The dark energy that had surrounded them slowly dissipated, leaving an eerie calm in its wake. Kaito stood at the center of it all, the weight of his decision settling heavily on his shoulders. He had chosen neither light nor darkness entirely, but a path in between. Yet, the tension between Seraphina and Celestia was far from resolved.
Seraphina was the first to break the silence, her eyes still trained on Kaito. There was a flicker of pride in her gaze, but something else lingered beneath it—something deeper and harder to place. She stepped forward, her voice softer now. "You controlled it. I knew you could."
Kaito met her eyes, but the usual sense of accomplishment he felt around her was absent. There was something nagging at him, a doubt that had been planted by the events of the night. "Yeah… but it's not over. The Abyss is still there, always waiting."
Seraphina's gaze darkened, and for the briefest moment, her expression hardened. "The Abyss will never leave you. That's the price of the power you've taken. But that's not something to fear—it's something to embrace."
Before Kaito could respond, Celestia stepped closer, her wings folding behind her. There was no glow this time, just the quiet intensity of her presence. "You don't have to accept that, Kaito. You proved tonight that you're stronger than the Abyss. You don't have to let it control you."
Her voice was gentle, but her words cut through the tension like a blade. Kaito could feel Seraphina's anger rising beside him, and he knew that the two of them were far from finished. He took a step back, suddenly feeling like an outsider in his own struggle.
"You still don't get it, do you?" Seraphina snapped, turning on Celestia. "The Abyss isn't something you can just reject. It's a part of him now, whether you like it or not."
Celestia's eyes narrowed, her calm exterior beginning to crack. "And that's exactly why I'm worried. The Abyss is dangerous. I've seen what it does to people—how it twists them into something unrecognizable. I won't let that happen to him."
Kaito's chest tightened as the two women faced off again. The words they were throwing at each other weren't just about him anymore. This was about more than a power struggle—it was about their beliefs, their histories, and the scars they both carried. But in the middle of it all, Kaito felt like a tug-of-war rope, stretched between two opposing forces that neither fully understood.
"Stop," he said quietly, though neither Seraphina nor Celestia seemed to hear him.
"I've seen more of the Abyss than you ever will," Seraphina continued, her voice cold. "It's not something you can fight against with your light and your righteousness. It's part of this world, just like your precious heavens. Kaito's learning to control it, and that's more than you ever gave him credit for."
Celestia's wings flared slightly, her frustration finally breaking through. "I'm not trying to undermine him! I'm trying to protect him from a future he doesn't deserve. He deserves better than being shackled to your world of darkness."
Kaito felt his pulse quicken, the weight of their words pressing down on him from both sides. He had heard enough. The Abyss was already overwhelming, but now this clash between Seraphina and Celestia felt like it was splitting him in two.
"I said stop!"
His voice rang out, louder this time, cutting through the argument like a sharp wind. Both Seraphina and Celestia froze, turning to him in surprise. For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of their heavy breathing, the silence after the storm.
"I can't… I can't keep doing this," Kaito said, his voice raw. He looked between them, feeling the weight of his emotions, the confusion, the fear. "I'm not some prize you can fight over. This power—it's mine now, and I have to figure out what that means. But I can't do that if you two keep tearing each other apart."
Seraphina's expression softened slightly, but there was still a hardness to her eyes. "Kaito, I just—"
"No," Kaito interrupted, shaking his head. "You don't get to decide this for me, Seraphina. Neither of you do."
Celestia lowered her wings, her expression filled with quiet regret. "I'm sorry, Kaito. I didn't mean to make you feel like you were trapped."
Kaito's shoulders slumped, exhaustion settling over him. He had fought a battle against the Abyss tonight, but the real struggle was just beginning. He wasn't fighting just for control over his power—he was fighting for his own identity, for the right to decide who he wanted to be.
"I need time," he said, glancing between Seraphina and Celestia. "I need to figure this out on my own."
Seraphina opened her mouth to protest, but Kaito raised a hand to stop her. "Please. Just… give me space."
The silence that followed was heavy, but finally, Seraphina nodded. Her eyes were filled with a mixture of emotions—pride, anger, fear—but she didn't say anything more. Celestia, too, remained silent, her wings slowly folding back as she stepped away.
Kaito exhaled deeply, feeling the tension ease slightly, though the weight of the future still loomed large. He wasn't sure what was going to happen next, but for now, he needed distance from both Seraphina's darkness and Celestia's light.
As he turned to leave, Kaito felt the shadows stir around him, a constant reminder that the Abyss was never far. He had made his choice, but the consequences of that choice were still unfolding. And in the end, he knew that neither Seraphina nor Celestia could decide his fate.
Only he could.