Mira was sitting on a broken slab of stone, swinging her leg as if she had just finished a regular training session—not saved an entire front.

  Her fire phoenixes circled high in the sky, dispersing the last black clouds.

  She looked at me—closely.

  Too closely.

  — So, Zen… — she said, flicking my forehead with a finger. — Let’s hear it. How are you? How did everything go without me?

  Her voice sounded light, but her eyes were serious.

  I stayed silent for a long time.

  Too much had piled up.

  Too much I had kept inside.

  And when I finally started speaking, the words spilled out like an avalanche.

  — I… was an idiot.

  She blinked.

  — In which episode exactly? There are kind of a lot of them, — she snorted.

  But I continued, not smiling:

  — I hid my strength.

  — Pretended to be weak.

  — Stayed in the shadows.

  — Played some kind of… clown pretending he couldn’t do anything.

  Mira stopped smiling.

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  — I could have saved so many lives… — my voice broke. — If I hadn’t acted like an idiot.

  — People were dying. I just… wanted to stay in the background. Wanted peace. Wanted… I don’t even know what.

  For the first time, I saw that Mira wasn’t joking.

  Not at all.

  I told her everything.

  About the first awakening, when rage washed over me and I barely managed to hold it back.

  About the broken seal, how it cracked inside me and turned me into a storm.

  About the elves—their forest, Arlis, Feris, Selia…

  How they helped.

  How they were afraid.

  How they believed.

  About the journey.

  About fears.

  About mistakes.

  About how my thoughts slowly changed shape, until I became almost a stranger to myself.

  And when I finished—silence settled between us, heavy and real.

  No smirk.

  No interruptions.

  No mockery.

  When I fell silent, she asked quietly:

  — The elves… are they okay?

  — Yes. They’re fine.

  She exhaled in relief.

  — And our parents? — she continued.

  — Them too. They’re alive. Everything’s calm.

  And at that moment—for the first time since the day she appeared in the sky surrounded by phoenixes—her shoulders trembled.

  Just a little.

  I saw a glimmer in her eyes.

  — You… grew up so much, Zen, — she whispered. — And I wasn’t there.

  She tried to smile, but her lips trembled.

  And then…

  She stepped closer.

  And simply hugged me.

  Tightly.

  As if she were afraid of losing me again.

  Her voice was shaking:

  — I’m sorry, Zen…

  — Sorry I wasn’t there when it was hard for you.

  — Sorry you went through all of this alone.

  — Sorry you broke… and I wasn’t holding your hand.

  I put my hand on her back and said quietly:

  — But you’re here now.

  Silence.

  Warm.

  Alive.

  She pulled back a little, traced a finger along my cheek, and smiled—just like always, bold and strong:

  — Of course I’m here. I’m your sister, after all.

  And I’m not going anywhere.

  She stood up, brushed off her cloak.

  — And now, little brother… — her eyes narrowed. — Let’s go. You need to apologize to the people. You kind of… well… overdid it in your rage.

  I let out a heavy sigh.

  — Yeah. I did.

  Mira slapped me on the back.

  — It’s fine. I’ll help. We’ll handle it together.

  She tilted her head slightly:

  — We’re Helvards, after all.