Things don't always last.
Everything has an end.

A newborn takes their first breath. As they do, a flower bud blooms for the first time. A caterpillar emerges from its cocoon, spreading delicate wings.

That first breath—it is the first glimpse of life. A fragile heart, trembling yet extraordinary.

From the moment you are born, time begins its silent countdown. The hourglass turns, and it will never tip back up.

But that is the beauty of life. The certainty of death lingers over us, watching every step we take. It is up to us—do we live in fear of the inevitable, or do we embrace the time we have? In the end, death is simply a closing chapter. A mark left behind. A whisper that it is time to move on—perhaps to return as someone new. Even if it feels sudden or incomplete, death does not wait, nor does it discriminate. Time is merely a human construct.

I have heard of reincarnation. That we have past lives. That we have a purpose. That the people we meet are not coincidences—they may have been with us before.

I may not be in a safe place now. I may not be free. But if I die today... at least I lived. I saw things I never thought I would see.

I met people I never thought I would meet.

Perhaps I have been captured. Perhaps I am in danger. Maybe I will not make it out alive.

But she was never bad. She never hurt me. Not once.

We were friends.

I do not regret meeting her. Despite everything, I do not regret it. If anything, I am grateful. My life, until now, has been exciting.

Within these walls, I have seen things others could never fathom. A person who is alive, yet not living. A soul lingering between worlds, unseen by most. A person who has wronged, now punished to endure an endless existence. A being that craves nothing more than connection.

Not all are bad.

Not all are good.

And just before the world fades to black, a name lingers on my lips.

Eizo.

The only friend who never left me. The person who changed my life.

Thank you.

She looks down at Vivian. He isn't breathing.

His body is still. His skin is losing color.

Panic surges through her. Frantically, she shakes him, hoping  to maybe get him to  wake up. What went wrong? She gave him some.... It was just a little?  He should be fine? Why won't he look at her? Why won't he speak to her? Why won't he praise her? Why won't he tell her how much he loves her?

Her hands tremble. Desperation tightens her throat. She shakes him harder, sobs wracking her body. Around her, the shadow people do nothing. They avert their gazes, afraid to intervene. Afraid to meet the same fate.

She hugs him tightly, clinging to the fading warmth of his body.

Crying is all she can do.

Cry until she has nothing left.

Because her greatest fear has come true.

She lost him again.