Takes no effort to gather some of his belongings, and Alderic, falls to the armchair, sighing. From the corner of his eyes, the cigarettes caught his attention. The hand reaching out stops in mid-air, then eventually rests in the pockets. Theodore won’t like to see him like that. Finally having a rare moment for himself, Alderic takes a closer look at his room. The room was still the same as when he first came. Simple yet cozy, a place he feels safe. Though the place where he belongs is far away from here, this mansion soon became his loving home. Tracing every fragment here and there, every brick imbued with precious memories shines in the room with the golden color of happiness. The laughter they shared… The stories they had, brought to life a long forgotten Alderic. All of them will forever live vividly in his mind. Laughing to himself, he cursed fate. This must be his punishment, to finally meet those he cherished in these ridiculous circumstances. He could never predict this. Never thought they were this warm… This precious. And how blind he was, how miserable his past life was. Then, before he noticed, the first day he came, he brought along the soft breeze of spring. Outside, winter is knocking on the door. Leaning against the window, he immersed himself in the fresh scent of the forest, just like he used to. Soothing, comforting, the woods were. But the truth is still hanging over his head. The bare truth…

Then… he would definitely hate me, Alderic laughs to himself. What will he do if he turns around to him… Leaving him? The soft sunlight shines on the room in a tender color, dancing on his nightlike hair and bathing him in a rare softness. Holding the navy earring in his palm, the sun glittering the sky color… brightly just like his eyes. It feels like he is actually here... The emerald eyes embrace the earring tenderly, sweetly. His throat has nothing but bitterness. In front of those honest eyes, he couldn't bear it any longer. The truth, the fear that blocked his words. Holding the earring to his heart, a sense of reassurance filled his heart. He will protect them... Protect him this time, even if it costs his life. Then, if fate is kind enough, she will stay by his side forever.

Perhaps it’s time to send a message. The last one. For it originated from this space and time. A familiar tune escapes from Alderic as he calls his dearest raven - Oville. The forgotten tone, which he has replayed uncountable times in his dusty memory, is a tone bearing the scent of snow. From afar, the usual shadow once again appears in the blue sky, slowly descending to his arm. “Nice to see you, old friend,” he caresses the soft fur, ”You also want to protect them, right?”. Oville certainly understood Alderic, nodding deliberately. As usual, the hands of Alderic tie a folded letter to one of its legs with a red ribbon. The bird then carries out the mission that it has done countless times.

“I’m counting on you, my friend.”

The black wings unfold. In a quick flap, Oville returned to the eternal sky.

Back to the ground where Alderic stood, from the backyard, he intended to return to his room. However, just when turning back, what he saw…. was utterly beyond what he had stored in mind. Heartbeat is racing, emotions soon became chaotic, waves of thoughts tangled in my mind. It is… Theodore appears before Alderic at this very moment.

“So all this time...It was you?”

…

A snowy day. Young Theodore leans his head on the glass window, observing the soft snowflakes quietly coloring the world in white. He was like a doll, showing no other than calmness. Perhaps all his emotions had been buried on that destined day. To him, this is just another long day in this medical center, in his long life. He envies that snowflake. For the moment it was born, dancing in the air, then beautifully, peacefully resting in the embrace of the snow. No botheration, no regrets. Looking at the weak sunlight, he wondered. Will Mother be happy up there? He will never know the answer. They said this world is full of color, yet the more he tried, the more gloominess was all he saw through the kaleidoscope.

“Hurry, we have new patients.” The peacefulness didn’t last for long as waves of the injured rushed in. With all kinds of wounds, they whimper in pain. Professionally and neatly, the young hands dealt with the tasks perfectly as per usual. Though, he was always curious about the painful feelings. “Theodore, can you help with the boy on the back.”, the senior doctor called him. What awaits him is a boy, not much older than him, sitting patiently on the patient's bed. His messy black hair was dyed in the ashes, and the blindfold hid his eyes. Though young, a sense of maturity covers him. It could be the absence of sight has put him in such an alarm that he won’t allow anyone to touch him. His hands were covered in layers of bandages that were ready to attack at any time. His weak body trembled as the sweat fell, soaking his hair. He was just like him, fighting this world all alone.

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At the bottom of his heart, a thin string of a dusty memory flowed in his mind. A tone she used to sing to ease his racing heart. A soft tone that has long forgotten... only exists in his dreams. A melody comforts the lonely children. The boy shows a glimpse of relaxation before the melodies in his body. Finally, he leaves his life in Theodore’s hands. The boy’s arms were covered in multiple scars, the scars they never believed could be on a child. Before he was here, death awaited at the door. All night, he suffered from a fever, yet he was still fighting for his life, from the battlefield to this patient’s bed. His strength, his will, through the darkest of the night, sparked something already buried deep in Theodore. He envies that boy, growing curious about him. To learn more about his story and how he can be so brave and strong.

Who was he?

Hands in hand, they share each other’s warmth, together crossing through the dark night. They never knew each other's identity or talked to each other, yet they could easily understand the other. Though little, they had shared something special. For the first time, he had a friend who taught him about this world.

He was the one who showed him this kaleidoscope world.

But the day they depart... has come. Theodore’s unit has been moved to a different place so quickly that they didn't even have a chance to say goodbye. Leaning on the car’s window, tears quietly fell down his little face. Picking up on the sound of the car, he ran to him, hoping he could somehow catch him. He ran and ran, despite numerous wounds and the cold wind painfully cutting through his skin. Even though the others told him to stop, that boy still ran to him, crying. He didn’t want to let go, and neither did he. The sound went further, leaving alone the black-haired boy in the snow. Surrendered to the snow, he cried out loud, the agony of his screaming tearing the air. The wind blew away the blindfold, revealing the teary, shining, dazzlingly emerald eyes. The melodies of that tone echoed throughout the show.

Till the end of this world, I will find you…

I promised, the next time I met you… I will never let you go…

Why did he never realize... The person he was always looking for…was always him, Theodore. Why did he never realize the softness they shared… how effortlessly their souls harmonized… It was always him that held his heart. Two lonely souls are intertwined by a simple tone. As if, the moment they came to this world, fate had tied them together in a red string of destiny. Even separate, they are destined to be with each other.

“I-I…” The vision of Theodore's blurring, allowing drops of pearls to flow freely from his cheeks to his chin, eventually falls. Each drop, glistering in the shade of the settling sun, reflecting and absorbing all the remaining warmth, shimmers in the air. Emotions bloom at once. Waves after waves caress Theodore, gently carrying him to the shore of euphoria. It was him, the night-like hair boy he had always searched for. It was him, showing how beautiful this world is. It was all him…

Alderic, quietly, slowly wipes away the flow of tears. The figures of him glow softly in the color of sunset and gently smile at Theodore. The bright emerald eyes only has him. Finally, they have found each other in this chaotic world. The next thing, Theodore falls into a strong, warm embrace. The steadiness in his heart comforted him. No memory is as bright and haunting as what they feel now. Theodore or Alderic, either of whom is no longer alone on this journey and be blinded by the darkness or despair. They have each other. That’s more than enough.

As Alderic holds onto Theodore’s soaked cheeks with all of his affection, Theodore reaches out his hand. The thin finger traced along Alderic’s lines. From his sharp eyebrows falling to his eyes, he lingers. Caressing the traces of his bright eyes, he is willing to be drowned in those gems eternally. Those eyes were once hidden away under the blindfold he was searching for. His finger slowly traveled across his face, as if he were trying to carve even the slightest details of him into his heart. Tears follow him as his fingers trace Alderic’s delicate nose, to his warm lips. They all shine under the warmth of the sunset. Alderic sighs lightly, tightening the embrace. He lifts Theodore’s chin, then places a kiss on his forehead. A kiss of adoration and dedication. A kiss, though light like a petal, yet stirring. Theodore’s heart in a wave of joy. Drunk in his scent and in his emotions, Theodore wished he could just be bound to him. To never be separated again... The gentle kiss reached down to his ocean eyes. The man whispered sweetly, “The sky in your eyes is mine.”

He wants to stay like this forever, to have him in his scarred arms... But he knows he doesn’t have that privilege. Now that he has found him, he must protect this blessing at all costs. He is Alderic, a fearless mercenary, and it is his duty to protect his loved ones. The softness of the man in his arms softens his heart. There were so many things he wanted to say. His feelings, the truth, to confess all of them before those honest eyes. Theodore never realized that he had soon become the temple of Alderic’s heart. The one and only God, he worships. But he knows the time is running out and that reality awaits his return. In the end, he forces himself to leave. Run away before he can’t restrain any longer.

“I will be back soon," were his last words.