Maja’s eyes lingered on David. She smiled at him, longing buried deep within, and he could see it all.

  Her cheeks flushed in warmth were only one indicator. He could see the torrents of her life signal, and he felt the chaos of her emotions through their bond of Favor. It was strong – the strongest of any bond of Favor that had formed so far – but she was nothing like the others.

  He knew she liked him. She tried to conceal her emotions, but neither her gaze, the intensity of her life signal, nor the emotions oozing from their bond could hide the truth. It was painful to witness – not because David felt nothing, but because he didn’t want to hurt her. Because he did not want to push her away as well.

  I have changed, he reminded himself. And it was true.

  He had changed a lot. If he hadn’t, David would have spent most of his time after the integration chasing fleeting pleasures. He would’ve surrounded himself with shallow friendships and basked in admiration from those who saw only his strength, wealth, or the opportunity to grow through him. He wouldn’t have fought this hard to grow—not for others, and certainly not for himself.

  David knew the old him wouldn’t have survived in this world. The integration had changed him. It was still changing him.

  He was done playing with women. They were no longer prizes to flaunt or trophies to validate his worth. Most no longer stirred anything in him. Beauty, on its own, meant little in a world of constant death.

  But Maja was different. He didn’t know if he liked her—didn’t know if what he felt was affection or admiration—but he knew one thing; he didn’t want her to die. He felt more at peace with himself, more whole, as long as she was near.

  “I don’t think—…” David began, but the words stuck in his throat and dissipated as Maja’s eyes met his.

  She caught the conflict in his gaze, and something in her eyes dimmed.

  “You don’t have to say anything. I—I can tell what you want to say.” She smiled, but it felt wrong. Hollow. There was distance in it, and the pain behind her eyes cut deeper than any words could.

  “The world is a mess, and death looms everywhere. We have to be strong and work hard to protect the Sanctuary and its people. We… shouldn’t be distracted. Distraction will only kill us…”

  She bit her lower lip after the last words left her mouth, trying–and failing–to hold herself together. She exhaled shakily and turned away, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.

  “I know you’re busy protecting everyone. That you carry more responsibility than anyone else. You’re an Ascendant. You have a territory. You need to become stronger to face the Voidlings and everything else coming for us—but… bottling up my emotions is painful.”

  David said nothing. He watched her quietly, lips pressed together, leaning in slightly, hoping to catch her expression – but stopped when she shook her head.

  “Stop… please…”

  Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, and David remained still, his gaze fixed on her as she sobbed—her eyes catching the golden light of the descending sun, glittering like shattered glass.

  “I… I can tell you don’t want to hurt my feelings. That my emotions are inconvenient. That they might change the way we work together. But what am I supposed to do about them!?”

  Maja’s voice cracked, rising into a raw scream of frustration.

  “When the Giants tore me apart, I thought it was over. I knew I would die. I think we all did, but do you know what I thought about in those last seconds? Who I was thinking about?”

  Her head snapped toward David, tears rolling down her cheeks in thick, glistening trails.

  “I was thinking about you! I worried about you! And then…” Her voice broke entirely, trembling with the weight of everything she’d held in.

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  “Then you appeared out of nowhere. And you smiled at me, when all I wanted was to see you one last time. I…”

  Her eyes widened as they met David’s, and in that moment, she seemed to realize what she had just said.

  Maja paled, pulling away from him and closer to the edge of the rooftop as though ready to leap from the watchtower. The space around her began to warp, distorting with the pulse of her power, but David terminated it with his will.

  His left arm shot out and wrapped firmly around her waist, pulling her back to him. He gazed at her, brushing aside the doubts that had haunted him.

  So what if the world was a mess?

  The Origin was in peril, and the End would descend with the Voidlings soon enough, no matter what he did.

  Why should he carry the weight of inevitability on his shoulders when, right now, he had the chance to choose something for himself?

  He was fighting to change their future—but what good was power if it couldn’t be used to make even the simplest, most human of decisions?

  David cursed himself under his breath. His right hand lifted, fingers reaching for Maja’s face.

  He wiped her tears gently, their eyes locked in fragile silence. Maja looked surprised, caught off guard, and David couldn’t help but smile as he listened to the thunder pounding in her chest. Her heartbeat echoed, so loud and fast it rang in his ears and mind.

  Feeling her pulse, sensing her trembling emotions, watching how her body reacted to that simple pull—it affected him far more than he’d expected.

  He had thought he’d mastered the art of tuning out the emotions of others.

  Clearly, he hadn’t.

  And somehow, that truth was all the confirmation he needed.

  “Most of what you said is right,” he murmured. “I do have countless things to take care of. My list of responsibilities is vast and burdensome, and I’ve let it consume my mind.”

  David paused, only for a heartbeat, then decided to be honest—if not for her sake, then for his own.

  “I was a fool before the integration began. Maybe I still am. I didn’t want to get close to anyone after everything that happened. I convinced myself I was fine staying on the outside—watching everyone else rebuild their lives.”

  He had never truly felt like he belonged. Not before being dragged into the Naughtrealm, and even less so after returning to the Earthen Union.

  Becoming an Ascendant had severed whatever remained of that connection.

  People no longer treated him the same. They revered him, worshiped him, feared him. Some saw him as their protector. Others, their savior. A few… their god.

  But no one saw him.

  Melach did not, nor did Lukas, let alone the Tirac Artificer.

  They were cordial, respectful—but distant.

  And David couldn’t help but wonder if they’d ever really been close to begin with.

  The Regressor was no different. Neither were the Ascendants or the gods he had met along the way. To them, he was a threat. A being tainted with the power of the End. He knew, deep down, that Zachariah and the others would try to erase him the moment the End was no longer a pressing danger—if they survived it.

  But Maja…

  She was different.

  She treated him the same. Always had.

  “I never loved anyone,” he said softly. Then frowned. “No, that’s not true. I don’t know if I ever loved anyone—but I probably did.”

  He grimaced as Maja continued to stare at him wide-eyed.

  “But you’re not like the others to me. I enjoy being around you. I missed you. Life doesn’t feel as heavy when you’re there.”

  The words felt foreign on his tongue—awkward, foolish even. If he’d heard someone else say them, his toes would have curled up in cringe. But all he could think about was Maja, and the yawning void of the Naughtrealm.

  That place had changed him. Stripped him bare. It toughened him, yes—but it also reminded him of what it meant to be human. Of how much he had missed simple, meaningful connections.

  It showed him what life would be like when no one was left to lean on. When the only people left were enemies… or those relying solely on his strength.

  Maja’s tears landed softly on the back of his hand. She didn’t move. She didn’t speak. But she didn’t have to. A surge of emotions washed over him as her bond unraveled—raw, vulnerable, intense.

  His fingers moved gently across her cheek, then up to cradle the back of her head. With his left arm still wrapped around her, he pulled her closer until he could feel her warm breath against his skin.

  A quiet smile formed on his lips.

  The cosmos and its troubles faded into nothingness.

  He leaned in, slowly, until their noses touched.

  Maja let out a nervous chuckle, her body stiff with tension—as rigid as cardboard. But David tilted his head, closing the distance, and their lips met.

  She trembled, frozen for a heartbeat, stunned at the reality of the situation, then, slowly, she caved in.

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