The wind was cold as they walked through the frozen path of the Skyglass Expanse. Sharp ice crystals covered the ground like broken mirrors. The sky above was dark, even though it was daytime. It felt like the world was holding its breath.
Harvie walked beside Edna. She didn't speak much. Just walked with her arms crossed and her fire sword on her back. The others in Squad 9 were ahead, laughing and talking like nothing had happened.
But Harvie knew.
Edna almost died yesterday.
He died instead.
And came back.
Again.
But now, she was safe.
They stopped near a resting point beside a frozen stream. Edna sat on a rock and looked at the sky. Her eyes looked tired, but not weak. They looked like someone carrying too much alone.
Harvie stayed quiet, watching her from a few steps away.
"Do you want to sit?" she asked, without looking.
He blinked. "Sure."
He sat beside her. The stream below the ice still flowed, making a soft sound.
"Back there," she said, voice low. "With the shardbeasts. You moved before I even shouted. Like you knew."
Harvie didn't answer.
She looked at him now. "Do you have experience? You act like a rookie but… sometimes, you don't."
He forced a small smile. "I've… played the game before, I guess."
"That's not what I meant," she said quietly.
The silence stretched between them. The cold wind blew across the ice.
Then she pulled off her glove.
Harvie saw her hand—burnt and red. Faint scars ran across her fingers and palm.
"You asked why I avoid using high-level fire spells," she said. "This is why."
Harvie stared, shocked. "You… burn yourself?"
She nodded. "My fire is strong. Too strong. If I lose focus for even one second… it turns against me. My power is my curse."
Harvie's throat felt dry.
"You fight so hard," he said. "Even when it hurts you?"
She shrugged. "Someone has to. I've already lost too many people. I won't let it happen again."
Harvie looked away.
He wanted to tell her—you died before too.
You burned. You bled. You screamed.
And I keep dying to stop that from happening again.
But he couldn't.
The system whispered deep in his head like a warning bell.
> [Unlamented – Protected Memory Trigger Detected.]
He clenched his fists.
"I think you're strong," he said softly. "Not because of your fire… but because you don't run from it."
She blinked, surprised.
Then she smiled. Just a small smile—but it warmed the air between them more than fire.
"Thank you, Harv."
They sat together in silence again, but this time, it wasn't heavy. Just… quiet. Gentle.
For the first time since waking up in this world, Harvie felt something real.
Something worth protecting.
Even if it meant dying again.
Even if she could never know.