Hurried footsteps jolted Ayaka to attention. She gasped, shooting out of her chair, and rushed toward the door. Heart pounding in her chest, she found herself praying silently, begging the gods, any gods, that they'd both be alright…

Her hand closed around the knob just as three sharp knocks sounded. She flung it open, revealing the Traveler there, hand raised to knock again, Thoma leaning against them, his arm draped across their shoulders. Ayaka's heart sank as she saw the expression on the Traveler's face.

The Traveler's hair was messed up and frizzled, their clothes singed in places, the hand not supporting Thoma clutched to their chest. Ayaka's hands fluttered up nervously, not knowing how to react, where to touch, what to hold, how to help. She hated this feeling of uncertainty, this helplessness that filled her. Ayaka opened her mouth to ask 'what had happened', but the Traveler shook their head, guilt shining in their eyes. They stumbled past her, easing Thoma gently to sit on the ground before sitting back against the wall, head in their hands. Ayaka strode toward them, hand outstretched, but they waved a hand in her direction, gesturing with the other to where Thoma sat on the floor. The message was clear: Thoma first. Biting her lip, Ayaka hesitated for a moment, before turning her attention to Thoma.

"Oh my- Thoma!" Ayaka gasped, her hand fluttering to her mouth. Tears formed in her eyes as she took in every last bruise and scratch that marked him. But more than all those injuries, what hurt Ayaka most was the lifelessness in his eyes. Anger seared through her, and she clasped his hand tightly between her own. She didn't care if they were her archon, they were going to pay.

"I'm sorry," the Traveler's voice interrupted Ayaka's thoughts, and she quickly turned toward them, guilt flooding through her for not checking them more thoroughly earlier.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Ayaka said firmly, letting go of Thoma's hand and moving to sit down next to them. She carefully reached out to grasp one of their hands, holding it loosely in case they wanted to pull away. "You did all you could," Ayaka sighed, regret and guilt swirling inside of her. "I, on the other hand-"

"Made the right decision," the Traveler cut in, before sucking in a deep breath and pulling their hand back to clutch at their chest. "I-Is it okay if I answer questions later? I really need to rest right now."

"Of course," Ayaka bit her lip, having never felt this powerless or lost before. Pull it together Ayaka. "You can rest here if you need."

The Traveler nodded in thanks, muttering another apology before limping off. As they left, Ayaka became distinctly aware of the emptiness of the room, the unsettling cold that had settled over everything. She had never realized just how much she relied on Thoma's constant support, his smile, his warm personality that filled up the room when he smiled. For the first time since they returned, Ayaka allowed tears to fill her eyes, a few trailing down her face. Why was this happening?

"Don't cry," Thoma whispered to her, causing Ayaka to freeze in shock. She jerkily turned toward him, eyes wide, mouthing his name, before dashing toward him. Crashing into him, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug, as if afraid he would disappear like dreams did when the sun rose. His arms lifted and wrapped around her, but the embrace was missing its usual warmth, it was missing the light chuckling that always came from Thoma when she let herself become unrefined like this. How long until even moments like this are gone?

"I'm sorry, milady. Please don't- please don't cry. I'm s-"

"Shut up. Thoma, just be quiet for a moment."

Silence filled the room, interrupted only by Ayaka's quiet sniffles. After what felt like an eternity, she pulled back, wiping the leftover tears away with the back of her hand. Her heart ached as she saw the blank look in Thoma's eyes again, a cruel reminder of what had happened. Thoma caught her looking at him, and he tilted his head in a silent question. Normally, he would've asked her what was wrong. "What does it feel like?" Ayaka whispered, almost afraid that she would scare him if she talked too loudly.

"Cold. Empty. Like there's a part of me that is missing."

"I'm so sorry. I was going to go, but then the Traveler showed up and-"

"It's not your fault, milady. Don't blame yourself."

"I still should've-"

"Enough," Thoma's hand closed around hers, a reassuring smile on his face. "There was nothing you could do."

Ayaka closed her eyes, allowing herself to pretend that everything was normal. The smile, the words, they were all the things Thoma would normally do. But his eyes were so blank, so empty, it was impossible to look at them and see Thoma as the same person he was. He was always so animated, so lively, so cheerful, it felt so wrong to hear the words coming out in a flat tone, so wrong to see his blank, unfeeling stare.

"Milady, it's o-"

"You should rest," Ayaka forced out, not wanting to hear any more reassurance from Thoma, not when everything was most certainly not okay, when Thoma's Vision was stolen from him, when he came back littered with bruises and cuts and-

"Then let's rest, milady. You look tired as well."

Ayaka's shoulders sagged downward. She hadn't noticed just how tired she was until now, her anxiety and guilt having overshadowed the feeling. Now that it was mentioned, exhaustion tugged at her fiercely and she allowed herself to be led away by Thoma to a more fitting location.

Looking at Thoma in front of her, at the way he limped ever-so-slightly, at the way his face kept blank, neither smiling nor frowning, Ayaka made a silent promise to herself, to Thoma, to the Raiden Shogun. I will get revenge.