"Separation is just a step toward reuniting... but after reuniting..." Atalanta gazed down at her hands, which were slowly turning translucent, and let out a bitter laugh.
"...we have to separate again. We waited so long, only to spend so little time together. I don't even have enough time to complain about it. It's just... not fair."
"I'm sorry," Cyd stepped forward, pulling Atalanta into a tight embrace.
"Ugh, men. Always think a simple 'sorry' will fix everything," Atalanta muttered, closing her eyes as she pressed her head against his neck, inhaling his scent. "But, I've never been mad at you."
"Even for what I said earlier? About... love and all that?" Cyd blinked in surprise.
"!"
Atalanta's face turned red as she opened her mouth and bit down on Cyd's neck—hard.
"Ow! Haha—okay, I'll forget it ever happened," Cyd laughed, reaching up to ruffle her hair.
"No, you better remember it," Atalanta's grip tightened on his shirt, her form fading more by the second. She knew if she resisted like before, she'd miss her chance again. "I love you."
Cyd froze. "You…"
He tried to pull back to see her face, but Atalanta clung to him, burying herself in his chest.
"Remember this: I haven't died, and we aren't really apart," she whispered, standing on her toes to reach his ear. "I'll always be watching you from the sky. You'll never escape my hunt—my love."
"Even if I run all the way to the Underworld?" Cyd chuckled softly. "Even if I hide somewhere beyond time itself, you'd still find a way to drag me back."
"You regret it?" she asked, stepping back slightly.
"Hmm, maybe I should've done something more before you go," Cyd grinned. "I've been holding back for a while."
"Men are all the same." Atalanta sighed, turning her back to him. "Well, next time then. Though... I could give you a little reward now."
Cyd blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
Before he could react, Atalanta spun around, moving faster than he could follow, and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him—wild, unpracticed, but full of emotion, catching him completely off-guard.
When she finally pulled away, she gave him a playful wink. "A hero's return wouldn't be complete without a kiss from the princess, right?"
"Though, this princess is a bit rough around the edges." Cyd smacked his lips, savoring the moment. "Can I get another?"
"Next time~" she teased, her form dissolving into particles of light.
Cyd leaned back, arms behind his head, watching her disappear. "Can't wait for that."
Suddenly, he turned to Jeanne, who was standing nearby, looking a bit melancholic. "Hey, why are you still here?"
"Almost gone..." Jeanne muttered, her expression shifting to exasperation. A moment ago, she'd been moved by the bond between Cyd and Atalanta, reflecting on her own feelings about duty and love. Now, she was being rushed to leave. "It's not fair, you know."
"You notice the world hasn't changed, right?" Cyd spread his hands. "Nothing got better or worse. Everything's still the same."
"Things like that take time," Jeanne sighed as faint light began to radiate from her, signaling her departure. "But at least now, I know I can trust you."
The gods of Greece hadn't descended, and her mission from the Lord was finally complete. After all her doubts, nothing catastrophic had happened.
"I've been worrying over nothing," she admitted softly.
"Hey, at least you tried to stand in front of me. Even if it wasn't all that brave, I appreciate the effort." Cyd gave her a thumbs-up.
"You are a kind person," Jeanne said with a gentle smile, clasping her hands in prayer. "May the Lord watch over you."
"Yeah, I don't believe in—wait, she's gone?" Cyd scratched his head.
"Mm-hmm." Leticia nodded. "Jeanne's already left."
"Well, I guess it's our turn to go too. This place won't hold together much longer," Cyd stretched, looking over at Kairi. "How about you, Saber's Master—er, I mean, Kairi?"
"Still remember I'm here, huh?" Kairi stood up, brushing off the dust from his coat. "Though I feel like the third wheel here. At least I got fed well."
"Huh?" Leticia tilted her head, clearly puzzled by the comment.
"I have no idea what he's talking about either," Cyd shrugged, his cape suddenly shifting into dragon claws that lifted Leticia and Kairi off the ground. "Let's get out of here."
"Hey, is this even safe?! It doesn't feel like it!" Kairi clutched the dragon claw around his waist, which felt more like a bundle of scales stitched together—and his hand even passed right through it!
"You know how high up we are, right?!"
"Relax, it's perfectly safe." Cyd waved dismissively. "Unless you'd prefer I carry you princess-style?"
"I'm just worried about the kid." Kairi pointed at Leticia, who was pale and had her eyes tightly shut, praying fervently. Clearly, she had guessed how Cyd planned to leave the floating garden.
"Leticia, you scared?" Cyd raised an eyebrow.
"I... I trust you, Mr. Cyd," she stammered, trying her best to hold it together.
Cyd thought for a second, then flashed her a thumbs-up. "Thanks for your trust."
With that, he swung his hammer—[Reforged Pandora], in Hephaestus' form—and slammed it into the ground.
"What the—?!"
Down on the surface, Caules's jaw dropped as he watched the floating garden above them begin to collapse, huge chunks of debris falling from the sky like meteors, mixed with Vlad III's disintegrating iron stakes.
Luckily, there weren't any people left beneath it, but the falling rubble was still dangerous enough to kill anyone.
"Where's my Mystic Code?!" Fiore frantically searched her wheelchair. "It's broken!"
"We're doomed." Caules muttered in despair.
But before the debris could hit the ground, a dark shape darted down faster than any stone, black scales weaving through the air and forming giant dragon claws. They easily caught the falling garden, gently lowering it to the ground as if placing fruit in a basket.
"Safe landing~" Cyd snapped his fingers with a grin.
"Safe?!" Caules yelled