Noctua’s voice cut through the chaos.

“Stay with me, Promes! This isn’t your time!”

Her eyes shimmered with panic. Her hands trembled as she tried to channel what little healing power she had left. Her voice cracked — not just from exhaustion, but from fear. For a moment, I wasn’t sure if she was speaking to me… or to herself.

I reached up, barely, and touched her face. I needed to know she was real.

“If I died, who’d annoy you with bad jokes? You’d be stuck with your seriousness.”

She raised an eyebrow — then smacked me.

“Ow! I’m injured, you know!” “And you deserve it,” she snapped. “For talking nonsense at a time like this!”

Behind her cold mask, I saw it — the worry. And for the first time, I felt grateful.

My gaze drifted. I remembered Hitomi’s voice. Her scream. Then I saw her.

Unconscious. Bleeding. Alive — but barely.

If I didn’t act… she’d die.

My body refused to move. My nerves burned. My blood felt frozen. I turned my head slowly — and saw the shadow.

An Orc. Wounded. Half his body was torn. But his eyes… wild. Refusing to die.

He raised his weapon. I was an easy target. I couldn’t move. His blade lifted.

Noctua fired. The Orc’s head exploded mid-swing.

“Die already, you stubborn beast!”

I blinked. She smirked.

“Nice reflexes, Noctua! I owe you a drink when we get back!”

“I’ll take whatever I want. And you won’t argue.”

“Fair enough!”

Then I saw it — the ribbon on my arm. Hitomi’s ribbon.

“I’ll be with you through this. Always. Remember that.”

Her words echoed.

My blood chilled. Not from fear — from something deeper.

Her image, broken on the battlefield… It was the only thing that mattered.

Despair turned into flame. A flame of resolve.

My body was broken. My breath is shallow. But I was alive.

Barely.

The pain was unbearable — not just physical, but something deeper. My left arm… shattered. My right leg… gone. My shoulder bled freely, the wound burning like molten steel.

Noctua kept healing me, her power flickering like a dying flame. She was running out. And so was I.

The battlefield roared around us. But my focus narrowed.

I reached into my pouch. Two crystals remained.

One for healing. One for attack.

“If I choose wrong… There won’t be another chance.”

They pulsed in my hand. Not just with magic — with judgment.

I felt them resonate with my fear. With my doubt.

The Mega Orcs had done this. I remembered their shadows. Their hunger. Their strength.

They had descended like beasts — tearing through our ranks. No warning. No mercy.

Their power was overwhelming. And they were still out there.

The crystals hummed louder. The pendant around my neck vibrated. It wasn’t just a tool. It was watching me.

“Choose.”

The world faded. Only the decision remained.