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Ifalna had no doubt she would be on the receiving end of a scolding once she made it back to the room she was still sharing with Yugiri. Her physical state had improved so much after the endless days of bedrest, but she could no longer ignore the restlessness that had settled into her very bones. These last years had seen her mobility restricted to a wheelchair because the pain had become too much for her to endure. Now she was able to stand on her own two feet and walk forward without the worry that more experiments would haunt her days. The ache of what she had endured was a phantom one that caused her to stumble a step forward before she quickly braced herself against a wall to regain her balance. Inhaling deeply, Ifalna had to force herself to take her steps slowly but with purpose. The confines of her inn room allowed her to walk in relative safety, but she needed to do this for herself. [break][break]

"One step at a time, right?" A soft, murmured question for her ears alone as Ifalna continued forward. Her worries for Aerith were nearly overwhelming when she allowed herself to dwell upon it. Had her daughter even been brought here? The possibility of never seeing her daughter again would soon see her ripping her heart from her own chest than considering for too long. Her entire purpose these last years had been her darling girl and now she did not know what to do without her here. What was a mother meant to do without her child? The longing tasted bittersweet upon her tongue as it nearly drove the breath from her lungs. Perhaps she should have stayed back in the inn after all with these thoughts and worries haunting her like a ghost. [break][break]

Luckily, there was a bench not too far away for her to rest upon. A soft sigh of relief escaped her as Ifalna eased herself onto the seat. Her legs ached from the exertion of walking this far, and she knew she should be proud of herself for that alone. It would take longer than she wished for her body to recover fully. What had once been so natural for her was now akin to a toddler learning to walk for the first time. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes to enjoy the simple sensation of the warmth of the sun against her cheeks. Provo was a beautiful city that surpassed the upper plates of Midgar, and it thrived without the need to sustaining itself with the very lifeblood of Zephon. That was still a worrisome fact, though. Zephon had no lifestream that she could sense so how did this world sustain itself through the cycle of life and death? Where did the souls of those that lived here naturally even go? More questions she had no answers to, unfortunately.