The once-dense atmosphere now became much lighter and more pleasant. Still, not a single word, peep, mutter, groan—nothing. Just... silence.

One fell asleep. Addai's body, once weighing excruciating tons, had his face partially covered by the pillows he rested his head on.

On the other hand, Mine was still awake. His back hurt because Addai slumped onto his lap, and he barely had time to cushion his friend's head with pillows instead of his legs.

“What made you that distressed?” Mine pondered out loud, trying to move Addai’s body. He knew Addai was heavy, but damn. “You’re heavy! Ugh…” and his attempts to move that heavy body finally worked.

Mine finally moved Addai to a more comfortable position – especially for him – and found himself free from possible lower back pains. When he tried to get off the mat, he noticed that Addai – despite being asleep – seemed unconsciously determined to make him remember what he had promised by holding his hand.

Defeated, Mine sighed. “Ok. I’ll stay... damn… you’re really…” and he ended up chuckling in a joyful way. "Who's the crybaby now?" of course, he couldn't help but tease the sleeping Addai.

Mine brushed his bangs, trying to see his face, and Addai unconsciously nuzzled into the pillow, letting out a faint snore

“Seriously? What are you? A cat? Weren't you a fox?” Mine teased again, letting a sly grin sketch on his face while he brushed Addai’s hair with his fingers. “Hm?” he approached and sniffed his friend’s hair. “You even smell like a cat!” he muffled his laughter.

Addai's sleeping face was peaceful, even though Mine spotted some still dusted-red spots around his eyes and nose. So, he slowly traced those spots, feeling the temperature difference across every inch of surprisingly soft skin. Then, a small smile sketched on that person's face. A timid but easy smile.

Mine couldn’t help but stare. He had never seen that grumpy person's smile that way.

It meant one thing… a mandatory photo! Mine took his cell phone from God knows where and positioned the camera to take that peaceful smile on his friend's face. It was, of course, contagious, once a similar smile started sketching on his face as well, making his lips turn upwards but not enough to form a teeth smile. It was a silly smile, followed by a silly chuckle.

"You…" Mine chuckled, placing his cell phone aside. "You don't smile that much… why that?" he asked, but he knew he would have no answer.

He leaned and watched the smile slowly fade as the facial muscles soften, and now it’s only his friend’s average sleeping face. Mine pats his head and notices that there still were a few scabs on the scalp…

…, and he remembered why it was still there.

"..." Silent, Mine stroked Addai's head, picking up the loose scabs. "Your head is still recovering... but from what?" he wondered, tracing the faint healing bruises.

A few days ago, Mine found Addai.

After leaving Lydia with Blanche at the hospital, Mine was off to find his friend, who had gone missing with no traces behind. All he had was his mysterious necklace in his hands.

The sooner he found him, the sooner he could send Tieran back to his dimension because the little baby insisted on tagging along with Mine by fiercely grabbing his arm with his chubby hands and fluffy tail.

Mine's attempts to send the entity to his dimension failed several times. With no way to ignore it, he had to take the baby alongside him to find Addai.

He didn't know how to start or where to go. 

No clues. No charades. Nothing.

Mine remembered how heavy he felt when he noticed that, how powerless he was while staring at the necklace’s gem, and how pitiful he may look. Still, Tieran patted his cheek, trying to have his attention, and beamed – a super effective move to send the gloomy cloud away.

Still, he had nothing. He was stuck in a void with walls and flooring.

Then, the jade gem glowed faintly. Tieran and he looked at the item as it glowed irregularly. They looked at each other, and Mine wore the item.

When the line passed his eyesight, the whole background changed. He was in a dark place, full of misery and despair. He had to cover Tieran's eyes and take him very close so the baby wouldn't be startled by the horrible view.

Blood. Flesh. Everything was on the floor.

The gem still glowed, and Mine conjured the Chronos' Mask, placing it on the side of his head because if he actually wore it… he knew he wouldn’t be himself anymore. He needed to be him and find who he was looking for.

Tieran also changed his appearance. He now had tiny, underdeveloped horns and crunchy feathery wings. His eyes glowed a beautiful crimson, and he was very much happy - but this last thing wasn't new.

A growl and both fell silent. 

Another growl and both stiffed.

A tall creature slowly appeared in the mist. 

Its red eyes glowed viciously, and its sharp claws begged for new flesh to tear apart.

Mine conjured a bubble to put Tieran inside and sent him upwards, far from the battlefield, even if the baby whimpered and slapped the bubble's walls. The creature turned interested in the bubble, but when Mine shouted something... it turned vicious towards him, and their horrible fight started - which Mine won't dive into details because he didn't want to remember that.

The time flew like wind and swirled like water around them, and Mine wasn't sure how long they were fighting. He started feeling his body complaining, and the creature might felt the same by how much it panted. He knelt, and his body begged for that. 

The creature also knelt but was still determined to seize the threat. It moved closer... and closer... and closer to the almost fainting Mine, opening its mouth to savor the new meal until... 

... it stopped.

Mine was ready to wear the mask completely, and he also stopped, looking at the odd behavior of that being he couldn't actually discern its looks.

It started sniffing Mine's hair, cheeks, and neck. Then, it started dazing, slowly stepping back and sitting on its feet a few meters from Mine but nothing more than four steps.

Mine took the opportunity to quickly crawl away and wave for Tieran's bubble to follow him in the distance. He stared at the creature and conjured a light mana ball. When its first light rays reached the creature... it revealed its appearance. 

He gasped and shouted in fright, and the light mana ball fell on the floor, shattering completely. Quickly covering his mouth, he crawled a few more meters away, his heartbeat as fast as a runaway. What a perfect time for his body to be exhausted like that.

But the creature then lay down on the floor, crying and whimpering, resembling a dog's cry from sadness.

Mine's eyes were once widened, but he felt his body shutting down by mysterious forces as a cold wind blew him from the back, and Tieran clapped his hands joyfully. When he least expected, his body finally gave in, and he laid down on the floor, exhausted.

The background was narrowing. Mine felt his mind wander away and come back several times. So, he blinked. The blinks turned slower… and slower… and slower…

He felt the Chronos mask start slipping to cover his face. It was dangerous. Mine couldn't afford to fail nor fall for that sadic being inside him.

His hand didn't move. His damn hand didn't move.

It slipped more. Now it covered his nose, and Mine felt the familiar laughter starting to build up in his mind. The being was anxious to have fun.

It slipped once more. Now it covered the other cheek, but not completely. The being lively talked to Mine, saying foolishness and how much fun he would have.

It slipped again... but a thin hand interrupted its coverage and took it off from Mine's face effortlessly.

"You did well," a clear voice gently said, but Mine couldn't see what it was. "My baby! You look gorgeous!" the voice cheerfully said, and Tieran's happy giggles filled Mine's ears.

The bubble popped, and Tieran's babbles were clearer. Maybe someone set him free... but who was it? Was it one of Tieran's parents?

"Don't worry about them, my baby," the voice reassured, and Tieran softly cooed. "They just need a little bit of... rest, and everything will be fine."

A cold hand caressed Mine's head just like the day he wandered into the Chronos' dimension. No… he couldn't go back there…

He… needed to fulfill his mission…

He… needed to find his friend.

In a hasty gasp, Mine sat wide awake. He looked around, but no sign of the creature. Instead, he found a limp body on the floor beside him. A familiar body covered in bruises.

...

...

What went from that until now doesn't matter because Mine rested his head on a soft pillow beside that person, who was still sleeping.

Lazily blinking, Mine looked at Addai's face. He was sleeping so nicely and peacefully it was a crime to wake him up, or even annoy him while he slept. So... Mine just kept observing his friend.

Then, he started tracing his friend's moles, like a map. His slender fingers slid beneath the soft, partially chilled skin. Close to Addai's cheeks, Mine managed to map the line of the beard that Addai meticulously created (or rather, removed everything at once) without leaving any trace or hair. His fingertips were definitely tickling, but Addai just sighed peacefully.

The tranquility slowly cleared Mine's thoughts about the memory he had just revisited, which he refused to share even with us. He tried to get closer to Addai's face and warm his own on the body that was there, two-bed shifts away, but soon, some invisible hands worked like seat belts that he himself put on himself.

Well, just tracing the lines and dots seemed enough- right?

"Hm?” Mine voiced.

Silent drops started rolling down Addai's cheeks. They were warm and melancholic, contrasting with the peaceful expression drawn in his sleeping face.

Mine wiped them, one by one.

Then, more drops started falling, but not in front of him.

"Huh?" Mine gazed at the window.

Outside started to pour, staining the window's glass with cold water droplets.

Some drops could be wiped, and some others couldn't. But Mine wished he could wipe them anyway, so he started with Addai's silent tears.