The next morning, after saying goodbye to my parents, I returned to the academy to submit my report. Upon arrival, I ran into Aura, who had just finished another mission. She looked tired, but she greeted me with a smile.

— I’m sorry I wasn’t around when you faced the anomaly — she said with a tone of apology —. Axel and Ángeles have already submitted their reports. They told me how you coordinated the evacuation and what you accomplished on your own… — She placed a hand on my shoulder —. You did a great job, Ángel.

I replied with a smile, trying to downplay it.

— Don’t worry about it. That’s part of the job, isn’t it? — I said, shrugging.

Aura looked at me with a mix of pride and curiosity, her expression shifting to a more lively one.

— They mentioned you disappeared with the anomaly — she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement —. So tell me, how did it feel to be in the Other Side?

— It was... different — I replied, trying to find the right words. I could still feel the echo of that dimension, the strange gravity, the overwhelming silence. The image of the anomaly facing me flashed through my mind, sending a spark of adrenaline through my body. I tried to stay composed, but the memory was still vivid —. It’s like everything feels denser, more real, and at the same time… emptier. Once you’re inside, you know you can’t depend on anything or anyone. It’s all up to you.

— That’s a good description — she said with a smile —. The challenge of the Other Side isn’t just the environment; it’s that it awakens the deepest essence of the anomalies. The one you faced was powerful, wasn’t it?

I nodded, recalling the battle.

— Yes, it felt like its power only grew stronger with every passing second. In the end, I had to use everything I had to contain it… but it was worth it. At least I can say the training with you really paid off.

Aura laughed, giving me a pat on the back.

— That doesn’t surprise me. I knew you’d pull through. You’re proving more and more that the “Divine” rank wasn’t a mistake — her smile radiated genuine pride, and I couldn’t help but feel a warmth in my chest, knowing how much she believed in me —. But well, as impressed as I am, I want to see how you channeled all that emotion into your report. Every detail matters.

I handed her my report, knowing I had paid special attention to every word. I didn’t want to leave anything important out; this mission had been unlike any other, and Aura deserved to know every last detail.

Aura took it and began reading through the first few pages quickly, nodding occasionally, her expression focused. After a while, she looked up.

— Great work, Ángel. I’m sure the higher-ups will be impressed too.

Returning to the academy, I found Axel and Ángeles waiting near the entrance. When they saw me, they both smiled, and Axel was the first to approach, bumping his fist against mine and patting me on the shoulder.

— Congratulations, Ángel! — Axel said, genuinely smiling this time, though he quickly looked away, slightly embarrassed —. And… hey, I’m sorry about what I said earlier about your rank. You were incredible during that mission, way better than me. There’s no doubt you deserve it.

I patted his shoulder in response, wanting to let the matter go.

— Don’t worry about it, Axel. We all have our strengths, and in the end, we’re here to support each other. What matters is that we work as a team, right?

Axel smiled in relief, and Ángeles nodded, giving me a light congratulatory hug.

After chatting and catching up for a while, I said goodbye to both of them and headed to my apartment. Upon entering, the place felt surprisingly calm. I let out a sigh, tired but content, and my eyes fell on the letter Aura had given me. I approached the desk where I had left it and held the envelope in my hands, staring at it without daring to open it yet. Excitement and nervousness swirled inside me, but for now, I was content just holding it, savoring the fact that I had that part of Luna so close to me.

Carefully, I placed it back on the desk, feeling an inexplicable happiness just having it there.

The following weeks were filled with more and more missions intertwined with increasingly intense training sessions with Aura until that December 24th.

The special mission with Aura right before Christmas had me on the edge of excitement and nervousness. She asked me to dress nicely, and since it was rare for her to request something like that, I suspected the task wouldn’t be like other missions, though I had no idea what was really about to happen. We got into the car, and the ride lasted a couple of hours until we reached a private residential area. Elegant didn’t even begin to describe the atmosphere. We entered the place discreetly, blending in with the residents, and after advancing a few meters, Aura glanced at me and pointed toward one of the streets.

— We’re going to split up — she said —. The anomaly is hidden somewhere in this area. Head in that direction, and I’ll take the other. Stay calm and don’t draw attention, okay?

— Got it — I replied, noticing her unusually serious demeanor.

Without making a sound, I moved along the street she indicated, walking slowly and attentively. I was so focused on the auras in the area, filtering out those of humans and trying to detect something unusual, that I began to block out my other senses. I advanced toward a corner that led to a small park, feeling a dense energy growing stronger as I approached.

Then, I quickly turned my head toward the aura, momentarily losing sight of what was in front of me. Just as I looked ahead again, I collided head-on with someone, causing us both to lose balance and fall to the ground.

At first, I simply apologized as I would in any other accident. But when I looked up, the whole world around me seemed to disappear. In front of me, just inches away, was Luna. It was impossible, so improbable that I had to blink several times, almost expecting it to be another anomaly, an illusion… or something worse. But no, it was her. With the same warm gaze, with the same scent of memories I could never forget. Everything in me froze, the air escaped my lungs, and all I could do was look at her, speechless, timeless.

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My heart pounded so hard it almost hurt, as if trying to make up for all those lost moments between us at once. A whirlwind of emotions overwhelmed me: relief, happiness, even that dull ache of distance I had never fully wanted to face. During all these months, I had wished so much for this moment that now, having it, a part of me feared losing it in the blink of an eye. My hand trembled slightly as I picked up the phone that had fallen, and when I saw Aura’s message, I felt an indescribable gratitude.

"I’m sorry, the mission was a joke. I wanted you to see something else… or rather, someone else."

Tears nearly welled up as I realized Aura’s plan, the immense gesture she had made. But I couldn’t take my eyes off her, off Luna, who was also staring at me, her own eyes filled with surprise and something else, as if all that time apart had condensed into a single moment. I felt vulnerable, exposed, as if she could see all those days I had held onto her memories, those moments when I had wished to see her even in dreams, and those when, unknowingly, I spoke of her even to myself.

— Luna… — I whispered, as if saying her name could make her even more real.

There were so many things I wanted to tell her, everything I had felt, lived, feared, and hoped for in her absence. But words didn’t seem enough, and I just stayed there, holding her gaze, wondering if she had felt that inexplicable connection too, that part of me that had remained empty since the moment she left. My heart wouldn’t stop racing, pounding with the same intensity with which I wanted to hold onto her, and in those eternal seconds, I knew it didn’t matter how much time had passed.

Luna remained silent, looking at me with tears in her eyes. In that moment, I saw more in her gaze than I could have ever understood with words. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she knelt in front of me, her eyes filled with pain, longing, and something else she seemed to have held onto for so long. My mind went blank, my thoughts drowned by that overwhelming sense of familiarity and yearning. I didn’t know what to say—I couldn’t find the words to express everything I felt in that moment.

Before I could react, Luna threw herself at me, wrapping me in an embrace that I felt deep in my soul. Her warmth, her closeness… everything I had longed for became real in that contact, without words, without any barriers. I held her tightly, closing my eyes and letting her presence fill the emptiness I had felt all this time. In that moment, it was just her and me, in a silence that needed nothing else. Neither of us wanted it to end, and the longer it lasted, the more I wished to stay in that eternal moment.

Finally, Luna broke the silence, her voice barely a whisper, trembling as her arms remained wrapped around me.

— I promised myself that the next time I saw you, I wouldn’t hesitate to hug you — she said, with a mix of tenderness and nostalgia. My arms tightened around her even more, and I noticed my own breath catching in my throat.

She began to apologize, almost in a murmur, her voice breaking as she tried to speak. I felt her words vibrate against my chest as she started to release everything she had been holding inside.

— Forgive me, Ángel… for leaving like that. I never wanted it to be this way. I never wanted you to feel… — Her voice broke further with every word, filled with regret and pain.

She clung to me, trembling, and I could feel her tears falling onto my shoulder, soaking it.

— They forced me, Ángel… I… I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to leave you. I tried everything, everything I could… but it was in vain… there was no way out.

I listened, not knowing what to say. The pain in her voice was unbearable. I wanted to speak, to interrupt her torrent of suffering, but she continued, clinging to me as if she were drowning and I was her only refuge.

— Every day that passed… I could only think about coming back. I tried… I searched for a way… but everything seemed impossible. I’m so sorry, Ángel… I’m so, so sorry.

I felt something break inside me, a mix of compassion, sadness, and restrained anger. I didn’t want her to keep torturing herself like this, I didn’t want that weight to keep crushing her.

— It doesn’t matter anymore — I said, my voice softer than I expected —. You don’t have to tell me anything else. I know it wasn’t your fault. It doesn’t matter what happened or what they forced you to do. The only thing that matters is that you’re here, now. I don’t want you to keep hurting yourself over something that was out of your control.

She had carried the same burden I had felt, and now, as she spoke aloud, she seemed to release every fear, every doubt, every emotion she had accumulated during our time apart.

We stayed like that, in silence, letting the wounds begin to heal with the certainty that, finally, after everything we had gone through, we were together again.

— I’m sorry — she repeated softly, looking at me with a mix of sadness and gratitude —. Thank you for not forgetting me.

— There was no other choice, Luna. There’s no world where I could ever forget you.

We stayed like that, looking at each other as if time didn’t exist. In the background, the park was softly illuminated by the streetlights, and the air was so serene it felt like the city itself was respecting this moment. Then, without saying anything, Luna intertwined her fingers with mine, and the two of us walked toward the nearby grass, without hurry, not wanting this moment to end.

We settled on the grass, side by side, still holding hands lightly. I could see the storm of emotions lingering in her eyes, but there was something else too—a calm beginning to take root. She took a deep breath and started to speak, her voice wavering at times.

— That day… that afternoon, my parents told me I was forbidden from having any contact with you. That… you were a bad influence, though they never explained why — she said, looking down at her hands as if she could still feel the weight of that moment. — They were always overprotective, you know, but… this time was different. When I told them I wasn’t willing to stay away from you, the first thing they did was take my phone and smash it right in front of me. They warned me that if I didn’t obey, they’d find another way to make me see reason.

I listened in silence, each word she spoke cutting into me like a blade. It was hard to process, but every detail filled the gaps left when she had disappeared.

— That same night, without saying another word, they made me pack everything. I remember trying to resist, but… it was useless. The next day, we were already moving to this place, this… confinement — she whispered, her voice trembling. — Not long after, I found out they had sold our old house. They forbade me from leaving here, and anything tied to the world outside this gilded cage… became a broken dream.

I could picture her trapped there, day after day, in a place that, while beautiful, was no more than a prison disguised as a home. Anger toward her parents flared within me, but at the same time, I felt even more pain imagining her facing that loneliness, the helplessness of knowing that somewhere, I was searching for her without understanding what had happened.

She looked up at me, perhaps expecting reproach or for me to tell her how unfair it had all been. But instead, I just nodded, gently squeezing her hands to let her know without words that she wasn’t alone. That I was here for her, just as I always had been, even without knowing it.

I looked into her eyes, hoping she could feel the sincerity in my words.

— Maybe I understand your parents a little — I said, noticing her surprise. — I don’t condone what they did, but… if I were in their place, I think I’d do anything to protect you too, to keep you from being hurt. — I held her hands firmly. — But they don’t see what I see, Luna. They don’t know how lonely you felt, how different they made you feel by trying to mold you into someone you’re not.

Luna lowered her gaze, and I tightened my grip on her hands, giving her the courage to continue.

— Let me talk to them — I said. I felt a shiver run through her, but I didn’t back down. — I know what it’s like to feel lost, to live in a world where it seems like you never quite fit. You gave me something no one else could; you filled the canvas of my life when it was empty. You made my world make sense again. And now… I want you to know I won’t let you feel alone or different ever again. If you don’t fit in this world, then neither do I.

She took a deep breath, her eyes filled with both fear and resolve. After a few moments, she nodded, finally yielding.

— Alright… — her voice was barely a whisper, and with cautious steps, she led me to her house.