Bryan raised his glass of water. "Then you all need to work hard for it and never give up." His eyes moved across each face, lingering on Martha and Hel. "Always know that we are here, cheering and pushing you all forward. No matter what."

More cheers erupted with their glasses lightly hitting each other as the moment seemed to stretch on.

Then everything froze.

The children mid-cheer, mouths open, and hands raised. Bryan's glass stopped halfway to the table while Melissa's smile locked in place.

Everyone but Reinhard and Martha.

Martha sighed before she turned to Reinhard, and her eyes shined with a wisdom and awareness she didn't have before. "So you really did come."

Reinhard's smile remained, but became something more complex. "This isn't a bad fantasy. It's actually pretty fun."

Martha laughed as she shook her head. "Don't you think you're a bit too old to be playing water fights with kids?"

"You're never too old to play water fights." Reinhard's response came easily. "It's actually something I wish I could have done as a kid. So thank you for this."

Martha sighed as she asked. "Was Fenrir summoned?"

Reinhard nodded. "It drove the Phantasm Beasts crazy and cut off Phane City from the world."

"And you're here to stop it."

Reinhard nodded once more.

Martha stood up with a sigh before she walked toward the house without looking back, clearly expecting Reinhard to follow.

Reinhard did.

…

The stairs led upward through the silent, frozen house. Past bedrooms where time had stopped, past hallways decorated with paintings that would never be real, and up to the roof.

A small wooden gazebo draped in vines that had frozen mid-sway appeared. Flowers were surrounding it, their petals caught in states of partial bloom, and beyond, spreading out in all directions was Phane City.

But not the Phane City of reality.

This version glowed with lantern light from every window, with the streets being clean and perfectly fine.

In the distance, the city buildings shone bright under the moonlight, and looking past, one can see farmland spread in neat patches. And beyond that, forests stretched to horizons painted in stars.

The view was breathtaking and perfect to witness.

Martha walked to the gazebo's edge, her small hands gripping the railing. "So far, an entire year has passed since I first created this." Her voice was light as her eyes softened while gazing over the city. "Every single day has been a blast and bliss."

Reinhard joined her at the railing, looking out over the glowing city. "I'm guessing those kids are the brothers and sisters who were with you in the Mehko experiments?"

Martha nodded slowly. "I was so happy to see them here. To truly get to know them without the Mehko Research Group's lies and manipulation." Her voice softened. "All of them were wonderful."

"But it's a lie and a fantasy." Reinhard kept his tone gentle. "This is something you know. Isn't that why you sealed your memory away?"

"I sealed my memory away because I wanted to live as a child." Martha's fingers tightened on the railing. "Not because I minded, this was a fantasy."

"You truly don't mind?"

Martha was quiet for a long moment as the city lights reflected in her eyes. "I know it's a fantasy. But it's because I have nothing outside that I'm so drawn to this, even knowing it's fake."

Reinhard fell silent before he asked. "Don't you have your other goal? Changing the medical world?"

Martha closed her eyes before she spoke again. "You once said your goal at Memento Mori Academy was to save your little brother from the Dark Tide curse." She paused. "Then hypothetically, if your brother died and your sister was also gone, would you be willing to leave a fantasy like this?"

Reinhard blinked, surprise flickering across his face as he slightly gripped the railing.

"If you had a fantasy where your brother is fine, where you all have a family and are happy." Martha said. "Where you can live freely and not worry about money, about homelessness, about what you'll eat. Would you decide to leave?"

Reinhard trembled even more as he continued staring out ahead.

"Where you could erase and forget your past actions and the horrible things you did." Martha continued with a faint smile. "Where your siblings can look up to you and see a good person, not the older brother who committed terrible acts just to survive." She paused. "Would you still leave?"

Silence stretched between them, broken only by the wind that shouldn't exist in a frozen world.

"This is the question I thought of." Martha glanced to the side, looking at nothing. "Leaving this fantasy is easy for those who have things outside. But for those like me who have nothing, who have lost all hope..." Her voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "What's the point? Isn't it better if we just disappear into a fantasy like this? After all, we weren't wanted in the real world in the first place."

Reinhard closed his eyes as images flashed through his mind, and then he said slowly. "But you do have something outside."

Martha blinked before quickly turning to Reinhard, who saw the confusion and the faintest hint of hope flickering across her face.

Reinhard's voice softened. "You have the people you've helped, all looking forward to seeing you again. You are the only doctor they truly trust and aren't scared of." He paused. "You have your nurses and staff members who look up to you and seek your advice, who are willing to stand by your side as you fight an uphill battle to change the medical field."

Martha's eyes widened slightly.

"You have your patients who always look forward to visiting the doctor because they know they have someone who actually cares for them." Reinhard's smile was gentle. "And above all else, you have Hel right next to you as you live your life."

Martha trembled, her small hands shook where they gripped the railing.

"And now?" Reinhard gestured back toward the frozen feast below. "You have the memories of what it's like to have parents and what it feels like to have a childhood. Everyone here is pushing you to fulfill your dream and goal to change the medical world and continue the practice you started."

Martha's teeth sank into her lower lip, and then tears leaked from her eyes, running down her cheeks and dripping from her chin. "W-Why are you going so far?"

Reinhard stared ahead over the city, lost in the impossible beauty of Martha's perfect world. "Because one day, if I ever walk down your path… I hope someone can reach out their hand to me instead of walking away."

Martha blinked, and then she blinked once more before she began to laugh. She clutched her stomach, doubling over slightly, and said. "That's such an odd yet surprisingly nice answer!" The laughter faded into something softer. "But you're right. It seems I am wanted in the world, and my disappearance would-"

"Would be heartbreaking for a lot of people." Reinhard interjected gently. "You did terrible things. But to those you saved, guided, and helped? You were nothing less than their hero and savior. Of course, they want you to return to reality and stay."

Martha smiled through her tears before she sighed and then softly said. "I'll go then. But can we go after the feast?"

Reinhard chuckled and nodded.

They returned downstairs together, where they took their seats, and time returned to normal.

"-no matter what!" Bryan finished his declaration, glass raised high.

The feast continued.

As more food, more laughter, and more stories were being told. But now Martha participated differently as she was fully present, savoring each moment with awareness that it would end.

Eventually, the meals came to an end, and conversations became quieter.

Then Martha stood with everyone's gaze shifting to hers.

"I want to thank you all. For being in my life." Martha says softly.

She moved around the table before stopping at Thomas first, placing her small hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for always being the first to laugh, even when things were hard."

Then tears were already streaming down her face as she moved to Sera. "Thank you for teaching me that stubbornness isn't always bad."

One by one, she thanked each child. For their humor, their kindness, their presence as her tears continue falling.

But soon, it wasn't just her, the other kids also began crying for some reason as she spoke softly to them.

Martha then reached her parents last, leading Bryan and Melissa to stand up as she approached.

"Thank you for being the parents I never had." Martha's voice broke. "For showing me what family should be."

They wrapped her in their arms, they didn't ask what was wrong or why she said those words.

They simply hugged her while rubbing her back and smiling.

Finally, Martha turned to Hel, and tears poured down both their faces as they came together.

"Thank you for always being there." Martha's words came between sobs. "For being my support, for being my crutch, and giving me the courage to continue living."

Hel clutched her sister. "You're being silly! That's not something you need to thank me for!"

The other children quickly surrounded them.

Arms wrapped around both girls, leading to a group embrace that became a tangle of limbs and tears and fierce affection.

"What we did isn't anything special!" Marcus said.

"We're just friends!" Anna added.

"Family!" Lydia corrected.

Martha cried harder, grinning through the tears. "I know… I know…. But thank you anyway."

Then cracks appeared in the air.

It was small at first, but then it began multiplying and spreading over the city from the house.

"I want to leave now." Martha's voice carried through the breaking world. "But the memories of you all will always be with me."

The world shattered.

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