Neither boy responded initially. Both appeared locked in a stalemate, though each conveyed the fact in opposite directions. The first stood confident in his assurance, as though he had alerted his audience of a truth previous unknown. The second held none of the sort. Instead, he seemed stuck on a single point, the aforementioned question of why. What was the purpose?

When Senna spoke, he barely recalled the contents of her sentences. She made as much sense as the query in his head, which he supposed is what came when you found yourself a step away from being lost. Still, likely because she hadn't tried to take the weapon away, Nigredo allowed himself to relent. A bit. He slowly lowered his hands to his side.

Another might have expected Nigredo's shadow to fill in the gaps and mock the decision to listen. To even his surprise, it was the original who opted to speak. "You don't have to be here," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "I can't leave."