In her hands, Alpha held a simple bouquet of white flowers, her fingers trembling slightly as she placed them on the grave. Her expression was unreadable, caught between sorrow and an acceptance forged from loss.

"I hope you're satisfied, Caelus," she murmured, her voice low and rough. She took a step back, her gaze fixed on the grave as raindrops began to fall, speckling the dust and washing over the flowers she'd laid down. She looked at the sky briefly, as if seeking answers she knew wouldn't come, then turned and walked slowly toward her motorbike parked nearby.

She spoke quietly to herself, her voice carrying a regret that the rain couldn't wash away. "I should've never agreed to my sister's request to let you join us on that mission," she said, gripping her gloves tightly as she walked. "Now she doesn't even know what happened. And... I don't have the heart to tell her what became of you."

Silence fell over her as she mounted her motorbike, her mind swirling with unspoken questions. "Would it really have mattered... if we'd been honest with her?" she whispered, her voice barely audible over the patter of rain.

Just as she was about to leave, she cast one last, lingering look at the grave. Then, with a quiet exhale, she turned on the bike, and the engine's hum broke the stillness as she rode off toward the Ascendant Base.