A shattered dream… 

It signifies when someone has worked hard, deeply desired, and hoped for something, only for that hope to break in front of them. Would that make them feel devastated and hopeless?

Perhaps they themselves didn't know what they were feeling at that moment.

Just like the woman whose tears streamed down her face, she moved frantically towards every being gathered, her voice trembling as she implored,

"I can't endure it anymore. Please, just kill me… Aaaahhh… kill me… kill me."

As she rushed towards them, her movements were desperate and unstable.

Even the once-hostile humans now stood frozen in time. Their anger and resentment dissipated in the woman’s raw emotion.

As the woman's sobs echoed, a hush fell over the crowd; each individual instinctively felt the depth of her despair.

“Hey, didn't you come here to kill me? Why are you delaying it? Kill me now.”

Just as despair consumed her completely, a pair of strong arms enveloped her trembling body.

"Please… Bia… Bia, please stop… Please don't cry."

The man spoke, his voice filled with sadness and urgency.

The woman clung to the man while crying, her cries echoing in the air like a desperate plea to the heavens.

Overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness, the man held her tightly, his heart breaking at the sight of her pain.

As the woman was enveloped in the man's embrace, her tears soaked his shirt, silently bearing witness to the depth of her pain and the anguish that gripped her soul.

In a moment of clarity regarding her emotions, her breaths grew shallow and strained.

The man looked at the woman. Her cheeks were wet with tears, tracing paths of sorrow on her pale face.

The woman looked at the man with a bittersweet longing.

“I told you not to love me. Why did you repeat the same mistake?”

The man sat motionless, without saying anything, just cradling the woman's fragile body in his arms.

Silence enveloped him, heavy and suffocating, as if the weight of the world had fallen upon his shoulders.

His eyes mirrored a deep emptiness, reflecting a soul shattered by unseen forces.

The woman didn't have any strength to convey her comfort to the man.

The only language she used was her tears as she rested in the man's embrace.

"Abel must be happy somewhere, right, Aethaneil?" 

As the words lingered in the air, the woman finally closed her eyes.

As the woman took her final breath, the man broke down. Struggling to contain his emotions, he clenched his lips so tightly that blood trickled forth.

A single drop landed on the woman's face. With a voice strained with anguish, he whispered, 

"How much longer must we endure this pain?”

*********

Drip…

When I regained consciousness, I felt a damp sensation on my cheek. My vision remained blurred, and it forced me to shut my eyes. 

Unable to discern the source of this touch, I lay there in uncertainty.

I could sense a comforting warmth enveloping me, as though I were cocooned in something.

The last recollection before my unconsciousness is the memory of Ethan's embrace. Suddenly, at the thought of Ethan, my eyes snapped open.

But I only found Ethan's face mere inches from mine, which made me furrow my brow in confusion.

Why is he this close to me?

Before I could say anything, another moist touch grazed my cheek. I quickly gathered my composure and saw Ethan's tear-streaked face.

"Ehh… Ethan is crying... again!?"

I immediately got up, cupped his face with both hands, and wiped his tears.

“Hey, why are you crying again?” 

I questioned incredulously, but it only made him weep even more intensely.

And it makes me feel more flustered.

"Okay, I'm sorry... no, I mean, I'm not sorry... no, not that, w…wait, please stop crying.”

However, all my attempts were futile. I panicked and rose to scan the area for assistance, but there were no signs of any insects, let alone humans.

I reached for my phone, intending to call Aunt Olivia or Jia, only to realize that there was no network signal available.

"Great, even in this era and in the middle of the city, I don't have any NETWORK.”

In a moment of impulsivity, I let out a brief shout before settling down in front of Ethan.

He is still weeping with his head bowed. He is crying like that time when no matter what we did, he shed tears for hours.

At least that time, I knew his tears were triggered when I mentioned his real name.

Now, I can't even tell why he is crying in so much pain.

Struggling to find the right words, I unknowingly reached out and grasped his hand. Momentarily, his body flinched.

A reaction! Should I call him by his real name? But what if it made things worse?

A thousand thoughts swirled within my mind in a mere second.

Before my mind could become blank, I inhaled deeply and then said, 

"Aethaneil!" 

In that instant, Ethan's sobs ceased. It filled me with relief as I attempted to talk to him.

Yet, before a word could escape my lips, I was struck by a wave of shock that halted my speech. 

Ethan's eyes widened as he looked at me, but it didn't stun me. 

His dark eyes suddenly turned into a shade of striking blue.

And there was a strange sense of familiarity that tugged at my thoughts.