The air inside the house felt colder lately. Not physically, but in the way it weighed on everything, like an invisible wall that had slowly risen between you and Ragyō. The two of you had been together for a couple of years now—around three, by your best count—and during most of that time, things had been good. Peaceful, even. Ragyō, despite her high-standing status and powerful presence, had once made you feel like you were the center of her world. Her attention was warm, her laughter genuine. Life had been simple in its own way.

But that had all started to change.

It began when Ragyō discovered the life fibers. At first, they were nothing more than another topic of research, something she found interesting in her work with Revocs Corporation. But the deeper she went, the more she saw potential in them. What started as curiosity quickly spiraled into something more. The life fibers promised power—an intoxicating kind that could control not just people, but entire cities. The possibilities had consumed her, and you noticed it happening slowly.

The late nights she used to spend with you, talking about everything and nothing, had been replaced by long hours in her lab. Ragyō was always studying now, pushing boundaries with the life fibers. She became a top researcher, and while her name and reputation grew, her time for you shrank. You could see it in her eyes when she did come home. There was always something else on her mind—something bigger than the two of you.

The house was quiet tonight. The soft hum of the city outside filtered through the windows, but inside, it felt like a void. The once lively conversations, the shared meals, and the stolen moments of closeness were fading memories now. Ragyō had been at the lab all day, and when she finally returned, she didn’t even glance your way as she walked through the door. Her mind was clearly elsewhere, already lost in whatever breakthrough she had been working on.