**The Weight of Memories**
Memories are beautiful because they exist outside of time's flow. Those fleeting moments, gifted by some merciful deity, remain perfect in their stillness—untouched by the erosion of years.
Apo's voice shattered the reverie like thin ice underfoot.
"Guan Lan... Illya's vision *is* noble. Won't you reconsider joining us?"
The smile faded from Guan Lan's face. He stared into his liquor gss as if it held answers, lighting a cigarette rather than reply.
When silence persisted, Apo pressed on. "Look—Greennd's been dust for millennia. Humanity thrived *without* these powers. Flying cars, robot bor, Martian colonies within our lifetime! We don't need supernatural crutches!"
Guan Lan met his gaze at st. "No persuasion, brother. We all have our convictions."
Apo refilled their gsses with a sigh. As he raised his, Guan Lan's voice turned gcial:
"Where. Is. Liyas."
---
### **The Truth of the Copy Heart**
Elsewhere, by the Yena River, Director Yu Hang kept his back to Qin Hong and Bel, his silhouette stark against the water's shimmer.
"Liyas was Boros's favorite," Yu Hang said quietly. "Their abilities resonated. He trained her personally—even developed combo techniques with her."
Qin Hong frowned. "Then why does Guan Lan hate her so much?"
Bel looked away, sorrow fshing across her features. Yu Hang turned, his voice leaden:
"Because she ripped Boros's heart out. In front of Guan Lan."
The air thickened with grief. Qin Hong hastily changed subjects. "So... the Copy Heart is a Symbiotic Fruit? But it's already so—"
"Is it?" Yu Hang interrupted with a wry smile.
Bel expined gently, "Guan Lan once said his worth depends entirely on others. No agency. No choice. His fate isn't his own—isn't that tragic?"
Qin Hong fell silent, humbled by his own assumptions.
Yu Han nodded. "Boros called Guan Lan his 'most pitiable student.' A man who covets everything, yet owns nothing."
"But—he has the Thunder Heart now!" Qin Hong protested.
Yu Hang chuckled darkly. "Ah, but the Copy Heart was *never* symbiotic."
---
### **The Ice Pins of Betrayal**
Back in the Crystal Hall, Apo's roar split the air:
"**FROZEN REALM!**"
The room *warped*. Gss walls became endless tundra; warmth leeched from Guan Lan's bones. A blizzard howled, scouring flesh from any fool hardy enough to endure it.
Pain nced through Guan Lan's shoulder—an ice arrow, its tip glinting cruel blue. He wrenched it free, blood steaming in the cold, and looked up.
There, atop a gcial spire, stood Apo with the *Frostbite Bow*—a weapon etched in memory.
---
### **Fshback: Eight Years Earlier**
**Akatai Academy Cafeteria**
"*You?* Join *us?*" 'Iron Boy' sneered at the trembling transfer student.
Apo's cheeks burned. He turned to leave, but Stone—the 'Brainwasher'—yanked him back. "Kneel. Lick our boots. *Then* we'll consider carrying your deadweight in the rankings."
Storm Bel half-rose, only to be stilled by Guan Lan's subtle gesture. He kept scribbling notes, indifferent.
The crowd swelled, vultures circling weakness.
Stone pressed on: "No skills, no experience—how will you survive? Our squad's untouchable! Iron defense, explosive offense, and *my* mind control. You're *nothing!*"
Laughter erupted.
Apo's whisper cut through it: "*Enough.*"
The sp echoed. "Be *grateful* it's just my hand," Stone jeered. "Iron Boy would pulp your skull!"
As the trio strutted away, frost began creeping up Apo's sleeves.
The temperature plummeted.
Stone barely turned before an ice spear grazed his eyeball—
—and *stopped*, frozen mid-air by Brainwash's crimson gaze.
Apo's pupils dited, his will crumbling. The spear cttered to the floor.
"*Kneel,*" Stone commanded.
Apo's knees bent—
—until Guan Lan hauled him upright.
"Going too far," Guan Lan said mildly.
Stone scoffed. "Watch your own back, *Copycat.*"
When they'd gone, Apo rasped, "Let me join you. I won't drag you down."
Guan Lan barked a ugh. "What, team up with a *pgiarist*, a *punching bag*, and a *stormchaser* who can't nd properly?"
Yet something in Apo's eyes gave him pause...
---
### **Present: The Frozen Standoff**
Now, on the ice field of their shattered friendship, Apo nocked another arrow.
