real."
No one answered.
Because now—
there was no denying it.
They stepped out into the corridor.
The air felt lighter.
Normal.
Too normal.
Cain exhaled slowly.
"…It's quiet."
Not relief.
Observation.
Liora walked beside him.
"…For now."
That was enough.
No one spoke after that.
Because all of them understood—
This wasn't over.
Not even close.
End.