Prologue
The sky was pale and quiet when I arrived. A thin breeze brushed past, carrying the scent of grass and rain-soaked earth. The cemetery was empty, just rows of gray stones, standing still beneath the early morning light.
I walked until I found them.
Two familiar names carved side by side, worn faintly by time.
My knees bent automatically as I crouched before their graves. I brushed away a few fallen leaves, then reached into my bag and pulled out a small cloth. Bit by bit, I cleaned the dust off the stone, tracing my fingers carefully along each engraved letter. First my father's, then my mother's.
When the surface looked clean enough, I rested my palm gently against the cold stone and smiled faintly.
"… Dad, Mom. Long time no see, right?"
My voice came out softer than I intended. "It's been, what? Five years? Since the last time I came here."
A small laugh escaped me, awkward and quiet. "I've been doing fine, really. Auntie and Uncle have been treating me well. I'm sorry I couldn't come often. You know how it is… life keeps pulling me around."
I hesitated, then smiled again. "Oh, and—can you believe it? I'm twenty now. Your son's grown up. Well… only in age, not height. Still stuck at the same number."
A breathy chuckle left my lips, but it faded almost as soon as it came.
"Anyway, I'm trying, you know? To live properly. To be someone you would be proud of."
I leaned closer, brushing my thumb over the carved letters again, slower this time.
"So many things have happened lately… things I still don't fully understand. Sometimes I wake up and wonder how everything changed so fast."
For a long moment, I just knelt there, my hand brushing gently against the smooth stone, tracing over their names as if I could still feel their warmth beneath it.
"Mom, Dad… actually…" I murmured, my voice catching halfway through.
"There's someone I once made a promise to," I continued softly. "A promise I truly meant to keep."
My words trailed off, swallowed by the still air. "I don't even know when things started to go wrong. Because in the end…"
A faint, shaky breath escaped me. "Am I a terrible person?" I whispered, barely audible. "For breaking such a promise?"
The words stung even as I said them. "I didn't want to. I really didn't. I thought… if I just kept enduring a little longer, maybe things would change."
My voice wavered. "But in the end, it didn't turn out the way I hoped. Maybe I was just naive. Or maybe… some things just aren't meant to be."
I let out a small, awkward laugh. "Well, what does a twenty-year-old like me even know, right?"
A faint, bitter smile tugged at my lips.
"But it's over now. And I've made peace with it, or at least I'm trying to."
The silence that followed pressed heavily against my chest. I drew in a slow breath and forced a faint smile.
"Well, Mom, Dad, you probably don't even know what I'm talking about, right? But don't worry too much about me, okay? I'll be fine. I promise."
The leaves rustled faintly, as if answering me in their own way. I stayed there for a while longer, just listening to the stillness.
Then, behind me, I heard footsteps approaching softly on the gravel.
A gentle tap landed on my shoulder.
"Shall we go now?"
I turned slightly and looked up.
Sera stood, leaning slightly toward me, her calm eyes meeting mine. The faint scent of her perfume drifted through the cool morning air. A gentle breeze passed between us, brushing a few strands of her hair across her face before she tucked them behind her ear with quiet grace.
I let out a quiet breath and smiled.
"Yeah… let's go."
As we walked away together, the wind carried the faint sound of rustling leaves behind us—soft, almost like a farewell.