chapter iv

Long strands of silver graced her head. Wrinkled sheets of skin blanketed her entire being. The only thing that remained the same were her eyes; ebony irises that gave an obvious tell that she was the girl I followed all this time. Sitting right beside her was him who looked like he never aged. My gaze landed on the bedside calendar that said, March 21. As the clock ticked, her life started to slip through her fingers. The calendar pages rustled, as the faint blue being appeared once more. “I warned you, foolish one,” it spoke in a deep voice. “You were never hope.” “My life, in exchange for hers,” the boy replied with tear-filled eyes and a shaky voice. With a sing-song tone, the being answered, “I don’t make that kind of bargain.” “What if I put my immortality on the table? Does that pique your interest?” The unseen being paused in its tracks, and with a snarky voice, it replied, “I’m listening.” “I revoke my immortality, my name, my birthright, in exchange for her life.” Silence occupied the room, and after a minute or so, “Very well.” The exchange was about to be made when the girl reached for his hand. Tears trickled down her cheek as she looked at his soaking eyes. Her gaze turned to the blue being when she said:

“I get a wish, right? I was the one who followed the fallen star.” Seeming to be very intrigued, the faint blue force listened. “I wish for him to live instead.”

“No! No, no, no.” He shouted as he stood up from the chair. “You’re supposed to grant a wish. I’m desperate but pure, aren’t I?” She gently tightened her grip on his hand.

other. Cries in protest paraded on one side of the room, while tears of goodbye hailed on the

“Grant the wish, immortal,” the being ordered. Stroking his hair, she said, “I will die either way. Please, let go.” His eyes were brimming with tears as he sobbed on her chest. He lifted his head up and cupped her face with both hands as he whispered, “I will find you. In this life, and the next. In this world, or another. I will find you.” “Wait for me, then,” she replied with a faint smile. He pulled away from her, his eyes now burning red, and did the deed. When fragments of her being fluttered into the wind like the ash remnants of burnt paper, he fell to his knees and cried out in pain. “What a costly price to pay,” the being declared, vanishing into oblivion.

Snap! I jolted up—finding myself in the exact same room, with the quack beside me. Tears drenched my face while I let out shaky, unstable breaths. “You okay?” A deep, sultry voice asked. I looked beyond her shoulder and saw Noah leaning against a shelf. “What are you doing here?” I groaned from the discomfort. He answered with another question, “How did I look back then?” “What do you mean?”

offered. With both his hands tucked in his front pockets, he said, “I did what you asked.” My brows furrowed in confusion, as I gulped down the glass of water the quack

“I waited patiently,” he continued. My eyes widened, my whole body froze, and I slowly looked back towards him. His irises turned red and a soft smile formed on his face, as he playfully asked, “Ready to sin again?”