Alice sat in the gloom of the Violet Abyss cavern, her sleek Voidweaver Panther form a pool of absolute darkness against the faint purple glow. The silence was deafening, broken only by Ignis's pained, shallow breathing.
Every second stretched into an eternity, each one filled with the echoing memory of Adam's final, decisive command and the psychic scream she'd sent after him.
'He left me'
The thought was a cold, sharp shard in her heart. It wasn't the first time he'd taken a risk, but it was the first time he had so deliberately cut her out, sealed her away from the danger. Her new power, her evolution it all felt hollow.
'Was I not strong enough?' Her claws, capable of tearing voids in reality, flexed against the stone. 'Am I still just... a burden he has to protect? He told me to protect Ignis... as if I'm just a babysitter. He doesn't need me by his side for the real fight.'
A darker, more terrifying thought wormed its way in. 'Did he... abandon me?'
