With dream steps I made my way to Dariel’s Workshop. I didn’t know what time of the day the disgrace had Struck. Maybe I would find my friend petrified in there, and I would drop to my knees and cry. When I entered, the atmosphere didn’t have the smell of wood in it, only mold. Looking around, I spotted a distressed figure, but it was too young to be Dariel. Sitting on the floor, saw in hand, blade stuck in leg, Selus had tried to save himself by amputating his limb. The curse was either more decided, or faster.

“I am sorry, Selus. I cannot say anymore. There are no other worthy words.” I lamented before turning back, closing my eyes and willing myself in front of the family house.

This time, I opened the door carefully. I had to enter here walking, as a man, as the friend they had had me for. No one in the kitchen, statues nowhere to be seen in the lounge, No one in Sihea’s room. I was tempted to smile. Maybe they had escaped the disaster. Maybe they were somewhere to be found. Maybe they were on the way to the country house when The Angel attacked, and they rode away, who knew where. Maybe, perhaps, could be. It didn’t matter. There was still one room left to check: the master room.

I turned the doorknob slowly. I didn’t want to know. I could still escape, still live the lie. I could travel the world looking for them if I didn’t open that door, even if they were indeed there. I could still foster hope of seeing at least Sihea again someday.

But I had to do what I had to do. The truth is the truth is the truth. Orphela had been getting fat. Dariel, bald. Sihea had mastered the art of being annoying at times, and she wasn’t afraid to use it to get what she wanted.

Truth is horrible is truth is horrible is truth. There they were, among the settling dust, the four of them, in front of the couple’s bed. Dariel, the only one with his eyes opened wide, looking at the door, his facial muscles tensed. He had to be strong for them, even in those last moments. He held Orphela in arms, close against him. She, in turn, desperation and mourning forever enshrined in her face, lifted a terrified Sihea on her arms. Sihea had been screaming, looking at her opened, delicate hands. And, in front of all of them, at their foot, Dusk snarled at the door, at whatever was attacking them and he couldn’t see. In the end, he had found out how to be the guard dog Dariel always had wanted.

“No… no… no…” I repeated, down to my knees, crying meekly. “I arrived too late, yet… I arrived.” I crawled on all fours, around the family I used to love, looking for a streak of color, a crack that revealed they were merely encased in the stone, waiting to be freed from this unjust evil.

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Suffice to say, after several laps, I found no such thing.

“I wanted to preserve them forever as they were. I wanted time to pass them by without touching their skin. I knew I couldn’t, I knew that was merely a dumb dream of a dumb dream,” I lamented, caressing the calcareous back of Dusk. Then I pointed at the forever-screaming Sihea. “She, too, wanted to preserve you forever, Dusk. She, too, saw the imminent loss. And he, too. And she.” This time I was pointing at Orphela, “too.”

How ironic it was, that, in the end, we had gotten this foul mimicry of our wishes.

I stood and cupped Sihea’s delicate face on my hands. Her mouth would be forever opened, her skin forever creased. Her strands of hair will never move from where they hung now.

“I am sorry, Sihea, Uncle Terus failed you. I failed everyone.” I said softly, my brow against hers, my tears rolling down my cheeks and onto her face.

I kissed her brow, now cold and rough, and then caressed her hands, careful to not break the fingers off.

“I am sorry.”

I proceeded to kiss the brows of Dariel, and then Orphela, embracing them with one arm each, crying in the space between their heads.

“Terus!” I called out loud, looking at the ceiling in lieu of the firmament. “Terus, you who had a soul, you who walk the afterlives forbidden to me, you who lived a dragon’s lifespan, and who surely watch over this pathetic successor of yours and despise him a little more with each second, with each word. Terus, once a man, now my name, help my friends find peace! No one else I can ask to! I cannot pray to a god, for why would any of them hear the words of a lie? so, please, listen as I pray to you. Terus!” I cried and cried and begged and begged, in the hopes that, maybe, there was still something I could do, a way I could intervene to secure a little bit of wellbeing for them.

And when I lowered my head and peered out the door, when I saw past the disgrace around me, I noticed grey eyes staring at me. A white crescendo of darkness made of flesh and feathers and not of stone.

I scrambled down to where the crow was, and in front of it, I kneeled.

“Are you an illusion.” I reached and touched the soft feathers. The raven was curious about my hand, but, despite fostering some aversion to my touch, didn’t fly away.

“If Terus.” the bird said in words of dragons “Come, If Terus.”

I stood, giving one last glance at the family I loved, and another to my shadow.

“I have time. I will go.”

And so I followed the albino raven, leaving Dariel, Orphela and Sihea behind, with the door closed. They would be there for me tomorrow. They would be there for me when all men alive that day were gone. They would be there for me, forever.