After the First Mission
The mission had been a success, despite the unexpected mid-level Wanderer. Nana's team returned to headquarters buzzing with excitement, already bonding over their first real combat experience.
Xavier filed the mission report with his usual efficiency, but Nana noticed how his hands trembled slightly as he typed. How he had to blink several times like his vision was blurring. How when he thought no one was looking, he pressed a hand against his chest like
something hurt.
But when she asked if he was okay, he just smiled and said he was tired.
"Come on,"
Nana grabbed his arm as they left headquarters.
"Let's celebrate! First mission complete! I'm buying steamed buns!"
Xavier's smile became genuine.
"You're always hungry after missions."
"Fighting Wanderers is exhausting! I need fuel!"
Nana tugged him toward her favorite street vendor—an elderly woman who made the best red bean buns in Linkon.
"Besides, you need to eat too. You barely touched breakfast."
They bought a bag of steaming buns and bubble tea, then found themselves naturally wandering back to their apartment complex. The sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of amber and gold, and Nana felt contentment settle into her bones.
This. This was nice. Having a friend who understood the hunter life, who didn't mind her appetite or her enthusiasm, who looked at her like she was something precious even when she was being ridiculous.
"Here!"
Nana shoved a bun into Xavier's hand, then immediately bit into her own. The sweet red bean filling was still hot, and she made an undignified noise of happiness.
Xavier watched her with that soft expression he got sometimes—fond and sad in equal measure. Then he reached out and poked her cheek.
"Hey!"
Nana tried to protest, but her mouth was full of bun, making her cheeks puff out even more.
Xavier poked again. And again. His smile widening with each poke as Nana's cheeks inflated like a hamster storing food for winter.
"Xavier, stop!"
Nana swatted at his hand, glaring. "Hmp!"
"Starlight, slowly. Don't chew like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you've been starving."
But Xavier's voice was warm, affectionate. His fingers lingered on her cheek for just a moment longer than necessary, and something in his expression made Nana's heart skip.
"I'm a growing girl! I need nutrition!"
Nana took another aggressive bite of her bun to prove her point.
Xavier laughed—really laughed—and the sound was so beautiful that Nana found herself staring. When was the last time she'd heard him laugh like that? Unguarded and genuine?Not often enough, she decided.
They ended up on Xavier's balcony as the sun finished setting, sitting side by side on the floor with their backs against the railing, the bag of buns between them. The stars were starting to appear in the darkening sky, and Linkon's city lights created a beautiful backdrop.
"I like this,"
Nana said softly, pulling her knees up to her chest.
"Just... existing. With you. It feels peaceful."
Xavier was quiet for a moment.
"I like it too."
"Do you have family, Xavier? You never talk about them."
"No. Not anymore. They're... gone."
"I'm sorry."
Nana leaned her head against his shoulder. "My parents died when I was young. Car accident. I don't remember them much, which makes me feel guilty sometimes. Like I should remember more. Should grieve harder."
"Grief isn't measured in tears, Starlight. You carry them with you in different ways."
Xavier's arm came around her shoulders naturally.
"I'm sure they'd be proud of you. Their daughter, a hunter protecting people."
"You think so?"
"I know so."
They fell into comfortable silence, watching the stars emerge one by one. Nana started counting them out loud—a habit from childhood that she'd never broken.
"247... 248... 249..."
She could feel Xavier's gaze on her face rather than the sky. When she glanced up at him, she caught that expression again—the one where he looked at her like he was memorizing every detail. Like he was afraid she'd disappear if he looked away.
His eyes were slightly red, she noticed. Like he'd been crying, or holding back tears. But when he noticed her noticing, he smiled—that carefully constructed smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Xavier,"
Nana said softly.
"Are you... are you okay? Really?"
"I'm fine. Just tired."
But his arm tightened around her shoulders. "Keep counting. I like listening to your voice."
So Nana counted stars, her voice getting slower and drowsier as exhaustion from the day caught up with her.
Xavier's chest rose and fell steadily beneath her cheek, his heartbeat a soothing rhythm.
Looking up at him in profile, with starlight illuminating his features, Nana was struck by how ethereal he looked.
His silver hair almost seemed to glow. His pale skin was luminous. His blue eyes reflected the stars like they contained entire galaxies.
He looked like something not quite human.
Something beautiful and otherworldly and impossibly sad.
"The stars must be lonely,"
Nana murmured, her words slurring slightly with sleep.
Xavier's expression turned bittersweet. He looked up at the sky—really looked, like he was seeing old friends he'd left behind.
"Indeed," he said quietly.
"Stars are much farther from Earth compared to the moon. Humans rarely visit them. They must be really lonely up there. Cold and distant and watching everything from afar."
"Then what about..." Nana yawned, her thoughts getting fuzzy.
"What about someday we bring a star to our home? So it doesn't have to be lonely anymore?"
Her head was getting heavy. The warmth of Xavier's body, the comfort of his presence, the exhaustion from her first mission—it all combined to pull her toward sleep.
Xavier carefully adjusted her position, gathering her more securely into his arms so her head rested properly against his chest instead of at an awkward angle.
"But how could we do that?"
Xavier's voice was barely a whisper, like he was talking to himself more than her.
"How do you capture starlight and bring it home?"
"Maybe it's easier for a star to land on Earth and stay by your side"
Xavier gently pressed his lips to the top of nana head.
His hand came up to touch his chest, where his light evol pulsed weakly. Where his connection to Philos was slowly draining away. Where his power—his very essence—was beginning to fade.He'd noticed it weeks ago.
The way his teleportation took more energy than it should. How his light evol flickered sometimes when it used to be steady. The exhaustion that no amount of sleep could fix. The cold that had started seeping into his bones.
Philos was calling him back. The kingdom he'd abandoned centuries ago, the throne he'd rejected, the stars he'd rebelled against—they wanted their Crown Star returned.
And Xavier's time on Earth was running out.
He'd known this was coming. Had known since the Qing Dynasty, when he'd faded after losing Nana and their unborn child. He'd returned to the cosmos, become one with the starlight, remained there for decades before somehow being pulled back to Earth.
The cycle had repeated several times since then. Die, fade, return to Philos, eventually be drawn back to Earth to search for her again.
But this time felt different. This time, the pull was stronger. More insistent. Like Philos was done being patient, done letting its wayward star play at being human.
This time, when he faded, he might not come back.
Xavier looked down at Nana's sleeping face—so peaceful, so trusting, completely unaware of the tragedy unfolding around her. In three years, she would turn twenty-three. And if the curse held true, she would die one day before that birthday.
But Xavier was starting to realize: he might not make it to see her twenty-third birthday.
He might fade before then.
For the first time in centuries of watching her die, Xavier might be the one who left firstThe irony was devastating. The one thing he'd never allowed himself to hope for—that he'd be the one to go, that she'd be spared the curse for once—was happening. But not in any way that would save her.
He'd fade into stardust, return to Philos. And she'd live on for a few more years, completely unaware of the lifetimes they'd shared. Then the curse would claim her anyway, and Xavier wouldn't be there to hold her as she died.
She'd die alone.
That thought was unbearable.
"I'm sorry, Starlight," Xavier whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.
"I'm sorry I'm fading. Sorry I won't be able to protect you much longer. Sorry that after centuries of losing you, you're finally going to lose me."
His light evol flickered weakly around them—a soft glow that illuminated Nana's peaceful face. Xavier memorized this moment: her weight in his arms, her warmth against his chest, her trust that he'd keep her safe.
Even though he was breaking that trust. Even though he was leaving her.
Carefully, Xavier stood with Nana cradled in his arms. She mumbled something in her sleep, instinctively curling closer to his warmth. His Starlight, always seeking light even in unconsciousness.
He carried her up the stairs to her apartment—she'd given him a spare key weeks ago, "for emergencies"—and let himself in quietly. Her apartment was cheerful and cluttered, so different from his own minimalist space. Photos on the walls, plants by the windows, colorful pillows on the couch.Evidence of a life being lived fully, joyfully, without the weight of centuries dragging everything down.
Xavier tucked Nana into her bed, pulling the blankets up to her chin. She smiled in her sleep, and something in Xavier's chest cracked.
I don't want to leave you, he thought desperately. I don't want to fade. I want to stay. I want to see you grow older, achieve your dreams, live the life you deserve. I want to finally break the curse, save you, watch you survive past twenty-three for once.
But Philos is calling me home. And I don't have the strength to refuse anymore.
Xavier's hand brushed Nana's cheek one last time. The star mark on her palm—visible where her hand rested on top of the blanket—glowed faintly, responding to his touch even in sleep.
Their connection. Their curse. Their eternal bond that neither death nor time could break.
"It's easier for a star to land on Earth and stay by your side,"
Xavier repeated the words softly.
" Do you know starlight? Instead of bring the star home It is easier for a star to land on earth.Landing here, finding you, loving you, even though I will losing you. Over and over."
He leaned down and kissed her forehead gently—a goodbye she wouldn't remember.
"But this time,"
he whispered against her skin,
"this time I'm the one who has to go. And I don't know if I'll find my way back to you again."
His light evol pulsed weakly—barely visible now, like a candle guttering out.
Xavier straightened, took one last look at Nana's sleeping face, and left her apartment quietly.
Downstairs in his own unit, he collapsed onto his couch, exhaustion crashing over him. His body felt heavy. Cold. His connection to his powers was fraying like old rope.
The three tassels on the shelf caught his eye—gifts from three lifetimes, three deaths, three versions of the same love story. He'd kept them pristine for centuries, a promise that he'd always remember, always come back, always choose her.
But now, looking at them, Xavier wondered: what happened when the star finally burned out?
What happened when there was no one left to remember?
Xavier closed his eyes, his hand pressed against his chest where his heart beat sluggishly. The stars outside his windowpulsed in rhythm with his fading power, calling him home.
Just a little longer, he prayed to whatever force governed their curse. Give me just a little more time with her. Let me see her smile a few more times. Let me protect her for a few more months. Please.
The stars remained silent.
Xavier's light dimmed a fraction more.
And in her apartment upstairs, Nana slept peacefully, dreaming of stars that wanted to come down to Earth, completely unaware that her star was slowly fading out.
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Two Weeks Later
Xavier's condition worsened gradually enough that Nana didn't notice at first.
He was still her neighbor, still her senior at work, still the person she grabbed coffee with before missions. But the signs were there, growing more obvious each day.
He moved slower. His teleportation started failing—sometimes he'd try to flash across the training room and only make it halfway, stumbling as his power cut out mid-transport. His light evol flickered erratically, and twice during missions, it went dark completely for a few seconds.
"Xavier, you should see a doctor,"
Nana insisted after one particularly rough training session where he'd nearly collapsed.
"I'm fine. Just tired."
"You're always tired lately! And you look pale. And you barely eat. Xavier, please—"
"I said I'm fine!."
His voice was sharper than intended, and Nana flinched.
Xavier immediately softened, reaching out to touch her arm.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. I just... I'm dealing with some things. Personal things. Nothing for you to worry about."
But Nana did worry. Especially when she started noticing other changes.
His hands were always cold now, even on warm days.
Sometimes when he thought no one was looking, he'd press a hand against his chest and wince like something hurt. His eyes—those beautiful blue eyes—seemed dimmer somehow. Less vibrant. Like a light slowly fading.
And at night, when Nana couldn't sleep and looked out her window, she'd see Xavier on his balcony staring up at the stars with an expression of such profound loneliness that it broke her heart.
He was dying.She didn't know how she knew, but she knew. Xavier was dying, and he was trying to hide it from her, and Nana had no idea what to do about it.
So she did the only thing she could: she stayed close. Made sure he ate. Invited him over for dinner every night. Texted him constantly to check in. Refused to let him pull away even when he tried.
If Xavier was fading, Nana was determined to make sure he didn't fade alone.
Even if she didn't understand why it felt like her heart was breaking.
Even if she couldn't shake the feeling that losing Xavier would hurt worse than anything she'd ever experienced.
Even if sometimes, when he looked at her with those sad, ancient eyes, she felt like she was remembering something important that she'd forgotten.
Something about stars and lifetimes and love that transcended death itself.
But those thoughts slipped away like smoke whenever she tried to grasp them, leaving only a vague ache in her chest and the certainty that Xavier was running out of time.
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⭐⭐⭐
To be continued __