I'm getting really attached to these ships... Don't judge me! I love them!
Like much of my stories, this does have sensitive material (I.e "minor" suicidal intentions), so if you're sensitive to that, I suggest reading with caution, but if you're a regular reader, you know what to expect.
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Luke's point of view-

There was something about him that I could not get myself to leave behind. This burning feeling in my chest that felt so familiar, but I had long forgotten how to identify such a sensation. I felt as if it were almost at the tip of my tongue, yet I could not grasp it. Whatever the feeling was, I loathed it. I loathed that it felt so familiar, that it was so confusing to me.
After the events at the river, I had failed in my mission to assassinate Grayson the dragon egg thief, a former ally of mine. In the process of trying to accomplish this ultimately failed goal, I was defeated by his magi friend. An Enderman hybrid. After my defeat, I was struck with such shame that I refused to return to the empire, not until I exacted my revenge and finished the goal I was brought up do. Retrieve the dragon egg and kill Grayson. It should have been easy...
When I was under his spell, lifted into the air as if gravity no longer existed, there was a few seconds when I stared at that hybrid that had lead to my missions compromise. In those few seconds, it was like the world around me had froze. I could not breathe, nor blink, yet my thoughts ran wildly. My eyes teared up. What I saw in him was the face of someone I had lost long ago. The one that I loved.

  Collin...

It was such a shock that after I was flung into the forest, I just laid there in the grass for hours, only snapping back into awareness by late nightfall. I had to have just been seeing things. Collin is dead...he vanished at the arctic base, he's gone! Besides, that man was a hybrid and Collin was fully human, but then again Collin always did have a fascination with Enderman and magic... Could he have..? Collin would never do that...would he? Why could he not seem to remember me, if that hybrid really is my past love interest?
I watched over the both of them as they slept after that event, although I passed out and the morning after, Grayson seemed panicked about his friend. Something important must have happened while I was out, since he kept mumbling if he should tell him about what happened that night. As I listened through the surprisingly thin walls, I could not help to feel curious about what he meant but I blew it off rather quickly. Though I was quick to catch on that the hybrid was ill due to the poison, and was now in a comatose state.
Grayson had left to get supplies and potions to help his friend, and each time I had an opportunity to end him. Yet each time, I was hesitant. Every time I pulled back the bowstring, I starting shaking and before I knew it, he was out of my line of sight. My mind was so fogged up by that hybrid that I could not focus on anything other than him.
Once Grayson was gone, I felted compelled to see his friend again, so I snuck into the house and found him. He looked so sick, pale and sweating, yet my mind kept drawing me back to Collin. The shade of his brunette hair, that gentle facial compilation, the mirrored jawline, and slender body. Even his clothes reminded me of the man I had fallen for long ago. As I stood over him, I found myself crying while the memories of my old lover kept running through my brain.
I had done this to him...he was ill and practically dying because of me...
I could have killed him, but I could not bring myself to do it. I could have kidnapped him if I wanted, but I had nowhere to go. I could not go back to the empire unless Grayson was dead or I got the dragon egg, but suddenly I realized that this hybrid, whoever he was, cared about Grayson. I could not break his heart. Instead of killing them, I watched over them as much as I could. I did not go home...stupidly, I subconsciously declared that I no longer had a home. My only thoughts were on finding out the secret that hybrid had and his connection to my formal coworkers.
I was so thankful the day I learned that he has survived the poison. I followed them once more, watching as they went into that inn and met that elf, all the way to when Grayson's home was destroyed by mercenaries. After that, I lost track of them and once again I was consumed by a dreadful apathy.
For about two and a half months after I had lost him, I wandered the badlands and much of the area around it, then I went up to the east. Out of the blue, there he was. He stood tall, towering with his long legs. His rather long black and brunette hair cascading down his neck, his blue clothes bloodied and tattered. His eyes were beautiful, mismatched with unique, odd colors. Every time he spoke, I almost melted from his deep tone like precious silk. He sounded just like Collin... though with a voice a bit deeper than what I remembered.
He was all alone. What happened to Grayson and that elf? I hated the way I thought about him. I hated that I was so allured by him and felt a connection that I shouldn't have felt, yet I watched over him and was quick to find out that he was going through some emotional distress.
One day while I was keeping watch on him, still trying to gain the courage to properly introduce myself (hesitant after I had tried to kill him and Grayson), he looked out of it, staring blankly into space and suddenly dropping whatever he was doing. He eyes had lost their bright contrast. A feeling tugged at my chest once more. Why was he so sad? Was it because he was separated with his friends... Were they killed?
A few days into my watch, he must have finally broken down.
I remained hidden in the trees, keeping a far distance since I knew that magi were capable of sensing one's life force. I could hear the ocean crashing against the base of the mountain he began to ascend, my chest tightening up with pressure. It was not the usual pressure I felt while around him, but instead an intense uneasiness. I just knew that something was dearly wrong, considering the hybrid's recent emotional issues. I followed him all the way up the tall mountain that abruptly ended, a massive overhang dangling over the ocean below. I remembered over my time while spying over him that he hated both heights and the water, so this was most peculiar. I was uneasy and...scared. What was he doing?
He stood at the edge of the cliff, his body swaying slightly back and forth, his movements hesitate. Was he...planning to jump? My eyes grew as I was struck with a sense of panic, my heart racing. I was close to jumping down there and stopping him until he finally back away. I let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, he broke down crying, weeping into his hands. His pale human side grew red and was covered in steaming tears in little to no time. What had happened to him when I was not able to watch him that drove him to such an emotionally impaired state?
I looked away and placed my back against a tree, staring down at the ground. It tried to ignore him as the sound of his weeping sorrow blared out, telling myself to stop caring. No matter the similarities, it's all coincidence! He's not Collin! This man is my enemy and I should be happy for his death! But I wasn't. I despised the sickening thought. Listening to his distress filled me with my own turmoil as it unraveled pain and memories I had all but forgotten and had tried to lock away.
Back at the arctic, I once found Collin in his room crying after I got up to get a late night snack. I just stood out there and listened for awhile, wondering what was wrong. When I confronted him about it, all he said to me were words that chilled my blood.

  "If something ever happens to me, Luke...forget about me. Please."

  "Collin...I'll never forget about you! I'll never let myself forget! No matter what you say, you hear me?!"

He just laughed. "I care about you a lot, Luke. Just do what's for the best. You'll know what to do when the time comes."

I never understood why he would say such a thing or what he meant. At least not until he went missing, then I saw his body being possessed before I found myself in this world, when death should have found me instead. For the longest time, I wished it did, but I kept living. Living in hopes that he was out there, waiting for me to save him.
Collin was my everything, letting my affiliation with him consume me. It was more than a crush, and despite the blushing, I never found out if he truly felt the same.
I looked back up and sucked in a deep breath, turning to let my eyes rest on the hybrid after he let out a scream and collapsed to his knees. I could not take listening to it and watching him crumble in emotional agony. It almost physically pained me. I could not just stand there and watch him suffer.
I sighed and walked out onto the path, heat rising up my neck and into my cheeks, burning beneath my mask. I prepared to pull it down, sweat trailing down my face and clammy palm.

  "Hey!" I called out, pulling down my mask so my voice was not muffled.

The hybrid jumped, standing and spinning around, almost immediately drawing his diamond sword. The wind tugged at his messy hair, the light glistening in his teary eyes. His face scrunched up, red, covered in tears, and mucus beginning to slip from his nostrils. I could see the mixture of anger and sorrow in his expression and usually vibrant eyes that had slowly lost their metaphorical glow. He took his stance and prepared to fight, which I no longer had intention of instigating. Besides, with his current mindset, I had doubts he could withstand in a brawl.
I rolled my eyes, dropping my sword and lifting up my arms to the sides of my head to show him that I meant no harm. His hard gaze on me strengthened, and I saw his eye movement telling me that he was not satisfied. I huffed and slowly removed my bow and dagger, dropping them both onto the ground. He really is like Collin; stubborn.

I spoke up. "What's wrong with you? Why weep?"

He just growled at me. "Why do you care? Do you actually think I'll accept your condolences? After all, you tried to kill my friend and I."

He had a point. For some reason, I chuckled and put of a weak grin. "'Cause...you remind me of an old...friend. And if it means anything, I'm sorry for what I did to you and Grayson. The empire had a strong hold on me, but after meeting you...I had to break free. I quite being an assassin, and I haven't been back to the main cities of the empire since. I want to help you."

He hesitated but eventually sheathed his blade before hugging his arms. His feet moved back, still debating rather to trust me or not, and I do not blame him for being on the fence. I gasped when he started crying again, his shaking legs giving out and collapsing beneath himself. As if my instinct, I bolted towards him and fell to my knees in front of him. My hands rose up and cupped his cheeks, one soft and the other rough. I forced his head up and made our eyes lock.
He attempted to pull away, but bit his bottom lip and stopped resisting, continuing to sob. I loathed this more than my confusing feelings for him. I loathed his sorrow with a burning passion. I wanted to make him better.
I put my hands on his shoulders only for him to fall forward and put his head on my own shoulder, his face borrowing into my neck. My heart was racing so fast, my body feeling as if it were on fire. Suddenly, I felt pressure around my sides, my eyes averting to look down at his arms wrapped tightly around me, his body moving closer to practically pressed against mine. I could hardly breathe.
My arms slowly found their way around him, feeling the bones beneath his shirt and skin. My hand found it's way up and combed through his greasy hair in attempt to find a way to comfort him. It only felt right.

After a few minutes, he finally spoke to me, his voice breaking and hiccups breaching from his throat. "Wh-what's...y-your name? If you...d-don't mind me asking."

It was kind of painful to hear that question. If he is Collin...then he truly did not remember me. Comforting and laughing with one another. Solving problems, being there when the other needed help or giving a shoulder to cry on, making hats for each other! Our love... My love...

My eyes closed and I took in a deep breath, a faint smile rising on the corners of my lips and a blush sure to be on my cheeks. "Luke. My name is Luke"

He pulled away, sniffing and wiping his eyes. Even after just a moment, I yearned to feel him around me again. I had hardly noticed that I, too, was crying. How could I not? For the first time in years, after believing him to be dead, it was like I was holding Collin in my arms again.

His smiled warmed my heart. "That's a nice name...almost familiar!" It should be...right?

He laughed. Even his laugh was just like Collin's. I huffed, continuing to focus on similarities between this man and my past lover. I should not have been, but it was difficult not to.

  "So...what about your name?" I asked after swallowing a lump in my throat.

After my eyes scanned his body, my thoughts became jumbled up once more. He's so skinny...has he eaten?
His voice brought me back to the present. His eyes glittered, regaining that bright glow I had fallen for... that I loved. Love...I have not used that word for a person before me in so long. Can I even say that anymore?

  "Drake. Call me Drake, and...thank you. Thank you."

Drake. That repeated in my mind over and over again. Not Collin...but still just as lovely. My face began to get warm again, my stomach filling with butterflies. I was growing nervous but I was still greatly concerned about his wellbeing. Even so, I could not fight back my smile.

I loved saying his name. "No problem... Drake...Really rolls off the tongue." I was so anxious. Am I being too direct? I don't even know his sexuality! He's probably not even gay or bisexual...

I looked into his eyes, memories of my former lover flashing in front of his own image like a ghost. Beautiful eyes, bright, gorgeous smile mirroring Collin's image. I barely noticed my hands slowly getting closer to his and myself slowly leaning closer to his face. I pulled away before anything got intimate. Finally, I asked him why he was crying and why he was going to do...what he was going to do.

He sighed. "My brother died...not too long ago. I just keep feeling like it's my fault. And I'm not even sure if Grayson and Mia are still alive...I guess all the guilt just finally crashed down on me."

I looked down, trying to feel sympathy for him...I barely cared for his brother, having not known him to my knowledge, but I did care that it affected Drake. I stood up, gently pulling him up with me. I forgot how tall he was. It was enough to make my back shudder, his stretching height almost intimidating, but unique. I smiled I hopes that it would lift his spirits.

  "I'm sorry about that. But I'm sure that you're friends are still okay out there! And...they may not be here with you right now, but I am, and I'm not leaving you. If you feel that it will help to talk about it, I'm all ears." I assured him.

He smiled, the red already present in his cheeks keeping me from knowing if he was blushing. He sniffed and let out another hiccup, wiping his eye one last time. "It's a long story. I'm sure you don't want to hear all of it."

I lowered a brow. "Trust me. I do, but only if you're comfortable with it."

His eyes reignited with that light I adored so much. "...okay, I guess. But it's quite long." I loved his laugh that he released. For the first time in years, I felt happy and relaxed. In his gaze and having that smile shine down on me, I felt at peace.

  "Take all the time you need. I'm listening."

I cherished his happiness. It was like a gift from heaven! He himself was like an angel sent to lift me from the apathy and sorrow I had shrouded within myself for years. After losing Collin, I lost everything. I cared about nothing and no one. I hid how numb I felt. I never thought that my frozen heart would ever be thawed. I never thought I'd ever fall for anyone again. I suppose I was wrong.