>>Hael

"So, you're telling me you're going to go back in the rift once again?" The King asked

I nodded, "Eventually, she'll have the whole world covered with miasma, and then soon the shielded cities will fall as well." I had given the whole report to him

He let out a devastated sigh as he rubbed his temples, "And what do you plan on doing against her?"

"My theory is that if her bonewraiths are weak to light magic, she should be too. The greatest form of light magic is Holy Power. I believe we can stop her."

"You said you and the saint will be going alone, neither of you have light magic, how do you intend to fight her?" His eyes were tired as he looked back at me, "Holy Power has no offensive ability."

"Holy Power can't kill, but if the other party is a cursed entity, Holy Power is the strongest sword to use against it."

"I see..."

"I don't intend on taking any soldiers or mages because they won't be able to handle Persephone. Instead I'd like to advise a plan to take on bonewraiths from safe distances and kill them."

"Hmm?" He placed his hands on the arms of the chair, "Speak, let's hear it."

***

>>Amber

Hael went to talk to the King and I came back to see how things were going in the cafe.

It was an obvious lie though.

The shock was too much for me to bear and I wanted to leave the tower as soon as possible, especially Hael's room. So I had him drop me at the cafe where I went in as a formality and greeted all my employees, then I came to my room.

I sat on the floor of my room, knees pulled up to my chest, trembling as I tried to stifle the sobs that kept wracking through my body. My hands covered my face, but it did nothing to stop the tears from flowing. They just kept coming, hot and relentless, leaving me gasping for breath between sobs. The sound of my own crying echoed in the small room, making everything feel even more suffocating.

I can't believe this is happening.

This is ridiculous. Beyond ridiculous!!

We had only just gotten together. Just hours ago, I had felt his arms around me, his lips on mine, his warmth and his love—everything I had been too afraid to admit I needed, I finally got it.

Yet

What followed?!? I pursed my lips so hard they began to hurt.

Hael is going to die. And if I hadn't asked him, he would never have told me

The words replayed in my head like a nightmare on repeat. I tried to push them away, tried to pretend I hadn't heard them, but they refused to leave, haunting me with their cruel finality.

Winter.

That's all the time we had left. How could something that had barely started already be slipping away?

I couldn't stop the sobs.

They tore through me, my chest heaving with each painful breath as I rocked back and forth on the floor. The wooden boards beneath me felt cold, but I barely noticed, too consumed by the sheer weight of my grief. My throat was raw from crying, and my cheeks were slick with tears that wouldn't stop falling, no matter how many times I wiped them away.

I tried to picture Hael's face—his smile, the warmth in his eyes when he looked at me—but all I could see was him slipping away, gone before we even had a chance.

My heart felt like it was being crushed under the weight of it, every beat a painful reminder of how much I stood to lose.

I shouldn't have let myself fall for him again. I should've kept my distance, kept my heart safe. But it was too late now.

No

It was never possible. I loved him. I loved him with everything in me, and I never stopped loving him. So, the thought of losing him so soon—of watching him die in front of me—was too much to bear.

I hugged my knees tighter, my nails digging into the fabric of my dress as I buried my face into my arms. My body shook with the force of my crying, each sob tearing through me like it was breaking something inside. My chest hurt, my heart ached, and I felt like I was drowning in a sea of hopelessness.

Why him? Why now? Why couldn't we just have more time?

I pressed my forehead against my knees, my tears soaking into the fabric.

My mind raced, desperate to find some way out of this, some way to stop what was coming. But there was nothing. Nothing I could do, nothing that could change what was already set in motion. Winter was coming, and with it, Hael's fate.

We had only just begun. We were supposed to have more than just hours. We were supposed to have a future, filled with love, with hope, with everything we had been too afraid to reach for before. And now... now that future was crumbling before it even had a chance to take shape.

I lifted my head, staring through blurry, tear-filled eyes at the window. Outside, the world carried on as if nothing had changed. But for me, everything had. I curled up tighter, letting the sobs take over again, my entire body shaking with the force of them. My chest ached, my heart breaking over and over with every breath.

I buried my face in my arms again, the sound of my sobs filling the room, my tears never-ending.

Why turn back time, if he was going to get barely any time with me?! What the hell was he thinking?!? That isn't like him!!

I barely registered the knock at the door, lost in my own grief, curled up on the floor with my arms wrapped around myself. My tears had slowed, but the ache in my chest was agonizing.

The sound came again, more insistent this time, followed by the soft creak of the door opening.

"Boss?" Aira's voice was gentle, cautious, as if she wasn't sure if she should enter. But before I could respond, she stepped into the room anyway. "Boss, we're coming in."

Cory followed her, quieter than usual, his footsteps soft against the floorboards. I heard them both approach but didn't lift my head from where it rested on my arms. I wasn't ready to face them, to let them see how broken I was.

I wasn't even sure I had the strength to look at them.

"Boss," Aira said again, her voice filled with concern. I felt her kneel beside me, her hand resting gently on my shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong? You've been up here for hours. You had us worried."

Cory knelt on my other side, her presence less soft, more straightforward. "Yeah, you're not exactly the kind of boss who just disappears on us. Are you okay?"

I couldn't answer. The lump in my throat had returned, threatening to choke me if I tried to speak. The tears I thought had dried up came back, spilling silently down my cheeks. I turned my head slightly, glancing at them through blurry eyes. Aira's expression was filled with empathy, her brows furrowed in worry. Cory looked more unsure, her eyes darting between Aira and me as if she wasn't sure how to handle the situation.

Aira bit her lip, then reached out, gently brushing a tear from my cheek with the back of her hand. "Hey, it's okay. Whatever it is, we're here for you. You don't have to go through this alone."

Cory, sensing the gravity of the situation, leaned back slightly, though I could still feel her presence. "Yeah," She added, "Look, I know I'm not great at this whole emotional thing, but... you don't have to bottle it up, okay? We're your friends. We can handle it."

I wanted to say something, to explain, but the words stuck in my throat. I wasn't sure how to tell them that the man I had just given my heart to was going to die. It felt too raw, too big for me to even wrap my own mind around, let alone share it with them.

But they wouldn't leave me alone, and I could feel their concern like a weight in the room, pressing down on me.

Aira sighed softly, her hand still on my shoulder. "Okay, maybe we'll take a different approach." She stood up, crossing her arms with a determined look on her face. "Cory, you remember that ridiculous song we came up with in the kitchen last week? The one about the talking tea kettle?"

Cory raised an eyebrow, glancing at me, then back at Aira. "You seriously want me to sing that now?"

Aira nodded, completely serious. "Yes. Do it."

Cory groaned but stood up, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. "Fine. But if this doesn't work, it's on you."

I watched through teary eyes as she cleared her throat dramatically, then launched into an exaggerated, off-key rendition of the absurd song they had made up during one of their slower shifts.

?!?!?!

It not only caught me offguard but-

Aira joined in, clapping her hands to some made-up beat, swaying back and forth like she was fully committed to the act.

-It baffled me.

Despite myself, a small laugh bubbled up through my tears. The song was completely ridiculous, the lyrics nonsensical, and Cory's overly dramatic performance was the opposite of what anyone would expect in such a serious moment. But that's what made it work. It was so silly, so over-the-top, that it cut through the suffocating despair that had been wrapping itself around me.

Aira noticed my laughter and grinned, dropping to her knees again, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug. "There she is," She whispered softly. "We've got you, okay?"

Cory, still singing, stopped mid-note and gave a triumphant smirk. "See? Told you I could cheer her up."

Aira rolled her eyes, but her smile remained. "You did good, Cory. Even if you're tone-deaf."

I sniffed, wiping at my eyes, feeling a little less heavy, a little less like I was drowning. "You guys didn't have to do that," I mumbled, though my voice still trembled.

Aira shook her head, squeezing my hand. "Of course we did. We're not just here to work with you, Boss. We care about you. Whatever's going on, we'll get through it together."

Cory sat down cross-legged, looking up at the ceiling like she was trying to avoid any deep emotional exchanges, but I could tell she cared in her own way. "Yeah, We're not about to let you sit up here alone, falling apart. We may only be your employees, but we think of you like a friend too, boss." She wiped my tears, "What's wrong?"

"Did you and the Tower Master get in a fight?" Aira asked

I shook my head, "No," I felt like crying all over again, "I wish it was a fight."

Cory and Aira exchaned a glance, "Then?"

"We became official," I said with a shaky voice and for a moment they both were happy, I could see how their faces lit up, "But then I found out Hael doesn't have a lot of time left to live," And their expressions dropped just like mine had when I first heard the news.

"What?!"

"H-how long?" Cory reluctantly asked

"Like," I gulped, "Maybe two months... Three at most." I knew three was an exaggeration.

Their mouths hung open

Silence took over

"I don't know what to do." I gulped, "I'm so confused and I-" I shook my head, then kept shaking it.

Both of them hugged me, making me stop moving my head. Silence persisted between us for a few minutes, then Aira spoke, "If you really love him, rather than crying you should spend all the time you can with him."

...

"I agree," Cory added, "You'll regret every minute you spent apart, knowing you don't have the time."

I thought about their words as I slowly brought my arms up, putting them on their arms that were around me.

A soft sense of solace found me.

I was proud of the fact I had people around me who cared for me. This was always my goal, yet

I closed my eyes as a streak of few more tears ran down my cheek.

Overcoming this sadness is not easy