The darkness was oppressive. I opened my eyes with difficulty, feeling a sharp pain throughout my body. The image of Shyn lying motionless on the floor imposed itself on my mind. A lone tear slipped down my cheek.

 I had failed. I had failed to protect my friend. With a sigh, I forced myself to get up. I had to move on, for Shyn. I had to find Laura and get Lauryel to safety. I took a moment to think, I had to think about how I would tell lauryel and the others that shyn died in battle, I worried about lauryel since his brother had died how would it affect him, would he hate me for not being able to protect his brother?

When I got up I could see again the figure of shyn, a corpse. Not even two minutes had passed since I fainted but the pain in my body persisted, walking towards where the others had gone I turned my back to the body of my friend...my brother and to the town that I once knew as my only home.

As I walked or so I thought as I was walking too slow, possibly due to my injuries from the shock of shyn's power and the angel. Suddenly everything went dark.

"Luke, would you help me prepare a gift for Lauryel?" Shyn asked me with a bit of sorrow 

"You see, I don't know anything about girls, and I don't want to get carried away just because of what I think she might like, I probably bought her something she won't like and she'll only get it out of pity, hehehe I really don't know anything" Shyn finished 

"And do you really think I know anything about girls, my friend? I don't even have a girlfriend" I said to shyn with a mocking tone 

With a grimace he said "come on, you know you're popular with the girls in town" he said with a half smile 

"What makes you think that, maybe a little.... It's ok I'll help you so I'll buy something for lauryel too. I told her 

. We agreed to meet the next morning. 

When we were in the toy store, which Mr. Fred was doing, we searched through the dolls and teddy bears so we lasted for a while until Mr. Fred didn't see.

Hoigan children who are looking here have been looking at the stuffed animals and dolls for a long time .... Don't tell me you like it ." Mr. Fred said with a straight face.

Mm? No! . we are just looking for the right gift for lauryel that's all " we said after understanding what he meant.

"Hahahaha ok excuse me for thinking you guys liked dolls as girls , mmm well if it's lauryel for sure she would love whatever her brothers give her that's for sure " said Mr. Fred.

With those words we both picked out a grizzly bear stuffed animal.

When his birthday came around shyn and I gave the teddy bear to lauryel. Nervous about what it would look like to him we could only look at each other nervously.

"! I love it!" said lauryel in her sweet voice.

At that moment the three of us were laughing happily.

Mmm?" Well it seems that I fainted again, this time it was night time and it would have been a few hours since the battle, I got up and looked back seeing that I had walked a long distance from the village. Something I thought impossible due to the speed I was walking 

. For a moment I noticed that I was crying as I felt the tears running down my cheeks one after the other.

I knew why, that memory was the last quiet moment we were all in including my brother shyn. 

I cried more at the thought that it would be the last time I would see that happy, carefree smile from shyn.... 

And even more my chest tightened at the thought of how I would tell lauryel about shyn.