"No… no, no…"
The words broke out of Cain before he could stop them, his voice cracking as his body moved on its own, his hand reaching forward as if he could still stop what had already happened, as if he could still close the distance between himself and the image of Cornelia breaking down in front of him.
"I didn't mean it…"
His fingers trembled as they pushed into the mist, his breath uneven, his chest tightening with something that refused to be ignored any longer.
"I didn't mean it…"
For a moment, it felt real.
It felt like if he just moved faster, if he just spoke louder, if he just reached a little further, he could stop her from crying, he could take back the words that had hurt her, he could change everything that had led to that moment.
But the second his hand made contact—
The world exploded.
