TB1999 Promo, Part I
This, to me, is the most painful image associated with Hokuto’s death. Seishiro is there before you fold out the picture, and you might think that it’s meant to be his coat left behind, symbolizing him dropping the illusion and disappearing from Subaru’s world, but it isn’t.
It’s where Hokuto is supposed to be, rounding out their holy trinity. That’s the pattern from each of the earlier volumes. You can tell it’s not *quite* the same coat as Seishiro is wearing because it’s missing the belt. This is where Hokuto fits, where she *belongs*, but she is just gone. Her absence is so profound, so conspicuous, that even her clothes are still there, marking her place. It cannot be overstated how HUGE the impact of losing her is on Subaru. It’s not as visceral an image as Seishiro actually killing her, but it represents what it means, in a grander sense, beyond the shock of the act itself. It’s this gaping hole in his life, an empty place where someone is supposed to be, but never will be again.
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