"Robin."
"Robin—"
Someone called her name from a distant place. So clear, yet so unfamiliar.
When had she heard a voice like that before?
All the voices dissolved into nothingness, leaving only a single figure standing at the edge of darkness, striding forward without looking back.
"Robin, forgive me."
"I only wanted to save you... to save this hopeless world."
Robin reached out in anguish, but her fingers grasped only air. A sorrowful cry escaped her lips as blinding light swallowed everything.
Warm sunlight filtered through sheer white curtains. The muffled voice beside her ear now felt startlingly real.
Before she could recognize it, her tears had already broken free.
Azure hair just like hers. Snow-white wings fluttering gently. Gianna held Robin's hand, smiling tenderly.
"How are you feeling? Any discomfort?"
"...Mom?"
Robin blinked in confusion. Just moments ago, she had been on the battlefields of Caspelinat-VIII, watching as Anming was shot.
And now—she was here.
The little bird couldn't comprehend this reality. Yet when Gianna embraced her tightly, her arms instinctively returned the hug, tears flowing uncontrollably.
"Mom... I missed you so much."
"Robin, I've always been here," Gianna murmured, though slightly puzzled by her daughter's distress. "Thank goodness it was only a minor injury."
"What... happened?"
"The doctor said a sudden shock can cause temporary memory loss." Gianna smoothed Robin's hair. "Remember? The chandelier in the concert hall fell. Luckily, that Anming boy pushed you out of the way just in time."
"Caspelinat-VIII...?"
"What's that?"
"No—this isn't right!"
Robin tried to scramble off the bed, only then noticing the strangeness—her arms were small, her legs tiny.
She stubbornly rushed to the window. When she pulled back the curtains, she froze.
Golden sunlight bathed her vision. The familiar city sprawled before her—the bakery they always visited for breakfast, the crowded park, and on a bench, a clean-cut boy absorbed in a book.
Noticing her gaze, the boy grinned brightly, waving despite the bandages wrapped around his head.
This was Kakipe. Her home. A place she could never forget.
The sky was blue. The clouds, white. As if that catastrophe had never happened.
No—it hadn't happened.
Like a parallel world, this Kakipe had never suffered a Stellaron disaster. Only a little girl who'd nearly been crushed by a falling chandelier.
The breeze brushed Robin's cheeks.
In the mirror, her youthful face stared back, teal eyes brimming with hope.
Hope?
Suddenly, the world spun. Robin barely caught herself against the wall. Had it all been... just a beautiful dream?
Which side was real?
It felt like walking through an illusory pavilion—past and future blurred together. The stairs ahead were transparent, devoid of light. The path behind crumbled into dust. No future to move toward. No past to return to.
Robin clutched her head in pain. Had all that sorrow, love, and hope been nothing but her own wishful fantasy?
"Anming... where are you?"
"Robin!"
Little Anming pushed open the hospital door. Seeing her tears, his heart ached. "Why are you crying? Did someone bully you?"
"Anming—sob!" The moment she saw him, Robin could no longer hold back. She clung to him, weeping loudly.
"I dreamed I lost you... I'm sorry! I'm still so useless. I couldn't do anything. I just kept believing hope could change the world—"
"Shh, don't cry." Anming flustered—he'd never been good at comforting girls. All he could do was hug the sobbing little bird tightly.
"Even if that really happened, I wouldn't blame you."
His expression turned serious. "Besides, you saved me. Who dares say you couldn't do anything?"
"Don't say that..."
Robin wanted to protest further, but the sight of that unchanged smile left her dazed.
"Little Robin, I heard you're awake~?" An poked her head in, grinning when she spotted Anming. "My, my. Our Anming still adores you so much."
"Mom!"
Anming turned away, embarrassed. "I-I was just worried about Robin."
Gianna and An exchanged knowing smiles. They'd always approved of this pairing.
And clearly, the two children felt the same way.
"Anming, I love you."
Robin needed to test something. Leaning close, she whispered it into his ear.
Anming's face burned crimson. At his age, he'd never faced such a direct attack. He couldn't even look at her, stammering at the ceiling instead. "G-Get some rest! When you're discharged... let's perform together again."
He wasn't acting.
Robin smiled genuinely, then hugged him again.
So happy.
This happiness... it felt like a dream.
A dream?
Her gaze swept the room. Someone important was missing.
Sunday wasn't here.
Her beloved brother, who cared for her most—absent at this crucial moment.
"Where's... Brother?"
Gianna chuckled. "Forgot already? Sunday left for seminary last week. He won't be back for a while."
"...Is that so?"
Robin studied her mother's smile but found no reason to doubt.
Soon, surrounded by flowers, the little bird was discharged.
As she stepped out of the hospital, Robin instinctively glanced back. A single white feather drifted down from the sky, dissolving upon the ground.
"Robin!"
"Congratulations on your recovery!"
"Let's celebrate properly!"
Under the distant sky, little Anming, Gianna, and An waved bouquets at her.
Robin smiled—even as tears fell.
So happy.
I love this.
If this was the future awaiting her after that day—it would have been the best ending possible.
Robin stood still, watching the sky. More white feathers fluttered down.
"Robin?"
Little Anming seemed to realize something. Softly, he said:
"Here, only happiness exists."
If she came to him, the pain would vanish. All sadness would disappear.
He reached out, just as he had countless times before—
"You're saying... it was all a dream."
Robin smiled and took a step back.
Then, humming softly:
"Will our paths converge beneath the sun?"