The night was heavy, and the ground trembled softly under Mai's boots.
She walked at the front, carrying a light bag on her back, though the weight inside her was far heavier. Beside her walked Tiffany — both of them quiet, lost in their thoughts.
This was their first mission since completing their training with Yamora.
The goal: an abandoned village on the edge of the Kyushu region, where traces of Gigel's agents had reportedly been seen.
"This village doesn't appear on any map," Tiffany eventually said, her tone half-sarcastic. "Probably because it reeks of history."
"Quiet," Mai replied. "We're close."
They entered a mist-covered area. The huts were half-collapsed, their doors creaking in the wind. Something about the place reminded Mai of Glob village. Her hand unconsciously tightened around the strap on her right arm.
A noise. Movement on the roofs.
Three masked figures leapt down — agents of Gigel.
"Watch out!" Mai shouted, summoning bursts of red energy from the ground.
The fight was quick but intense.
Mai fought fiercely — her punches crackled with heat, nearly fire. Something inside her had changed.
Tiffany moved with superhuman speed, gliding through the mist with golden jumps and sharp strikes.
When it ended, the two stood among the bodies.
Breathing heavily. Silence.
"We'll stay here tonight," Mai said. "No telling if more are coming."
That evening, they sat beside a small fire.
Tiffany was quiet. Unusually so.
"Are you okay?" Mai asked.
"Yeah," Tiffany replied. "Just... remembered something."
She stood, stepped away, and stared at the sky.
Later that night, Mai awoke to a soft sound.
Tiffany sat by the dim fire, her back to Mai.
She whispered:
"Leo... stop waiting for me... I'm not going back."
Mai held her breath. Her heart pounded.
She understood — not everything, but something cracked open.
By morning, Tiffany said nothing.
But Mai didn't forget.
As they walked again, the sun had risen. But between them lay a new silence. A loaded one.
Hours passed. By evening, they found a half-burned hut at the village's edge.
Inside — a broken cabinet and a floor layered with ash.
Among the ashes — a partially burned book.
Mai knelt and picked it up gently.
Inside — faded, scribbled lines. One sentence repeated: "Tiffany. Don't let them extinguish you. Your sun is still there."
She didn't fully understand.
But it was enough.
She placed the journal in her bag without a word.
That night, she didn't sleep.
And she knew — neither did Tiffany.