"You have to help him my child"

That voice was not Ephemere's, It's of that beautiful lady. She then tried to find the source of the voice and proceeded to the forest, leaving Ephemere who has not realized that she's gone yet. Then she met the goddess again, sitting on the stone as though before.

"You're his mother?"

"That is indeed true."

"Instead of helping him yourself why do you sent me? Don't you know how much he misses you? He doesn't need me, he needs you!" she said. The lady stared at her for a while.

"I will only deepen his wounds." Even such a beautiful voice could be heard as something broken. Ethna then regret that she gave an outburst earlier.

"Wh-" Ethna question cut short by the sound of footsteps, probably Ephemere's, she turn around for a moment, as a reflex, and when she got control of her body again and face where the lady was at, she's gone.

"Ethna! What are you doing here alone? I thought you were behind me." she heard Ephemere and was sure there's some worry sipping through his sentence.

"I'm sorry, I thought I saw something familiar here, it's just my imagination" and unexpectedly she could lie very smoothly.

"Ah... It's alright, just alert me next time" he sighed as he walks towards Ethna. Just then she realized he's panting as if he has run miles, probably panicking when he didn't find Ethna. But this could be probably caused by his deteriorating health Ethna thought, and it makes her worries.

"I'm truly sorry. You didn't have to worry that much though, this place is a safe haven right?"

"Yes, but still.." he said with a heavy heart. Ethna gave a tap at his shoulder to get him out of his depressed mood.

"I'm in the mood of some tea, preferably jasmine." She said while trying to give her greatest smile. Somehow it worked because Ephemere ears has gotten red, thought it seems he wanted to hide his face, he tried to smile back.

"You've gotten bolder also demanding" he said with a strange delight.

"At least let me get what I want before going back." She said and it turned the atmosphere somber. She always has a knack to turn the situation bad. But they both ignore that feeling and proceeded back to the house.

Not too long after that day, Ephemere was ready to return Ethna home.

In front of the river that leads towards this place, Ephemere gather some magic, Ethna could feel it as the winds got harsher, exactly as though when the woman teleport her here.

"It's a pleasant experience knowing you..."

"Likewise" she replied. There's a painful silence for a while.

"You said that I got more demanding." she could feel Ephemere behind her, his eyes somehow longing, and she could feel sorrow from him.

"Then I have something to demand" she turned around and stare straightly at his ethereal eyes. He gazed back, waiting for her to continue.

"Come with me..." she said as frail as possible. Giving all her emotion from the deepest part of her soul. She is even scared by her own sudden boldness, probably it got pushed after she met the lady and saw how broken she and Ephemere is.

She saw how Ephemere is taken aback. Ephemere who usually face ahead now turned his head to the ground.

"I.. Care for you" she took a step ahead and he took a step back. She almost hesitated to push him even further but then she heard,

I too.

and it gave fire to her courage.

"You need to get out of here" she took another and he took one back.

I know.

She grabbed his hands tightly and he didn't even fight.

"You've considered a future right?"

I have

"Then grab it." She said letting go of his hand. To be honest she has some difficulty of leaving this place. It's beautiful, out of the world, as if her dream has gotten true. But she had to go home, and she knows it. Sometimes, even if you really wanted it, you must sacrifice it for other people, her family. She learned this through Ephemere. She couldn't let go of her dream as a writer but at least she could let go of this.

She turned around walking towards the road she walked through at first. Farther and farther away from him. His eyes went to her back in dread.

He heard how the realm is crashing, how it cracked, because it's at his limit. He always felt as if he slowly walked towards death every single time he tried to maintain it. It's eating away his life. He doesn't mind though as long as it gave a place to the creature to live, at least a tad longer. But now he felt conflicted, because she gave him a desire to live, live for himself.

"Master! Master! you should go!" said the little mushroom. Not only the mushroom, all of the creature seems to encourage him to go.

"What about...you all?" he said brokenly, because he too cares for them. Every passing seconds he could feel as if it's harder to breath.

"We could manage, just find some other realm or simply stop existing, we live long enough."

For the first time in thousands of years he cried. He took a weak step forward to Ethna who's quite far from him now.

"Promise me you all will try to survive" he asked.

We will.

With more conviction he tried to run towards Ethna, even with his current weak body. He gave one last glance. There he saw a flash his past with his parents and brother. With the creature who he grew up with. Then to the present and see his mother, smiling proudly towards him as the creatures gather around her. He turned around to the future he hopes he will have.

He knows that he's not satisfied with just living here. He wants to have a goal in life, if not it's the same as being dead. Now he found one, he must sacrifice some people, or in this place creatures to get what he wanted. He learned that sometimes it's fine to get one thing he wanted. And he learned this through Ethna.

"ETHNA!"

Ethna then turns around to see Ephemere, and he grabs her hands just before collapsing. Ethna caught him and put him into her lap. She looked at him with concern.

"I grabbed it, as you said" he said and it made her giggle.

"It's not fair that you got to say it first, I'm a man, I should be the one who done it in the first place."

The wind got harsher and the surrounding shines through. Ethna hold him tighter and Ephemere moved his pale hands towards Ethna's cheek.

"I love you"

Then the light blinded Ethna, when she opened her eyes again, she's back at the forest, the leaves snowing through the ground poetically surrounds her and Ephemere. Ephemere has closed his eyes and at first it scared Ethna. But when she feels his rising chest and heartbeat, she's relief. The colors of his skin has also began to come back, although not completely.

She felt a water goes her cheek. At first a drop, then comes another one. Slowly becoming a rain the land has sought for years.

Ethna faces to the sky and closes her irises. Ephemere that had become conscious choses to keep his eyes closed.

Both finds it hard to breath but felt exhilarated. Not to mention they missed this pleasant smell.

Petrichor.

Drought that rained my heart

I feed it for atonement

But as if I gave fire to the water

it holds no true meaning

as wind goes to where sky is

and the shadows leaves a trodden path

I stood where the time freeze

and seek what's left of the wrath

as the hauling night goes to where the horizon is

and the breeze leaves a dry land

I searched where fate tangled strings

and reach for what's left to fend

as you go to the ocean of possibilities

and the footsteps leaves an odd longing

I tried to heal my broken wings

and grab what's left of my feeling

-Ephemere to Ethna-

Thank you For Reading!