The gray curtains blocked the rays of the sun from entering, thus covering the room with darkness. Not even a single light is turned on. Lucas, who stayed on his bed for God-knows-how-long, turned and kicked the blanket off his body. His hazel eyes stared at it as it hugged the floor after it fell, hand reaching for the alarm clock on the drawer beside his bed. With his hand balling into a fist, he brought it down on the alarm which instantly made the constant beeping stop.

He closed his eyes. He's about to fall back into his deep, helpless slumber, when a single knock on the wooden door sliced through the silence. He groaned and begrudgingly sat up, eyes glaring at the door as if it's his mortal enemy.

"Lucas... Are you awake?"

A soft voice called, making his ears perk up.

"Lucas, dear. I got something for you..."

He turned, facing the white walls of his room. He doesn't want to deal with whatever his mom brought. Whether it's food, a score, whatever.

"From Aubrey.."

The world seemed to stop for a moment as his brain processed the words that left his mom's mouth. Did he hear that right? From Aubrey?

Slowly, he composed himself, hands brushing his bed hair so it looks decent. He then grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, his mom's worried smile greeting him.

"Did you just-"

Lucas wasn't able to complete his sentence when his mother shoved a small brown envelope to his chest. "Take it," she said, smiling. "That's for you.."

Lucas stared at the envelope, contemplating whether to take it or not. His mind and body decided for him though, and he took it with his shaking hands. His lips parted, but his mom shushed him with her words, "You don't have to say anything." before leaving and closing the door for him.

As the door closed shut, his mind travelled back to the moment the envelope was given to him, replaying the scene over and over like a film. He took a few steps back and sat on his bed, his grip tightening. It's just a plain, old envelope. Dyed with a brown color, secured with a wax seal. On the bottom right corner is a handwriting he recognized immediately upon sight.

To: Lucas

From: Aubrey

Under it were two words written so small, yet in a clear and elegant style.

I'm sorry

He swallowed the urge to scream, closing his eyes. For days, he kept himself tucked beneath his blankets, refusing to make any noise. He detached himself from the world he's supposed to live in. Shutting his doors and windows, shutting his heart.

But now that he read those two words with his own eyes, he felt like diving deep into his ocean of misery and isolation once again.

It's too much for him.

Those words were enough to break his walls, and he doesn't know whether to be relieved or anxious.

One.

Two.

And three.

The tears started flowing out of his hazel eyes continuously, and he held back his tongue. The moment he feared had come, and he wasn't ready for it. Not one bit.

As his trembling fingers tore open the sealed envelope, a clip of a timelapse in a horizon played inside his head. The clouds being blown by the wind, the sun going down to hide and the moon going up to seek-he saw all of it.

But now, he has no sun to gaze at during its last moments of the day. He no longer have mornings to look forward to, no sky to look up to. No breeze to brush against his skin softly, no chirping of the birds to hear.

For his world, now desolate and bleak, is destroyed by the raging hurricanes, by the towering waves, by the enormous tornados. The structures he built and cared for all crumbled into dust, blown away by the ever blowing winds.

His world is in shambles.

Because the sun that kept the balance is now gone.

He knew. He knew that as a moon, he's only borrowing the light of the sun. He knew that all too well. He knew that when his fuel fades out, the world will lose its light. The world will run cold, covered in darkness.

Can he still live even without the kindness of the sun? Can the flowers still dye the world with bright and vivid colors even without the warmth of the sun?

No.

Of course not.

He's just the moon.

She's the sun.

Without her, he's just an average person. An asteroid floating about in space.

Without her, he's nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

...

Right.

The envelope is now open.

Lucas caught sight of the sheet of paper inside and sighed. He slowly took it out and unfolded it, laying on his back as the tears finally stopped, drying on his cheeks. The same handwriting from the envelope greeted him, and he took a sharp breath.

Dear Lucas,

Congratulations!

A twinge shot through his heart. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, the taste of iron dominating his taste buds.

You're finally married! And to such a wonderful woman even, how lucky! I've been with you for years now, and it's actually nice to see you stepping out of your comfort zone.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend the wedding, much to my dismay. I asked my mother to go in my place, because as you probably know, I'm bedridden right now.

Lucas.

I only have a few days left. And I'm pretty sure I won't make it to your big day. Everyone told me. The nurses, doctors, they all told me I don't have much time left.

Which is why I'm sorry.

Sorry for hiding the truth.

Lucas's eyebrows furrowed as he scanned the paragraphs below. They're written in a different penmanship.

I've been sick for years now, even before we met back in university. Remember the excuses I make when I can't go to rehearsals? I'm actually going to a doctor.

My case is hopeless, Lucas. All they've been doing is extending my time here. They can't cure my illness. There's no stopping it.

But it's fine. I'll be fine. You'll be fine. Because what matters is the time I spent with all of you. The happy and sad moments, they all shaped me into who I am today, and I'll cherish them for as long as I live. If my time ends, then I'll cherish them in the next life. I'll never stop living in people's hearts and minds, as long as people remember.

It's a shame though because I can no longer do what I want. I can't even hold my violin without the fear of dropping it. I can't play my favorite pieces. It's such a shame. It's such a shame, really.

I want to do more.

I want to stay.

I want to live.

But my time has come. I need to turn away. I need to go.

I need to leave you behind.

I'm sorry. I really am. But time and fate are not under my control. I can't twist the future, I can't stop the inevitable.

But you Lucas, you still have time. Lots of time. More than me, at least, and I want you to spend it raising your head up high, walking forward proudly. I don't want to see you hanging your head low, drying your tears. Save those when we meet. When that happens, you have a bunch of stories to tell.

Exciting, isn't it?

You'll tell me about your children, your wife, colleagues, career and anything you want to talk about. But for that to happen, you need to stand up. Face the reality of this world, face the reality that I won't be there beside you. Remember, Lucas. A sheet of paper may be white, but you can't create a symphony without using black ink. The beauty of this world is that these two colors coexist. Even a piano has black and white keys, and both make music.

If you're still having trouble, talk to your family or friends. They're still there for you, and I'm sure they will be there until the end.

Please don't throw your life away. Please don't go astray, because losing this wonderful gift that is life is scary. You have a purpose. You have a reason to stay. The end of someone's time here on earth doesn't mean the end of everything. Who knows? I may be having a cup of tea on cloud nine while you're busy practicing.

And if you get demotivated, well I have the perfect gift for you! Along with this letter is a flashdrive. Just open it and there's a single folder in there, containing one video. It's up to you to know what's it about.

With that, I'll be saying...

Goodbye.

Very truly yours,

Aubrey

The letter reached its end, but the pain in Lucas' heart remained. He laid the letter beside him and reached for the envelope, taking out the flashdrive. He sighed. A breath of relief. Or was it?

He felt his heart wrench, and Lucas got up to get his laptop and distract himself from the million thoughts running in his head. Questions without answers filled his mind, and he shook his head to stay afloat. He turned his laptop on without any noise, proceeding to plug in the flashdrive.

There it was.

The folder.

It was named, "For The Demotivated Lucas".

His lips stretched into a small smile. The screaming of his heart died down, and he was again, all alone in silence.

The pointer hovered on the folder, before Lucas clicked his tongue and just smashed the left click button. He set the laptop on the center of his bed as he crawled back to the top and buried himself under his blankets and pillows.

And the video played.

"Um, is this thing on?"

Lucas' eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh wait it is! Crap I have to-"
The figure burst into a coughing fit, pushing a handful of her black hair behind. "Well dang, isn't that a great intro."

"Aubrey?" Her name left the male's lips. He hugged his pillow tighter, eyes glued on the screen.

"Okay, so uhh. Hi Lucas," she said, giving an awkward wave to the camera. "As you can already see, I'm a huge boomer." She giggled. "I don't know much about today's technology. But I'll be making the extra effort to deal with all these electronics because this is my gift!"

She went off screen for a few seconds, before returning with a violin in hand. Except that she went too close to the camera, her face no longer visible.

"Hold on, I'm really trying here." Aubrey reached for the camera. "Ah, finally." She stepped back after a few shuffling and flashed a smile.

Then, she cleared her throat. "So for my dear friend Lucas," she said, bowing, only to hear the sound of her shoulder rest dropping. Aubrey let out a groan as she rolled her eyes. "Gee, I'm really off to a great start." Her words dripped with sarcasm.

Lucas let out a tiny giggle as he watched the video. "What a boomer."

"Anyway, back to the topic. I'll be playing a piece by one of our favorite composers of all time. Chopin," she continued, putting her shoulder rest back on. "So I'll be playing Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2. Yes, I know. This is supposed to be played on piano," she scoffed, "but I'm not like you who knows how to play it. At most, all I could play on the piano is twinkle twinkle little star. Obviously not Mozart's 12 variations, heck no."

Aubrey tilted her head to the side, looking deep in thought. "Now," she started, facing the camera again. "I don't really have much to say now, so I guess I'll just get right to playing."

She raised her violin, and just like she said, started playing. Her eyelids dropped, and soon after, her body started swaying in time with the music.

Lucas smiled. "It's been a while since I've seen you play." Her vibrato, the accents, everything about her way of playing reminded him of the reason why he felt so alive when they're together. The moments when he's coped up in his room, he tried to avoid anything that would make him remember Aubrey--anything that would remind him of her death.

But now, he's watching a video of her. He even read a letter made by her earlier.

"Can I just keep on running away?" he whispered to himself. He blinked, eyes growing tired, but he still kept his gaze on the screen. He shook his head. "Would I just keep on running away?"

"Now that's all. Congratulations again, Lucas. I hope you liked the piece, with my little improvisations thrown in here and there. Until next time!"

Silence.

Lucas sighed. The piece came to an end sooner than he liked. Now he can't hear anything, except for the silence he had grown accustomed to.

He got out of his bed, leaving his laptop on. As he prepared to stand up, he caught a glimpse of his disheveled hair, and he proceeded to smooth it out with his hand. "I can't just keep on avoiding you, can I?" He smiled. "You're the sun. Sure, there may be a lot of other stars shining brighter than you, their fire burning longer than yours. But it doesn't change the fact that you were the closest to me-I can't just turn and pretend to have forgotten your light that easily." Lucas reached for the picture frame on his desk beside his bed. "I'll go on. Don't worry. I'll move forward, just like you want, just like everyone around me wants. I'll save my tears for when we meet again." He brought the picture close to his chest. "But without the sun, the world will be left cold. Ah! Thank goodness I found another star. Sirius."

He walked towards the door, picture in hand.

"Thank you, Aubrey. For being my sun. Until next time."

-----
Woah, I wasn't expecting this chapter to be this long.

Also, I was tagged.

Anyway let's just do this lmao.

1. Who tagged you?

A dear friend of mine did. Thank you for tagging me xDDDD *does finger guns cuz I'm an awkward blob*

2. Do it in less than 3 days.

I don't know about that because writer's block is killing me and I have exams-

But surprisingly I made it on time-

3. Ten facts about you.

I don't really like talking about myself but fine-

> this guurrlll is a Filipino (and 1/4 Chinese lmao)

> I skipped nursery and preparatory. I went straight to kindergarten and jumped to grade 1 (but I'm dumb af now so)

> I'm in grade 10 currently and will be grade 11 next school year. The course I chose is animation (even tho idk anything about it)

> I play the guitar, tho not that good. My fingers are struggling to do barre chords, and fingerstyle... Ye let's not talk about that one lol

> We have a film posted on youtube (for a project). It's in Tagalog (language of the Philippines) tho. I made and sang the ending song for that film. I won't say the title because I'll give away my identity lmao and the film is cringeworthy tbh.

> I first watched anime when I was 4 years old lol. My brother got me into it lmao

> I don't like playing video games (cue the gasps). I don't know, they just don't click with me. The only exception to that are rhythm games, but that's because music is one of my passions.

> If you don't know yet, I play chess. Yes. I know. I enter competitions against other schools and win (sometimes, either 2nd or 1st) but tbh I'm losing my touch now. I used to like playing chess when it's just a hobby. Now everyone is just thirsty about winning and dominating the tournament-

> Supporting fact no. 1, one of my provinces is Palawan. El Nido, Palawan, to be exact. The other is Sorsogon, Bicol.

> Since this is the last fact and all, I'm going to talk about genres. I like fantasy, drama, sci-fi, mystery, paranormal, psychological and horror. I just like it when my heart is being wrenched and shred into pieces- wait no, I'm not a masochist I swear- it's just I'm a sucker for angst

Finally, that's over lmao

Moving on-

4. Tag 28 people.

GEM_shile
emetchayeni
halcyondays01
Skymazeni01
Feelsweebman
MissFairyInkWell
Caramelize
cutieyuki8212
Reaped_Soul
artist_psyche
abegailcallanga
Picky_Penguin
Panicatdakeyboard
Cross-Warrior
Zoe_Blessing
-Royal_Empress-
piggygirl1002
cpalomique
lenny_face69420
akram05
Seshatisis
MLB998
Jillan123
professorwheezer
hellabedamn
Ichigolover18
SaraIsSacrifice

Oml I had a hard time tagging people because I'm not really close with anyone I'm sorry-

I'm a lonely hooman

5. Write a joke.

My confidence in myself

6. Write a spoiler for your story.

Can I even write a spoiler at this point?

Bruh anyway

Do you think this story is going to be happy?

Remember from the facts people

I'm a sucker for angst-

But sure, continue on hoping if you want lmao

7. Add these 7 rules to your tag

Alright people, it's written (or typed) in bold letters for ya'll to read. Follow the rules, b e o n e w i t h t h e r u l e s .