He hailed a cab and headed towards Northridge Institute of Technology, flipping through the recently captured videos on his phone. The clips showed his cousin feeding Giselle affectionately, but they were rather nd.


    "Is this all there is? Can''t we get something more exciting?"


    A sudden realization struck him. Could it be his presence was making his cousin too embarrassed to get closer to Giselle? Would he have to resort to sneaky tactics to capture anything worthwhile in the future?


    He should have lingered at the hospital a bit longer. Once he left, only Giselle and Lysander remained in the room.


    Sighing at the missed opportunity, he shrugged it off, figuring there would be plenty more chances. He switched to Instagram, scrolling through his feed.


    Just as the car neared the university, his phone buzzed with a notification from his special follows. It took him a moment to register that Daphne, the elusiveic artist he admired, had posted an update after two long years.


    Excited, he tapped on the notification immediately.


    Theic''s protagonist was still Red Hat, the little robot. In this issue, the robot, on its world tour and quest to reach the moon, encounters a brilliant mechanic who installs a pair of pristine mechanical wings on its back. Red Hat ps its new wings, soaring towards the moon.


    Archie read with growing excitement. Could this finally be the moment when the little robot reaches the moon?


    But as he turned the page, the artwork took a dramatic turn. Just as Red Hat was about to touch the moon, the immacte wings shattered.


    With the wings in ruins, the little robot plummeted from the sky, drifting further from the moon.


    Theic ended there.


    Archie sat in stunned silence for two seconds before diving into thements section. It was already buzzing with frantic questions from readers, and he quickly typed his own.


    "Is Red Hat... gone for good?"


    He even fired off a direct message to the artist Daphne, asking, "Daphne, are you ending theic? Giving up on Red Hat''s dream?"


    No response came for a while.


    Frustrated and anxious, Archie felt like he was having a heart attack. After two years of silence, this sudden update seemed to hint at the death of Red Hat, the beloved protagonist.


    What was this supposed to mean?


    He hoped he''d never find out who Daphne really was-he might just lose his mind.


    In the studio, M set aside her drawing tablet and stretched, realizing it had gotten quite dark outside.


    Time had slipped by unnoticed.


    As she opened the door, she found Forrest standing with his hand raised, about to


    knock. He smiled as she appeared, "I was just about to call you for dinner."


    "Mm-hmm," M replied, slightly embarrassed. "I got lost in my drawing."


    They headed downstairs to the dining room together.


    Halfway through the meal, they discussed Lysander''s condition. The news was slightly better, allowing M to rx a bit.


    Sensing she had more to ask, Forrest chuckled, "What can''t you tell me?"


    "It''s not that," M hesitated before continuing, "There''s an eight-year-old from the Pembroke Family. He''s not doing well, and I..."


    "Of course," Forrest interrupted her, agreeing immediately.


    M paused, then cautiously asked, "Aren''t you going to ask what I n to do?"


    Forrest smiled warmly, "Whatever you''re up to, I''ve got your back. We''ve always supported each other, haven''t we?"


    M''s hand tightened around her fork, her gaze shifting nervously aside.


    After dinner, just as M was about to head back to her room, Forrest called her back.


    "This is an incense blend I had a friend make. It''ll help you sleep, no side effects. Light one before bed."


    She''d been struggling with insomniately, and Forrest''s speedy solution was a pleasant surprise. She epted it gratefully.


    That night, she lit the incense.