It was said that silence speaks louder than words.

In this place, where the only sound that could be heard was the subtle movements of the shadows themselves.

Yet, when the shadowy figure uttered a name, the whole place became still and silent, as if the very essence of this place had always been quiet and motionless.

This silence was not born out of fear or angst. Even without saying anything, I could feel it was a mood of despair and a silence that was tinged with sadness and sorrow. It shrouded the surroundings like a metaphorical veil.

As if the very fabric of the realm were grieving, weeping silent tears that drain through the emptiness.

I felt a drop on my cheek as I was caught in this harrowing moment. I became startled and reached up with my hand to touch my cheek.

I immediately fell into disbelief when I traced the path of the tear that flowed from my eyes. 

At that moment, the shadowy figure finally blinked and turned their gaze towards me.

{Why are you crying?}

I don't know myself. Tears continued to flow unabated, streaking down my cheeks like silent streams.

I couldn't quite grasp the overwhelming surge of emotions. It caused a sharp pain in my chest, a sensation that felt like it could overflow.

I fanatically wiped my tears and said, 

"I... I don't... I... I don't know why I am crying?"

I managed to say it. However, my voice was trembling with the weight of unspoken sorrow.

As if in response to my distress, the shadows came closer to me and covered me in their embrace.

It was their gesture of comfort, a wordless consolation that spoke volumes in the silence.

I couldn't contain my emotions after seeing this. Even without knowing why, I started crying loudly.

The tears cascaded down my cheeks in a torrent of sorrow. The stillness that covered this place just a moment ago had shattered from my cries.

The shadows began to shift and sway in grim empathy, as if stirred by my misery.

Buzz...

Suddenly, the surroundings started glitching and distorting. Startled, I halted my tears and gazed upward.

{A…A…Abel, Abel, Abel, #%#%#%# please wake up. #%#%#%#%}

{Aaaaaaahhhh….Arrrgh…….please wake up. Please….Please….Please listen to #%#%#%#%#.}

However, when I looked up, I could only hear my own broken voice piercing the air, filled with haunting grief and despair..

My cries reached a crescendo as I called out a name, each repetition laced with a heart-wrenching plea.

My voice cracked with raw emotion, each word a desperate plea for a reality that seemed irretrievably lost.

The pain in my head and the echo of the ache in my heart overwhelmed my senses. It felt as though my very being was tearing apart.

                            **********

A few moments ago, 

A figure stood shrouded in shadows, observing Bian from a distance. They remained at bay as a silent guardian, intervening only when necessary. 

From afar, they witnessed Bian's hesitant approach toward the golden-eyed figure. 

A smile tugged at the corners of their lips as they saw Bian's cautious steps and settled beside the golden-eyed figure, just like a cat cautiously exploring before marking its territory. 

They were happy to see Bian gazing at the shadows with clarity and without fear. 

In a sudden shift, a stillness descended upon the realm, a hushed tranquility that enveloped everything. 

The shadowy figure sensed Bian's distress, and the shadows drew closer to her, covering her in consoling embraces. 

As Bian's cries resounded through the silence, the figure took a step forward to offer her comfort face to face.

But before they could reach her, the realm began to glitch and distort. Bian's voice echoed through the realm, resonating with a haunting intensity.

However, it wasn't Bian herself before them whose voice echoed, but her sole voice from the glitch that filled the air with raw emotion.

The figure's eyes widened with disbelief. They sprinted towards Bian. Yet, they paused for a moment when they saw Bian's golden pupils darkening into obsidian, as if a black hole.

With that anguished voice, Bian's hand gestures mimicked hugging a precious weight in her arms, as if holding onto a phantom presence that had slipped away.

Without wasting a second, the figure closed the remaining distance and enveloped Bian in an embrace.

“Bia, pull yourself together. Don’t lose yourself.”

The figure placed a hand on Bian's head, a gesture infused with a power that induced Bian into a slumber.

Bian's eyelids grew heavy as consciousness slipped away, but before she succumbed to sleep, the figure caught a fleeting glimpse of her golden eyes once more.

As the golden-eyed figure observed this moment of solace, a soft chuckle escaped their lips, a sound so delicate that they feared disturbing Bian's sleep.

{It seems the soul didn't forget.}

Their voice was barely more than a breath.

Yet, at the utterance of those words, a pair of piercing blue eyes snapped towards them, ablaze with anger.

In response to this sudden surge of hostility, the shadows around them split into two factions.

One half twisted and contorted into forms of malice and aggression in anger towards the golden-eyed figure. The other half remained uncertain and bewildered.

With a gentle motion, the golden-eyed figure wiped a tear from their own eye and directed their gaze forward, to the blue-eyed shadowy figure.

In a sudden shift, the golden-eyed figure's eyes transformed from gold to a striking blue hue, just like the blue-eyed figure in front of them.

Their form expanded, growing to the size of a giant and hovering weightlessly in the air.