Cyclone creaked his way up the stairs, toiling under the weight of dark thoughts. As he walked, the pitch-black hall cast ghostly shadows that eerily synced with his troubled mind. With every hiss of the old wood peeling away under his feet, he could feel the burden growing stronger.

'I can't do this. Not again.' He thought, as the oppressive silence deepened his apprehension for what awaited him at the top. The climb was hellish. When he finally reached the top, it felt like he had climbed to the top of an earthly purgatory. He had one option available now. Escape. 

Asphalt. He couldn't stop thinking about her. In fact, he hadn't stopped thinking about her since she'd disappeared weeks ago. No calls, no visits, nothing. She had been his sole supporter when he was first welcomed into the Order.

For many months he had been unable to accept it. His heart clung to a wish that refused to fade. He searched and searched, far and wide, for any sign of her. The familiar spots she frequented: the Droids market, the plastic-filled beachfront that was forbidden to the poor, her newly purchased mansion, and even her old home ... the top of a greying, apartment block at the outskirts of town. 

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

She was nowhere to be found.

But now, as he sat on the roof and looked down at the breathtaking cityscape, its glowing neon lights breaking through the darkness of the night, he found his way to acceptance. She had gone ... she had really gone. He had no way of ever getting her back again. The beautiful dark sky merged with the bright neon lights of Sadis. He gazed down at the bustling city below, trying to hold back the tears.

Had she left him? Or had she been taken from him?

A bright, purple light appeared in the distance, just beyond the ocean. Cyclone squinted his eyes. Was that ... no, it couldn't be. Could it? Cyclone laughed out loud. He rose to his feet and flung his arms out wide, accepting, embracing the friend to come.

Now he could rest.

He closed his eyes one last time, knowing he would never open them again.

Death came to him willingly.