From a young age, he adored Lyeian. The little brother he never knew he needed. But with time, he became an indispensable part of him. A part he could never let go of.

He couldn’t kill him, so he looked for a way to get the best of both worlds: getting powers while also keeping Lyeian by his side.

And it led him astray, trying other disgusting methods to extract powers. And he justified himself with the simple excuse, "It was still better than killing him."

They got toxic, and he knew it. But he couldn’t let him go. He could never. He would do anything to keep him close.

And as Kyle lay there on the ground, staring up at the dark, he recalled that night.

That night when the two of them journeyed through the snowy mountains. That night, he had seen Lyeian smile after years.

Lyeian was standing at the mountain top, staring up at the snow falling. It fell in all beautiful patterns that night, the moon illuminating its spark. Snows here were exceptionally beautiful.

And Kyle knew that. That was why he had brought them here. He specifically wanted to make Lyeian smile again... at least.

He had lost his smile for years around him and only detested him. But Kyle wanted to make him smile, so he brought him there. And as he stared at him from a distance, smiling, his heart fluttered.

It was perhaps at that moment that Kyle understood this feeling. This doomed feeling he had for Lyeian. And so he simply smiled too while watching Lyeian’s pretty smile in admiration of the snow.

That night, Lyeian had caught a cold staying out admiring the snow. And Kyle had used the little energy he had gotten from him to create a fire. He forced him to sit close to the fire until his cold reduced.

And Lyeian, being sick, fell asleep while sitting close to the fire.

Kyle sat there watching him sleep. And soon, he came to sit down beside him, allowing Lyeian to rest his head on his shoulder. Kyle took out his coat and wrapped it around him, warming him up as he stared at his face.

His heart fluttered at the sight, and he couldn’t stop his fingers from lingering around his face. Running from the corners of his eyes, to his nose, and then his lips.

Kyle suddenly wanted to kiss him. He was pulled to kiss him. He leaned closer for a kiss, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so, and he didn’t understand why. Especially since he had already taken advantage of him many times for the powers.

It took him a while to understand the difference. The previous times didn’t come with a genuine reach for romance; they weren’t genuine. While this was genuine, making it difficult for him to proceed.

And at that moment, Kyle smiled as he stared into the sky that was slowly brightening into a normal day. He couldn’t see it clearly anymore since his eyes were already getting blurry.

He was losing himself. His body was fading off into dust as he lay there smiling into the sky.

And before he could even tell when his body and spirit were no more, his last intended words lingered through his mind.

"... I don’t even know how it got this bad... I didn’t even know what went so wrong. Was it me? Was it the people around us...? I don’t even know who to blame at this moment."

"Or perhaps I should blame fate for not inscribing our names on the rocks of heaven. Maybe I should blame myself instead for being a coward... for treating you that way... for not being the person you wanted to have around."

"... What went so wrong? Did we have a past life where it went well? Maybe that’s why it didn’t now... Or is there hope in another life...? I want to know... because if there is another life, I’d like to be the first person you’d meet again. And this time, I want to be the person who will take you to the market for some snacks. This time... I promise I won’t ignore it."

Tears filled his eyes as he muttered, "... I was never able to say it in this lifetime... and might never be able to say it... But... I think I love you... Lyeian."

Black dust brushed through the air, and the air carried its particles into the atmosphere, spreading them into different spaces while they vanished with the wind.

And while it vanished, the dark sky slowly returned to normal. Everything became clear and bright again for the day.

Felix had rushed toward Eden, who was still kneeling there in the air. He knelt before him and wrapped his arms around him, pressing him closer for a hug. A tight and firm hug as tears flooded his eyes.

"You’re safe... You’re safe now... I’ll protect you..." He said, hugging him firmly as the two of them slowly descended until they were both kneeling on the ground.

Felix held him firmly without plans of letting go, as if he would vanish if he let go for a second. And as he did, everyone slowly gathered around them.

Elvis and Lysander had gotten up from where they fell in the chaotic moment. Adrian, Leo, and Helen had also approached the scene. All standing and watching as Felix held onto Eden firmly in tears.

Eden knelt there, panting softly while being hugged. He was too exhausted to even say a word, so he simply stayed there without doing or saying anything.

His mind was the only thing moving. Thinking through the last moments of Kyle as his eyes played their game again. Tears began running down—tears he didn’t know why were falling. Those that seemed to be playing a game of their own again.

And it wasn’t just a casual teardrop. His eyes were filled with tears rushing down for reasons he didn’t even understand.