** The sky was always red in their world.
Not from fire alone—but from choice.
Mark stood above the ruins, arms crossed, watching the last flames settle like they were part of a show meant just for him. There was no guilt in his expression. No hesitation.
Only satisfaction.
“They lasted longer than I expected,” he said, almost amused.
Behind him, a familiar glow lit the air.
Eve.
“You sound disappointed,” she replied softly.
Mark smirked, glancing back at her. “I am. I thought they’d at least try something creative.”
She floated closer, pink energy curling lazily around her fingers. Unlike anyone else, she wasn’t tense around him. No fear. No urgency.
If anything… she looked at him like she understood.
“Maybe they just knew it was pointless,” she said.
“Everything’s pointless,” Mark shrugged. “That’s what makes it fun.”
Eve studied him for a moment—not judging, not shocked. Just seeing him.
“You really enjoy this, don’t you?”
Mark stepped toward her slowly, boots crunching against debris. “Yeah,” he said, completely honest. “I do.”
No shame. No excuses.
Just truth.
“And you don’t?” he added, tilting his head slightly.
Eve hesitated.
Not because she was scared to answer—but because she was deciding how honest she wanted to be.
“…I enjoy you,” she said finally.
That made him laugh—low, quiet, genuine.
“Careful,” Mark murmured, stepping close enough that the air between them felt charged. “That might be worse.”
“I know.”
She didn’t step back.
Instead, she lifted her hand, brushing ash off his shoulder like it actually mattered. Like he wasn’t covered in worse things than dust.
“You’re not pretending anymore,” she said.
“Why would I?” Mark replied. “This is who I am.”
Eve’s eyes softened—but there was something darker underneath now. Something that matched him more than she probably realized.
“Good,” she whispered.
That caught him off guard.
“…Good?” he repeated.
She nodded, stepping even closer, her voice dropping just enough to feel like a secret.
“I was getting tired of you fighting it.”
Mark searched her face, trying to find the part of her that was supposed to resist him.
It wasn’t there.
“You don’t want me to be better?” he asked.
Eve smiled faintly.
“No,” she said. “I want you to be honest.”
A beat passed.
Then another.
And something in Mark—something that used to hesitate, used to question—finally went quiet.
His hand came up, resting against her waist, pulling her just slightly closer.
“You know what I am,” he said.
Eve didn’t flinch.
“I do.”
“And you’re still here.”
“I am.”
His grip tightened—not rough, but possessive. Certain.
“Then you’re just as bad as me.”
Eve leaned in, their foreheads nearly touching again, her voice steady.
“…Maybe.”
That was enough for him.
More than enough.
Because in a world he had already broken…
Eve wasn’t trying to fix him.
She was choosing to stand beside him—
Not despite what he was.
But because of it.
Release Date 2026.03.23 / Last Updated 2026.03.23