Lhetan woke up. Looking around, he realized that he was back in the house Sera had built, the house where his happiest memories had taken place.

The house where his saddest memory had taken place.

At this thought, the white-haired boy shot out of bed, rushing out of his room. There were no suns in the sky, but the moon hadn't set either. The constant, gentle sounds of the waves made its way through the wooden walls of the cottage. Slamming open the door to Sera's bedroom, he almost collapsed in relief when he saw the beautiful, golden haired girl sitting up, her eyes blinking open. She did not really need to sleep, but she said it was a habit from the past that she would prefer not to break. Her room was decorated with strange, soft toys she called "plushies", and the scent of the ocean wafted in from an open window. Lhetan threw himself into her arms, his body racking with sobs. Her golden eyes filled with concern, Sera gently comforted him.

"What happened?" she asked, after the black-eyed boy calmed down, "Did you dream about the past?"

Ever since he had regained his sanity, Lhetan had been haunted by horrifying dreams of his past crimes. Most often, the boy dreamt of the day when he had killed his parents. He had been four at the time, and due to their deaths, he had never quite grown up. True, he was much smarter than before, smarter even than Sera. True, his thought process often resembled that of a machine, and he was capable of taking care of himself. But Lhetan's emotions were simple, like those of a small child. He was absolutely trusting of Sera, which could sometimes be rather frustrating for the girl. After all, the boy barely even recognized familial love, let alone romantic feelings. His blind faith in her made him think of a small puppy she had been raising back on Earth.

"No..." As the boy responded, he held her hand tightly, afraid she would disappear.

"I dreamt of a future... Without you."

"Heh!" The girl barked out a laugh, ruffling his hair. "As if I would ever leave you, you idiot."

"Mn." Despite his mumbled agreement, Lhetan still seemed tense, not loosening his death grip on her hand.

"Hehe," Sera giggled, looking at her companion.

Lhetan cocked his head. Surely it wasn't that funny?

Noticing the boy's confusion, Sera let out another giggle. This guy... really was just like a puppy.

"Well, since we're awake, might as well have breakfast."

The day passed normally, with Lhetan cooking the meals and Sera eating in bliss. As always, Sera dragged Lhetan down to the beach, the two jumping down the cliffs of the Edge like it was nothing. The two frolicked in the waves, throwing tidal waves at each other for fun, laughing as Sera picked up a Sea Serpent and chased Lhetan, who had refused to get near one ever since he and Sera had gone to sleep floating on the ocean. He had woken up to find himself in the digestive tract of one of the ancient beasts, and realized that Sera's lesson of "You are what you eat." had engraved itself farther into his mind than he realized.

They returned to the cabin when it began to get dark, and the first moon rose. Sera told Lhetan strange stories after dinner. She told him tales of buildings that scraped the sky, carriages that ran without horses or magic, and pictures that could move. At his disbelief, she pouted and told him that one day, she would show them to him. Then she began to speak of more realistic tales, tales of princesses and apples, of glass slippers and glamour lost at midnight.

And she told him jokes. Jokes that were funny, jokes that were confusing, and jokes that were downright strange. She laughed when he laughed, and laughed even harder when he didn't. Her happiness brought him warmth, a strange warmth that he had never felt before. He knew that as long as she was with him, then he would wish for nothing more. That as long as she was happy, then he would be happy.

And then the second moon rose, a mocking crescent in the night. And Lhetan began to feel nervous. Something was wrong. Somehow, he remembered this happening before. He remembered the grinning moon, tainted by an eery red hue. He remembered- And then the pain hit him. It was a soul shattering, excruciating pain, pain that originated from his soul itself. He couldn't move. He couldn't scream or grit his teeth. He couldn't even breathe. As his vision faded to black, the last thing Lhetan saw was Sera's concerned face, as she shook him and shouted... something.

And then he was alone. Everything was dark, cold, and empty. The pain worsened, and soon it became all that he knew. For what felt like an eternity, he suffered in the darkness. And he began to lose hope for salvation... But she saved him. Suddenly, a warmth enveloped his soul, shielding him from the pain. He knew it was her. Somehow, he knew. She had come for him. But he was tired. So, so tired. The bliss of sleep beckoned him. As he sank into its embrace, he felt that something was wrong. This felt so familiar, like it had happened before. But he was tired, and sleep called him.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

And again Lhetan woke. He woke on the edge of a cliff, empty except for one other. When he saw her, he immediately rushed over, lifting her from the hard rocks.

She smiled weakly at him. "Hi.... sleepyhead..." Her voice was like the whisper of a ghost.

"Don't talk," said Lhetan. "Rest. I'll heal you."

Sera looked up at him, smiling sadly. He didn't know why her gaze was filled with such melancholy, and he cast his magic... But for the first time in his life, his mana was empty.

"No... No-" The boy's eyes widened in horror, and he struggled in vain to pull from nonexistent reserves. A hand touched his cheek, and he froze.

"It's fine. Don't push yourself." Sera's eyes were filled with empathy, though she was the one who was dying.

The boy stopped for a moment, mentally conflicted between saving her and doing as she told him to. Then, his eyes filled with a hopeless resolve. Noticing his intentions, Sera cried "No! Don't-" But it was too late. Reaching into his soul itself, Lhetan tore a portion off, gritting his teeth through the mind-numbing pain. Converting it into raw magic power, Lhetan once more cast the healing spell. A soft, warm light covered Sera, fading away to reveal...

No change.

"Wha-" Lhetan could not bring himself to believe his eyes.

"You... idiot..." Sera rebuked, barely able to continue talking. "You can't.... save... I'll... going... ahead...don't... wait................more...............................year..."

And then she faded away, leaving nothing behind.

"No- this-" Lhetan's eyes widened and his pupils dilated, unable to face reality. He grasped at the empty air where Sera had been.

"No... No! NO!" Wails of grief split the air as his grasping hands tore space itself.

~~~~~~~

Months passed. Lhetan did not move from his spot, waiting for Sera to return. She wouldn't leave him. She had promised.

On the second month, four horned figures approached him, sympathy showing on their faces. One of them spoke.

"My king," he said, "She's gone. She won't be-"

Suddenly, his figure blurred, and he was smashed away from Lhetan, over the horizon.

"She'll be back!" the boy yelled, desperation showing on his face. "She promised! Sera won't leave me! She'll be back!"

~~~~~~~

The sun rose, and the eleventh month began. The boy kneeled before a patch of rock, which gleamed from his endless tears. His voice had quieted, even his Fae throat losing to his cries of woe. Lhetan felt a familiar presence. Hope filled his eyes once more and he frantically searched his surroundings. But she wasn't there. Then, he glanced downwards. Reflected by his tears, he noticed something strange. His hair... His eyes... both were an elegant gold. For a full hour he stared, uncomprehending. Then, the tears began to fall once again.

'Why? Why did you leave?' he thought, heartbroken.

Soon, the grief turned to rage. 'You promised. YOU PROMISED! WHY!? WHY DID YOU LIE TO ME!?'

And the rage turned once more to grief. 'Why....why would you leave me?'

And then, the grief turned to a heart wrenching loneliness, and desperation. Lhetan desperately begged for Sera to return, his thoughts progressively becoming more like those of an orphaned child.

'Was it because I didn't believe your stories? I'll believe them, I promise! So please, come back...'

'Was it because I didn't listen to you, and tried to heal you anyways? I won't do it again... I won't! I'll be obedient, always! So please, don't leave me...'

'If you're not here...Who will be by my side? Who will tell me stories? Who will tell me strange jokes? Who will laugh with me?'

'Who will teach me when I'm confused?'

'Who will hold me when I'm sad?'

'Who will play on the beach with me?'

'What will I do without you?'

'I need you... I promise I'll be good... So, please....'

~~~~~~~

Yerin woke in the middle of the night, feeling that something was wrong. Walking quietly out of the tent, her instincts brought her directly to where Fenrir was sleeping. Upon seeing him, she halted for a moment, shocked. The quiet boy who had given off an innocent, happy atmosphere during the day was shaking, his body shuddering as he sobbed in his sleep. His moonlit figure looked unbearably lonely, and tears streamed down his face. And his hair was white. The boy's hood had been shaken off by his trembling, exposing the ethereal hair. Yerin hesitated for a moment, surprised by the change. However, she knew that a few races had different appearances during the day than during the night, though it was exceedingly rare. It was quite reasonable that Fenrir had hidden this trait, as most of those races were valuable in some way or other and hunted down for materials or by slavers. And more importantly, her friend needed her.

Yerin knelt by his side and gently tried to shake him awake. However, the moment she touched him, he shot up and she only caught a glimpse of his beautiful black eyes before he hugged her, his body still wracked with sobs. Yerin froze. She had never been hugged before by anyone other than her father, and a faint blush appeared on her face. She hesitantly hugged him back.

Through his tears, he was repeating "Don't leave me. Please. Don't leave me alone..." like some sort of mantra.

Yerin patted his back, her heart aching for her friend. Even if they had only been friends for less than a day, she had felt a connection with him that she had never found with anyone else, even her own father.

How can someone so strong, she wondered, feel so frail at the same time?

Eventually, Fenrir calmed down. Exhausted, he fell asleep just as Yerin was going to ask him what had happened to make him feel so much pain.

Fenrir’s scent, the scent of a vibrant forest after a rainstorm, wafted into her nose. Yerin felt her heartbeat quicken and her face turned tomato red.