Jon, one thing I've learned about life is that people are responsible for making it difficult.

???

HORROR MOVIES PORTRAY THE FOREST as a hunting ground for demons and creature that attacks people, but it's not what I'd say.

Time is relatively unclear when it comes to living in a century where clocks aren't made. However, I could tell it was past four in the morning as the surrounding had become chillier. Mist accompanied the trees on higher ground. I raise my chin to the dark blue sky, the color of the deep sea, and clouds sprawl as far as the eyes can see. The moon hides behind them, leaving a fading light in the sky. I always knew the night holds many mysteries that can either be calming or the opposite, but today I discovered there's beauty in it too. The sky before dawn was like a dress made by Aphrodite. Any maiden wears it, she'd shine brighter than even the queen of a kingdom. Her beauty bewitches everyone around her. They're compelled to take her in as hard as they try to resist. The sky is like that sometimes, simple yet elegant.

The night orchestra simmered at this hour; owls remained superior with their calls from miles away. Though the leaves crunching beneath my feet are louder than them as I follow Alex—I can't believe I just said that—to wherever he's taking me. He remained quiet since the unknown expedition started, and I worried, thinking I had fallen for another one of Dolus's traps.

"Where are we going?" I interrupt after hours of silence.

"You'll see," he responds, hunching over a branch in his way, and then I did too.

I realized the further we went, the steeper the ground became. At some point, I had to use all my strength to ensure I did not lose balance and slide down to the end. The weight of my wings isn't helping. Alex is walking just fine with his hands in his pockets, as though he's immune to death if he falls.

Or maybe he is.

Is he a ghost? I don't know. He is tangible, and his skin is ice cold most of the time, but his eyes are alive, and his voice is exactly how I remembered it. He lacks the height, though, as for once, I'm taller than him. Am I happy about that? Absolutely. When we were younger, he'd mock my height by resting his elbow on my head. I stopped growing taller in high school, but he continues to, and shit, that's just not fair. He's already a tower; what's next? He'll be the new tower of babel?

Now that the table had turned, I couldn't help but scoot closer and compare our height, and seeing his head next to my shoulder made me pounce with joy in my mind.

"The silence is killing me, you know that?" I speak. "I mean, how would you react if someone you loved for years had died and suddenly returned as though their passing never happened?"

"Well, I'll start by saying, you've never looked better," he dodged a lower branch while I slammed into it. They tasted... earthy. He laughs, waiting for me to catch up as I spit the taste off my tongue.

"Thanks for the warning," I said sarcastically.

He reaches for my hair, pulling out a single leaf I've missed.

"Honestly, I don't know what you want me to say, J," he sighs, twirling the leaf with his fingers. They were pale as though his blood had been sucked clean from his body. "Life after death isn't as simple as humans perceive it to be. And I'm not allowed to expose the secrets of the universe."

His grip loosened as the leaf fell to the ground. I pan up to see him looking at me with his gray orbs. The color remained, but there was something different about them, and I couldn't put my finger on it.

"All I can say is, don't worry too much about the afterlife. Whatever is meant to happen, will happen. It's out of our hands," he smiles a sad smile. "Like my murder."

He back a few steps before turning and continuing walking. I trail along as always.

"It's not fair. Every time I allow myself to feel something, I'd always end up disappointing myself," I mutter, but due to the quiet environment, I'm sure he heard me. "I wish you were still here."

"Me too," he responds after a while, still walking.

...

"We're here," he stops, and I'm lost. The sky is brighter here, and we're still in the woods. Only mother natures' best work was done here. The uneven earth was layered with thick, lush moss, the tree's vines draped with various lengths, a couple of foxes with their bushy tail playing in the distance, and birds darting from tree to tree. It's a forest from those fairytale books, maybe Swan Lake.

Alex and I stood on a hill where aged growths surrounded the rocky surface.

"Where is here?" I ask.

His eyes glance around, ensuring we're the only ones here. He then turned around and carefully held the curtain of vines aside, where inside was a tunnel. A cool, damp breeze crashes against my face, the smell of water and earth.

"Come on," he gestures his neck, and I step in, bending slightly as the shoulders of my wings drag against the roof of the tunnel. It was dark and cold, but waterfalls echoed from a distance. He enters, making sure the curtains are properly closed before taking my hand and leading me further in. His touch was never foreign to mine. I'd always remember the shape of his palm, every pattern, and bone structure. I enclose my hand in his, ensuring whatever is going on now is real, and so is he.

It didn't take long before a dot of light appeared in the darkness, or as they say, the light at the end of the tunnel. The closer we get, the brighter it becomes, and the air is fresh in my nostrils. It's the kind of oxygen the city would never have.

The shadows flee from our side as we climb out to a cliff where a vast waterfall rains. As far as my eyes could see, the waters emerge from the tallest mountain in the forest, and the light hits its luminescent body, forming a rainbow at its peak. I trail to the cliff's edge, witnessing its height from where I'm standing. Apparently, we're pretty close to the ground. Creatures unknown to me guard the crystal river below.

"Those are water fairies," he stands next to me. "And before you say anything, yes, they're real, at least in this century."

"Water fairies?" I question. "I don't get it. So, can they fly? Or are they like mermaids?"

"The water is their home, and they're the guardians," he replies. "Without them, the river would lose its power to sustain its inhabitants."

"Isn't that Poseidon's job?"

"Don't you know, Greek Boy?" He teases. "He's the God of the Sea, and every god has their angels to help him out. In his case, he has millions of water fairies and other creatures guarding their own water territory. Though, not every guardian is welcoming."

"Are these welcoming?" I kept my eyes on the fairies darting on the river's surface.

"Let's find out," he took a leap and landed with his knees bent. He then turns around, waiting for me.

I attempted his method, only to slip on moss and tumble down like an avalanche, landing on my chest directly in front of him. As I stand, I cuss, enduring the throbbing pain in my wings, arms, and legs. He offered a hand, and I took it, the pain easing slightly.

"If your wings could speak, I bet they'd be begging for a new master," he chuckles. "Perhaps a master who actually uses them and not hurt them."

"Don't you think I would if I could?" I threw my words at him, dusting the dirt off my tunic. "I can't. Since waking in this century with them stuck to my spine, I've never once flown properly or under my own command."

"That's because you're trying too hard," he turns around and strolls towards the river. The water fairies were drawn by his presence as they cautiously swam toward him. He squats down by the edge, slowly submerging his hand into the water. At first, the fairies are tentative, like an abused dog approaching someone holding out food for him. A single fairy, white as a star, circles his hand, and soon, the others join.

I took small steps, hoping to not scare the mythical beings away. The fairies dispersed as soon as I reached his side, hiding under the surface again. Mission failed.

"What did I do?" I felt guilty for chasing them away, even when I did not know if I was the problem.

"You tried, and that's the problem," he sighs, amused as he crosses his arms over his knees, viewing me over his shoulder. For a moment, I had nearly forgotten that was one of his favorite sitting positions. He'd always squat with his arms over his knees when he was deep in his thoughts; usually, it was about me.

"What do you mean?"

"You're trying too hard, Jon," he repeats, patting the empty space next to him, assuring me it's okay. I got down, though, I sat with my legs crossed. "Jon, one thing I've learned about life is that people are responsible for making it difficult. Life is actually beautiful and easy, and everyone has a purpose for being here. It's just us, the people who complicate things, believing there's more to life than simply being happy. So, we create puzzles, pressuring us that only by finding the right pieces will we get what we're looking for."

He pans down to the waters reaching his feet again and placing his hand in it. The same white fairy got out of hiding, wondering if it was still Alex. After confirming, it flew on his palm and rested its miniature body over it, completely trusting him.

"You're one of those people... pressured into finding the right pieces to the puzzle," he said after a while. "And so, you keep searching. Over a million pieces, and you've found many, but neither of them fits the piece. This leads you to give up, believing it's pointless to go any further and that you'll never find the right piece. Little did you know, you were looking for the piece right in front of you, next to your phone. What you needed was right before you, but you chose the hard way."

I watched the gumball-sized fairy resting on his palm. It had fragile, translucent wings that a single touch could rip it. Fin-like hands and gills on its waist. Two antennas stand on its forehead. The others begin observing him as before; they hover around him, their wings carrying them elegantly like the fins of a goldfish as they communicate with a siren-like sound.

He holds his open palm out where the fairy still remains. It leaps over to my shoulder, instantly dazzled by my wings.

"Not everything in life has to be complicated," he said, our eyes witnessing the fairy resting on my knee. "You may believe life is out to get you, but it's not. Take it from a guy who's literally dead and is here talking to his lover."

A few others found their way to my head, tousling my hair. Alex found humor in it, reaching his fingers to comb my hair to the side.

"I want you to know that things will get better when you learn to love life just as much as you love me," his eyes are on mine, but I restrain myself from looking back at him. "Get your shit together and go out there. Learn to love again, fuck the wing project, find new friends, take Ryan out to an all-doggie café, and maybe even learn a new skill. Life is short to be wasting it on what has already happened. Take it from me."

"It's easy for you to say," I blurt, startling the fairies around me though they hadn't fled. "You're dead now, Al. It's easier for you to tell me to continue living because you no longer have to worry. You're off to a fresh start, leaving me behind, and I'm stuck in this century because I made a deal with some fucked up being just because I'm not happy with my present life. You had it all, Al, the looks, attitude, spirit, house, and most importantly, a family that loves you. We both grew from very different backgrounds, and I doubt we'll ever understand what it's like to be in each other's shoes."

"You're right. I've never experienced the trauma you did and probably never will," he admits. "But the difference between you and I is that, if I were in your shoes, I'd choose to make a difference. If the world wants me bound to the life it made me believe it's mine, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to do that. I am my own person; therefore, I shall decide the life I want to live. Of course, it's not going to be easy, but I know it's possible. And you could too. You could've avoided this whole situation if you had simply opened your heart to someone new or even stood up to your abusive father and called the cops on him. Instead, you choose to endure it all and look where it's got you."

I wanted to yell at him because he was right, and I didn't want to admit it. I grew up believing it's better to endure the hell I'm living than to confront it because if I do, the hell grows stronger, and everything worsens. I love familiarity, and anything new scares me. I endured so much and hid from the world, hoping things would get better, but they never did because I never wanted it to happen in the first place. I realized that. It was never my parents, siblings, school, or even Alex. It's me. I'm the one who's been holding me back.

"I don't think I'll ever find the courage to get over you," I said. "You were one of a kind, Al. Always have been. The first person I open my heart to, and probably the last."

He shook his head with a soft smile plastered on his face.

"No, I'm not the last, trust me," his hand gently takes mine, and the fairy leaps back to my shoulder, resting there. "I don't know if you'll ever make it back to the present life, but if you do, promise me that'll you learn to love once again."

I kept my eyes on his. My hand squeezes his, feeling his skin one last time because, after today, I'll lose him again. And this time, forever. I imagined myself feeling the hands of someone new, and the thought of that made my eyes blurry. It will not be easy, but then again, nothing in life is.

"I promise," I finally respond, blinking my vision clear.

A smile flashes across his face, one that could bring world peace. He rises to his feet and pulls me to mine. The fairies fled. And then I realized they braided my hair. I stared at my reflection in the water and was amazed by how neat it looked.

"Time to fly," Alex takes a step back.

"What?"

"You heard me, fly."

"I can't," I remind him. "Didn't I tell you? My wings don't—"

"They do listen to you. They were always there, waiting for you to call onto them, but you were so caught up in finding the right methods to summon them," he gazes down to his feet, and my eyes widen to see him floating in the air.

"H-how are you—"

"I'm dead, remember?" He shrugs his shoulders. "Come on, we don't want to miss the sunrise now, do we?"

"But I can't."

"You can," he levitates towards me, taking my hand in his. "It's all in your head. Remember, not everything needs to be rocket science. Just tell your wings to fly, and they'll obey."

I close my eyes and imagine myself hovering in the air, focusing full attention on the feeling I'd get if that were true. Happiness, excitement, accomplishment, fulfillment.

"That's it, you're doing it," Alex cheers.

And at that moment, I'm finally at one with my wings, my legs are off the ground just by a few inches, and there is where I remain, for I'm finally in control of them. Alex continues to hold my hand as I attempt rising higher from where I am. Our hands let go as I flew in circles over the meadow. My heart was racing with joy as I couldn't stop smiling, knowing that my wings were finally listening. I command them to take me higher, and the next thing I know, I'm soaring through the clouds, taking in the immense happiness that's sparking throughout my body.

The crisp air rushes through my hair as I crash into every cloud I see. I stretch my arms open to match the structure of an airplane, flying in every direction, screaming my joy out.

I command my wings to stop as I take in the world that's under my feet. I perceive nothing as they're all tiny, and the grin on my face hurts.

"You see," Alex appears by my side.

He points in the direction of the horizon where the golden sun is peeking behind the horizon. The sky fades into fire-red, chasing the darkness. The sea begins to mirror its beauty, and I recall seeing the sunrise from my window in Seattle. Though today, I got a front-row seat next to my favorite celebrity.

"Not everything needs to be rocket science. You only need to believe in yourself."

"I'm soaring, I'm finally soaring."

...

I understood nothing of this body as I continued living with it day by day. I didn't understand its potential, the power growing in it, the strength and agility it possesses. Today—whatever the day or time it is—I finally learned everything I need to know about the life of Zelus. It took a while to get here, perhaps even longer, but as the saying goes, better late than never.

"Good job," Alex applauds slowly, levitating towards me. I lower my hand as my power fades. "But could you try aiming your weapons away from the innocents next time?"

My feet meet the ground again, and I reach for the blade that was once a feather. Moss-green with paper-thin edges, the steel is cold to the touch. It could easily draw blood if it isn't handled with caution. I did not know how to react, knowing I could produce steel weapons from my body. I might be able to take down the God of War himself if I wanted to, but that's just suicide. Not to mention, dumb.

"Innocents?"

He motions to the dummy models he created with sticks and leaves. The models made from dried leaves represent the enemy, and the ones with peonies are the innocents where my blades were.

"You've mastered your powers, and that's great, but now the challenge is learning how to control them," he said, sending an impactful wind from his hand that knocked the blades out from the peony models.

"I'm trying."

"Not too hard now, remember that," he reminds.

"I will."

He took his eyes off me and placed them into the sky. I followed his gaze to see the sun had already risen fully. Seagulls ruled the coastal line as they darted in and out of the waters for breakfast. The tides returned as waves crashed ever so gently against the shore.

My gaze returns to him, and my heart aches upon noticing that he's fading. Golden ashes that seem like millions of tiny diamonds evaporate from his body. Every second, the golden light takes a piece of him, and eventually, he'll once again vanish from reality. In this moment of happiness, I had forgotten Alex is dead. It feels like a dream, a surreal one where he's with me, and I can actually feel him. Unfortunately, this is very much the reality.

"I guess that's my cue," he turns around, witnessing the light that's taking a little piece of him by the second. He chuckles, and that confused me. His arms were open wide, waiting for me, and I didn't hesitate to throw myself at him.

I wanted to say so much, but I couldn't find the strength to speak. I squeeze him tightly for the last time, letting myself cry loudly.

He strokes the back of my head with his fingers, tips circling on my scalp because he knows how much I love that.

"You'll be alright," he assures softly. "Trust me."

"I'll miss you," I manage to force it out. "I'll fucking miss you."

I'm pouring so much, knowing we're running out of time. I can no longer feel his chest on mine.

He pulls back and presses his lips on mine. He tasted the same. His lips are exactly how I remembered them.

"I love you," he said, pulling back. His hand that cupped my cheek now vanished. "Go; he's waiting for you."

"Thank you for everything," I said. "I hope we'll meet again someday. If not in this world, or life, then in another."

I witness his smile for the very last time as his final transformation takes place. My knees lost their strength as I crashed on the grass, seeing the golden ashes carried by the wind into the sky. The gods will take it from here, for that's the end of Alexander Beau.

His journey stops here, and now a new beginning awaits him.

"I'll always love you."