Silence filled the desert.
No explosions.
No gunfire.
No war.
Just wind.
Maxruell collapsed the moment they reappeared.
His shadows faded completely.
The red glow in his eyes… gone.
For the first time since everything beganHe couldn't stand.
Juvy lay a few meters away.
Her light flickered weakly.
Barely visible.
Her body refused to move.
Every breath hurt.
"…Max…" she whispered.
No response.
Minutes passed.
Or maybe hours.
Neither of them knew.
The sun slowly rose over the dunes.
Golden light stretching across the broken world.
Juvy forced herself to move.
Slowly.
Painfully.
She crawled toward him.
Each movement felt like her body was breaking apart.
But she didn't stop.
Not this time.
She reached him.
Turned him over.
"…Hey."
Still nothing.
Her chest tightened.
"Max… wake up."
She shook him weakly.
Nothing.
For the first time since the war began Juvy felt it.
Fear.
Real fear.
Not for herself.
For him.
"Don't do this…"
Her voice cracked.
"You don't get to die here."
A faint breath.
Barely noticeable.
But there.
Juvy froze.
"…Idiot."
Relief hit her like a wave.
She dropped beside him.
Too exhausted to even cry.
Hours later…
The heat became unbearable.
Their bodies still hadn't recovered.
No energy.
No strength.
No power.
Just survival.
Juvy sat up slowly.
Looking at the endless desert.
"…We lost."
The words felt heavy.
Real.
Final.
Maxruell's voice came quietly.
"…Yeah."
Juvy looked at him.
"You're awake."
He didn't move.
Just stared at the sky.
"…Unfortunately."
Silence again.
Different this time.
Not peaceful.
Heavy.
Broken.
Juvy hugged her knees.
"I couldn't stop it."
Her voice was low.
"I couldn't protect anyone."
Images flashed in her mind—
The canyon.
The Resistance.
The highway.
The Leviathan.
Everything they had lost.
Maxruell finally sat up.
Slow.
Unsteady.
"You're still alive."
Juvy frowned.
"…That's your answer?"
He looked at her.
"…It's the only one that matters right now."
She shook her head.
"No, it's not."
Her voice cracked again.
"People died, Max."
"I know."
"We failed."
"I know."
"Then why are you acting like it doesn't matter?!"
Silence.
Maxruell's expression hardened slightly.
"It matters."
His voice dropped.
"But sitting here crying about it won't fix anything."
Juvy stood up suddenly.
Ignoring the pain.
"You think I'm crying?!"
Her light flickered again.
Unstable.
"I'm trying to understand how we lost when we gave everything!"
Maxruell stood too.
Barely holding himself up.
"We lost because we weren't strong enough."
Simple.
Cold.
True.
Juvy froze.
"…That's it?"
He nodded.
"That thing outclassed us."
His fists clenched slightly.
"And next time… it won't hesitate."
The wind picked up.
Sand blowing between them.
Juvy looked away.
"…I can't do this like you."
He frowned slightly.
"What does that mean?"
She turned back to him.
Eyes tired.
"…I can't just fight and destroy everything in front of me."
Her voice softened.
"I don't want to become like that."
Maxruell didn't respond immediately.
Then—
"…Then you'll lose again."
The words hit harder than any attack.
Juvy stepped back slightly.
"…So that's your answer?"
He didn't hesitate.
"Yeah."
Silence.
Long.
Heavy.
Final.
Juvy looked at him one last time.
"…Then we can't fight the same way."
Maxruell met her gaze.
"…No."
The realization settled in.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
But clear.
They couldn't keep moving forward together.
Not like this.
Juvy turned away first.
"I'm going back."
Maxruell frowned.
"…Back where?"
"The Resistance."
Her voice steadier now.
"They're still out there."
Maxruell shook his head slightly.
"That won't be enough."
She didn't turn back.
"It has to be."
He watched her walk away.
Step by step.
Struggling.
But moving forward.
"…Juvy."
She stopped.
But didn't turn.
"…Next time we meet…"
His voice was low.
Uncertain for the first time.
"…don't hold back."
Juvy closed her eyes briefly.
"…You too."
Then she kept walking.
Maxruell stood there alone.
Watching her disappear into the desert.
The bond between them wasn't broken.
But it had changed.
Two paths.
Two beliefs.
One destiny.
The prophecy moved forward.