For months, Lira and Caleb spent time together in Dead Valley Gardens. Caleb would still get abused, and it did get worse over time but that didn't stop him from seeing Lira. They would talk, walk under the twisted trees that surrounded the gardens, and sometimes sit in silence while keeping each other side by side.
Lately, Caleb began to learn a lot from her, concepts he hadn't known before. Lira taught him some vocabulary words that would change his understanding of everything. The lessons, as painful as they sometimes were, helped him grow. (Lira 8 years old. Caleb 7 years old)
But with Lira by his side, the pain didn't seem quite as unbearable. She had become a lifeline, a reason to keep moving, to keep hoping, despite the trauma that still loomed over him.
Caleb's head rested on Lira's lap, closing his eyes. Lira's fingers tangled into his hair tenderly. "I don't want anything to end between us, Lira." Caleb muttered.
"Me too, Caleb…"
Each time Caleb visited, the weight of unspoken emotions thickened the air.
There had been a quiet connection between them, but maybe it was best—
to leave it unexplored.
But one day, Caleb stopped visiting Lira for many months since he actually broke both of his legs through torment and wanted to recover before seeing his one and only friend.
Lira…I wonder if she's waiting for me?.. Caleb smiled subconsciously, he brought a bouquet of black roses with him. He knew Lira would be there, waiting for him(?) Where else would she go when she wanted some peace? The thought of seeing her again made his heart race—he didn't understand this feeling but either way it felt nice. Lira was the only person that could help him forget all that abuse, for a little while.
Lira Brenan was also in the same boat as Caleb. She experienced abuse by both of her parents, bullied by her friends, and was called a disgrace many times. But at that point she didn't care, there were only two things she cared about; Caleb and... The guitar. That guitar was given by her older brother, her brother was a child of kindness. He experienced much worse than Caleb. He hung himself. Experiencing that level of pain—both physically and mentally but a hundred times worse. It's quite unbearable… Worst of all, Lira saw it all—and did nothing. Understandable. She was powerless, weak. She was only 5 years old at that time. Her brother was 13.
A note left on her brother's guitar when he hung himself:
"I'm sorry that I got to let you see just how pathetic and how much of a coward your brother is. I couldn't bear it, I'm sorry. I just realized now that I'm gone you'll be the one taking the hits… If I could take that pain from here, with me, I would. Every last bit of it. Funny. You always thought that I was the strong one, but really, I'm not. You're the reason I held on for as long as I did. I wish I could've held on longer.
Hey Lira? Live your own life, alright? Don't let others' words get to you. Chase the dream I won't get to see. You'll be okay. Not right away. But soon. And my guitar. Yes, I know that old ugly thing, even though it looks ugly you always told me that you wanted to have it. Take it. It's yours now. Play it when you're angry. Play when you can't breath how heavy the world feels. Let it be the way you let things out. And when you get older, find someone that makes you feel like home—find someone that makes you happy. Not just someone who fills that emptiness. Not someone who looks good in mirrors. Someone who sees you. This sounded corny as I wrote this but what else am I supposed to write? Live freely, alright Lira?"
— Love
Luca
<...>
Eventually, Caleb arrived. The air was different, weird. The sky was a lot darker, and there he saw Lira standing there. He rushed towards her, "Lira!!"
She flinched, turning her head toward him, her silver eyes were cold, her expression distant and unreadable.
Did Lira change that much while I was gone?..
"Lira?..What's wrong?..." Caleb walked closer, grabbing her hand but she pulled away almost immediately. The bouquet of flowers Caleb held slipped out of his grip.
"S-stay away from me, Caleb." Lira lashed out, clutching her hand, tears starting to form.
"Wwhat? Did I do something wrong?..." Caleb winced at Lira's harsh tone.
"Y-you're a mistake, Caleb. You wanna know the truth why the King hates you so much? You were the reason why your mother died. Your birth was the cause of your torment. You're pathetic, Caleb. A failure. A mistake. You'll never be good enough for anyone, including me."
"What?... You don't mean tha—"
"I MEAN IT, CALEB!"
Caleb's mind whirled, he stood frozen. The girl who had once shown him kindness, who understood him, who wraps bandages around his wounds, the first person he has ever hugged, who shared her world with him was now telling him that he was nothing? It was just like his father always said.
He tried to speak, but the words were stuck in his throat. It felt like everything(Lira) he had clung to was all being ripped away in that moment.
She didn't mean what she said, right?.. The words, every moment we had? They were genuine! True!.. I don't understand..?
"I—I thought you were my friend?" Caleb mumbled through his tears.
Lira flinched, stepping back, "I was your friend…We were friends, everything we had was true..-" she said between quiet sobs, "But I can't…I can't…"
"Y—You can't what?.."
"Caleb. Just… Don't ever see me again… It's for the best. I mean everything I said." Lira's voice crack, filled with unspoken feelings.
"B—But—"
"CALEB, JUST PLEASE LEAVE!!!"
Caleb winced. His knees felt weak, the torment Caleb received from his father and the people around him, the emotional wounds that had been festering for so long, now felt like nothing compared to the crushing weight of Lira's words.
"O-Okay…" Caleb made his leave, leaving the bouquet of black roses he dropped.
I-...She didn't mean those words, I'm sure of it!... But, what if she did? I can't do anything about it either way…If that's what she wants then I'll gladly accept. I prefer to watch her from afar…I hope you remain happy and free, Lira ... .I wish I told you sooner, to tell you that I'm content with you, and that I wish to run away with you…It's too late now, I'm sorry.
<...>
No, no, no, no, NO… What is wrong with me?? Why–why did I listen to them? I lost him…I lost my one and only friend… A friend that I loved.
Lira stared at the bouquet of black roses on the ground and picked them up, holding them against her chest.
Brother…I just lost the only person that felt like home and the only one that made me happy…I'm so fucking stupid, why did I listen to them?. Me and Caleb, we could've ran away, together and maybe live happily from there? Me playing my guitar, humming lullabies?! I'm sure he felt the same?!? No. What am I talking about? I'm thinking selfishly,
I wanna die… I hope you find someone, Caleb. Someone who's better than me…Someone who isn't as selfish as me.
A few months ago as the visits from Caleb paused.
"Caleb…I miss you, are you okay?..." Lira curled into a ball, her guitar set aside.
Incoming footsteps approached Lira, "Caleb—?" Lira raised her head, eyes widening in horror.
Princes of the court, the same ones that gave torment to Caleb.
"Huh? I didn't expect that bastard to be friends with this chic?" one said, an ugly smirk curved their lips.
Lira growled, "Caleb is no bastard—"
One of them slapped her, "Then what is he? Your boyfriend?" they mocked, laughing hysterically.
Lira's jaw tightened, her knuckles turned white—she charged at one of them throwing brutal punches, "ACK!! This bitch—get her!"
…
One of them pulled her hair and kept her still, "Because of you, that bastard is avoiding our daily sessions!!! Hm. Hey that guitar, one of you give me it."
"MMPHH!!!"
"Oh? Is this really special to you? Perhaps more special than that wimp." he examined the guitar confusingly, "Hahaha! I could easily break this with just a flick of my finger."
"MmpH–G-et your hands—-MMpH!"
"I don't listen to those below me. Keep moving and I'll break this." he said, his tone changed sharply
".."
"Heh good girl. Let's make a deal, hm?"
All Lira could do was glare at the prince.
"Tsk, feisty. I want you to leave Caleb."
Lira flinched.
What??? Leave Caleb? For my guitar?! That guitar…Has always been with me, and Caleb…Well… I–I love Caleb as much as I love my guitar. Wait. Love Caleb?
Lira's heart throbbed painfully.
"Let her speak. So? Your decision?"
"Okay.. I'll leave Caleb, alone…"
Shame on you
"Hah? So easy to convince." he tossed the guitar back to Lira.
Selfish bitch.
<...>
That has to be my biggest regret…Ever.
<...>
The next few days.
Lira didn't mean those words anymore… That same thought seemed to repeat in Caleb's head ever since that day. He was starting to feel paranoid, desperate. He visited Dead Valley gardens again, hoping to just find her there still.
It took him a while since he recently just twisted his ankle after receiving the same daily torment. As he arrived, his words and breath were caught in his throat. Traumatized. Lira. There she was, hung motionless against the twisted trunk where they always sat. Her body swayed in the breeze. On the ground lay her guitar, shattered, its strings snapped like the remnants of a final, broken song.
In that moment, Caleb's world fell completely silent.
He froze, he refused to accept what his eyes were telling him. He drew closer. Lira's body was marked with terrible wounds—dark, ragged traces of suffering that made his stomach twist. The sight carved in his memory.
A choked sound escaped his throat, and before he knew it he was on his knees, fingers clawing into the dirt as if he needed something to keep himself from falling apart completely. His vision blurred and he couldn't tell if it was from shock or the tears spilling down his face. He lost it. He cried, shaking sobs that echoed through Dead Valley Gardens, the only answer to the silence Lira left behind him.
Why? Why? WHY??? I shouldn't have left her, IF I CAME SOONER…
Eventually, with trembling hands, he forced himself to move.
He took a step towards her, mumbling unnecessary apologies no one could hear, and gently removed the ropes that bound her neck—carefully. Her body felt unbearably light in his arms lowering her to the ground—as if her soul was the only heavy thing about her. He stayed beside her like that for a long time—hours maybe, or something that felt like days—and finally accepted what he should do next. His mind was blank.
He was driven by love, guilt, and the desperate need to give her the peace she most needed after all she's been through. The earth was hard, unyielding, but he clawed it with his bare hands. Day by day he worked, restless, starving but that didn't stop him. Dirt packed his nails; his fingers bled and twisted, yet he didn't feel the pain. Nothing mattered except giving Lira the rest she needed.
At last he buried her, he stood before the fresh soil, shaking, exhausted, numb. With one final surge of love, he turned to the tree and carved her name onto its bark.
Li
Each stroke was rough and desperate.
Lira Bre
Fueled by grief so sharp it cut deeper than his bleeding fingers ever could. But he couldn't stop until her name stood clear and permanent, etched into the world the way she had been etched into him.
Lira Brenan
<...>
Months past, and yet nothing in Caleb's world changed. He went through the same cruelty, the same voices, the torment followed him each and every day. The weight of it all pressed on him. Every waking moment, one thought repeated itself endlessly: Lira.
He saw her everywhere—in the corners of his chambers, in the silence between his heartbeats.
There were many moments—many of them—when he tried to escape the pain, eyes searching and reaching for anything sharp or dangerous, anything that might make everything stop entirely. But his father and the people who tormented him wouldn't even allow him to do such a thing. Not out of care but they wanted to decide his fate themselves. A cruel world indeed.
He reached his breaking point. The same feeling Lira had taken, whispering that there was only one way to quiet the chaos. He found himself preparing to follow that same path Lira took. He was convinced that this was the only way to make this pain finally end. But before he acted on that thought, he dreamed.
He stood still in a wide sunlit field, carpeted with blooming flowers of all variations. The air smelled sweet, warm and nostalgic. It was like Dead Valley Gardens but if it hadn't existed in the Demon Realm. At the center of that field was Lira.(?)
She didn't have those wounds, bandages or scars that surrounded her body, she wasn't even wearing those ruined rags either. She wore a white gown, her guitar slung easily over her shoulder as it had never been shattered. When she turned to him, she smiled—soft and full of warmth.
Lira stepped toward him, the flowers swayed around her. Caleb couldn't breath—he couldn't. She reached out to cup his cheek with steady hands. The warmth coming from the palm of her hands felt so real like no other dream he ever experienced. Instinctively leaning into her touch. Lira pressed her forehead gently against his.
"Caleb," she whispered, her voice soft and gentle, "You're still young… Doing it to see me is not an exception."
Her thumb brushed away a tear that trailed down his face.
"You still have a long way to go… You can escape this endless torment, you can live freely, Caleb. Please. Do it for me?" her voice trembled slightly.
"I–.." Caleb's chest tightened, not with despair, but something that hurt yet healing at the same time.
"You're not meant to disappear from this world yet. You still have a lot to learn, Caleb. Keep going. For both of us."
Those were the last words Lira said to him, the dream slowly vanished in an instant.
Caleb woke with a violent gasp, the echo of Lira's voice ringed his ears. His eyes darted at the set up in which he was about to prepare to end it all. His hands trembled, shaking his head violently, "No…no."
The air was cold and suffocating with the metallic smell of blood and cruelty. But then his eyes catched a small silver light in the corner.
The door.
A slit, barely open.
He moved toward it slowly at first, afraid it was an illusion. But as he reached it, he heard nothing—no footsteps, no whispers, not a single laugh from the people who tormented him. The hallway was beyond empty. Everyone was asleep.
Lira's voice echoed his mind again:
"Live freely…escape this endless torment."
Caleb inhaled deeply, and pressed his fingers against the door. It creaked—but wasn't enough to wake everyone in the palace up. He slipped through the door. Leaving the palace almost immediately. Caleb didn't look back. He couldn't. He didn't want to. The cold air struck his face, but to him it felt like freedom as he pushed past the ancient gates—escaping the Demon Realm.
He ran.
When his lungs burned, he laughed. "Hahaha!" smiling stupidly. He ran across twisted plains, past the cliffs. None of it mattered. Until he reached the barrier that divided the two realms. A rippling barrier of faint gold and silver. He didn't care what the Human Realm had to offer, he wanted a fresh start.
He approached slowly, and with one final breath he stepped through the barrier. Pure warmth washed over him—sunlight, real sunlight—touching his scarred skin like a blessing.
Caleb felt alive.
"For you, Lira…I'll live."
<...>
Hungry…Honestly I don't know where I am. I didn't expect this type of freedom. I guess the feeling seems to only last for a while.
…
What the—
"Daddy!!! I want to get this one!" a young beautiful girl gestured eagerly.
Caleb winced at the girl's voice, taking a few steps back before she grabbed his hand firmly.
What the?...She reminds me of her?... Enough, Caleb. Perhaps this will be a fresh start for me. I'm scared, but… do I have any other choice?