Aether is it?

The nurse finally left them alone.

Vale sat on the edge of the infirmary bed, hunched forward with his elbows on his knees. A blanket draped over his shoulders. The hospital wing was dim, oil lamps casting lazy shadows on whitewashed walls.

Lyra—no, Ava—sat in the chair beside him, arms folded tight, watching him with stormy eyes.

It had been silent for too long.

Vale finally sighed.

"You're mad at me."

She flinched. Looked away.

"Of course I'm mad," she whispered. "You almost died in front of me."

Her voice cracked.

Vale reached out. She let him take her hand but wouldn't look at him.

He squeezed gently.

"I didn't want to," he said. "It wasn't… intentional. I lost control. The system did something to me to keep me alive."

That made her head snap around.

"Explain."

He took a long breath and opened his status window.

Its pale-blue glow reflected in her eyes.

Ability: Shadowshift—Phase

Safe Intangible Phase: 5 min cumulative use.

Dangerous True-Phase: Unlimited, but risks catastrophic Core Degradation.

Lyra read it twice. Then a third time.

"Two modes," Vale said hoarsely. "If I just go intangible but keep my shape—like turning see-through—I'm safe. I can slip through attacks or walls for a bit."

He swallowed.

"But if I use the other mode—the true phase? I actually pass through things completely. No resistance. But I can't stay tethered to myself for long. The system… had to inscribe something in my Core to keep me from losing who I am."

Lyra's brow furrowed.

"Losing yourself?"

He nodded, voice dropping.

"It was like… there was this void inside me. The symbols locked it away. But if I overdo it, I think I'll just… vanish."

Lyra's fingers went cold in his.

She didn't speak for a while.

The only sound was the creak of old wood, the rustle of blankets, the far-off clang of academy bells in the night.

Finally she hissed:

"You idiot. You absolute idiot."

Vale didn't argue.

Lyra stood up so suddenly the chair scraped back. She paced in front of him, tugging at her hair.

"You always do this," she snapped. "You act like you have to take everything on yourself. You act like you deserve this."

Vale stared at the floor.

"I can handle it."

"Can you?"

Her voice wavered.

"You couldn't even stay conscious. I thought you died, Vale."

She nearly shouted his name. It echoed in the empty infirmary.

He winced.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

She froze.

Her shoulders slumped.

Silence returned, heavier than before.

She finally sat down beside him again.

"Explain the safe mode," she said quietly.

Vale nodded.

"If I just go intangible, I keep my shape. It's like… turning into mist or a ghost. I can move through attacks, maybe slip through doors, but it's limited. Five minutes total before it hurts me. It's stable. I don't risk… losing myself."

He flexed his hand.

"The other way—the true phase—it's unlimited, but I'm not solid at all. I'm literally gone from this world while it lasts. It's harder to control, and… the system said my Core would degrade. That the void would swallow me."

Lyra shivered.

She stared at the status window, then closed it with a flick of her fingers.

"Don't use the second mode," she ordered.

He smirked.

"Yes, Captain."

But she wasn't smiling.

She reached out and touched his chest, over his heart.

"I mean it, Vale."

He blinked.

She'd never looked at him like that before.

Her voice dropped to a tremor.

"I can't… I can't lose you here."

He didn't know what to say.

They sat like that, her palm against him, feeling his heartbeat.

Eventually she spoke again.

"You know… I keep wondering what would have happened if we didn't get stuck in this world."

Vale swallowed.

"Yeah."

She sighed.

"Do you ever… miss it?"

He didn't have to ask what she meant.

Earth.

Luna. His mother.

School.

Bad jokes on the bus.

Cheap coffee.

A world with no systems or stats.

He nodded slowly.

"Every day."

She gave a tiny smile.

"Me too."

Silence fell again.

But it wasn't so harsh now.

More like a blanket.

Lyra fidgeted, tugging at the edge of the blanket around his shoulders.

"Vale…"

He raised an eyebrow.

She wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Or… Noctis."

Hearing that name from her lips made him stiffen.

He hadn't heard anyone say it in weeks.

Only she called him that.

He felt something warm bloom in his chest.

"…Yeah?"

She took a deep breath.

Then she blurted:

"I like you."

Vale froze.

Completely.

Lyra winced, going beet-red.

She grabbed his sleeve in both fists, glaring at it instead of his face.

"I like you, okay? I know it's stupid. I know we're stuck here. I know everything's a mess and we're not even ourselves anymore but I don't care. I like you. I liked you even before I realised you were you."

Vale tried to speak.

Nothing came out.

His throat felt stuffed with cotton.

She finally looked up at him, eyes shimmering.

"Say something, Noctis."

He opened his mouth again.

Still nothing.

She scowled, tears threatening.

"Idiot," she muttered.

Then she lunged forward.

She kissed him.

His eyes went wide.

For a moment, he was too shocked to even move.

She was warm and trembling, but her lips were cool—soft and cool, pressing desperately against his.

He felt her breath hitch.

She pulled back just enough to whisper against his mouth:

"Think about it, okay?"

She kissed him again, quicker, fiercer, and then scrambled off the bed before he could grab her.

"LYRA—"

She held up a hand, red-faced, avoiding his eyes.

"Think about it. Don't answer now."

Then she fled.

Her boots thumped down the infirmary hall.

The door swung shut behind her.

Vale sat there in stunned silence.

Breathing hard.

His heart threatened to punch through his ribs.

He slowly raised a hand to his lips.

He could still feel her there.

Soft.

Cool.

"Think about it," he whispered.

He shut his eyes.

All he could think of was her face.

Her lips.

Her voice calling him Noctis.

He slumped back onto the bed, blanket falling away, chest rising and falling too fast.

"Goddamn it, Ava…"

The system chimed softly in his head.

But he ignored it.

He only thought of her.

Of her confession.

Of the promise in her kiss.

And for the first time since waking up in this world, Vale let himself hope.

Hope for something real.

Something worth surviving for.