Taking the offered hand, Slady felt like a delicate girl before the enchanted knight...
"Hm!"
Feeling the weight fall on him, Slady struggled to hold him, noticing how tense and tired Faller was.
"Sorry to put you through this, my friend."
He apologized with a tired laugh.
"No problem... friend."
***
In the library, Slady fell to the floor due to the weight on his shoulders. Faller let out a laugh, also lying on the floor.
"I can't imagine how heavy it must be for you, Slady."
"You can't imagine. Please call your wife and spare me from carrying you."
He commented as he wiped the sweat from his face with his mechanical hand.
"I don't like making her work so hard for me, but apparently, it's fate, ever since we were children."
"Childhood friend, I suppose?"
"Yes..."
He replied, leaning back against the sofa, his gaze becoming more... nostalgic.
"Childhood friend and wife... what men would be that lucky?"
"Few."
He leaned against her side, catching his breath. Faller looked at Slady curiously.
"Have you ever had a childhood friend, or a friend?"
"No."
Her tone, cold, seemed to bother him, as if he were dealing with a lonely creature.
"That must be sad, right?"
The question took him by surprise, but he answered calmly.
"I think habit makes the burden lighter."
***
In a luxurious house in Libertãnhya, a woman stood in the kitchen, dressed in simple clothes and cooking. Her look seemed hopeful, as if she were waiting for someone.
Her phone vibrated, she picked it up, and was happy to see the text on the call screen: "Honey."
"Hi, honey..."
"You better come to my library now."
Recognizing Slady's voice, she simply took the location he'd shared and put the food in a container, leaving the house.
***
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING WHEN YOU WENT ON THAT MISSION, FALLER?! I TOLD YOU TO CALL ME, BUT YOU KEPT SAYING, 'NO, I CAN DO IT, SWEETIE.' HOW DO YOU THINK I WOULD FEEL IF I SEE YOU ALL BROKEN UP?!"
The rebuke was so loud that even Shaphira, who had woken up, ran to her room. Slady sipped her tea, cowering. Faller lowered his head in a submissive posture.
"I'm sorry, my wife! I just didn't want to put you in danger after you faced that Destroyer who hurt you so much!"
"I KILLED THAT DESTROYER! HE WOULD NEVER BEAT ME!"
She raised her hand, bringing it down with great speed toward Faller's head.
Slady closed her eyes.
Shaphira covered her ears.
And then... the hand stroked her hair.
"...You are forgiven, but never do anything dangerous again!"
Slady and Shaphira sighed in relief.
***
The silence was comfortable; Faller lay in his partner's lap, resting. Victoria stroked his hair, humming softly. It was a lovely sound.
That scene awakened something in Slady, as if he were witnessing something he had never been granted. It wasn't that he felt envy or jealousy; it was just an unknown territory for him.
"Am I disturbing you?"
"No, far from it!"
Victoria reached for his mechanical hand, stroking his fingers with a grateful expression.
"You've already taken care of me and my husband, Slady. I want to do something to thank you. That man... he's all I have."
Her gaze became wistful, as if wandering into the past. Slady's gaze lowered to her hand, returning the squeeze.
"You're the woman of his life, too."
Victoria's eyes sparkled, the smile returning to her lips.
"That's very comforting to hear..."
With a yawn, Victoria positioned herself on the sofa, draping her legs over Slady's knee.
"Can we stay here tonight? I'll make it up to you tomorrow."
"Yes, and don't make a mess."
"Of course, Mr. Tidy."
She closed her eyes, soon falling asleep. Slady did the same... but heard a familiar voice...
"No matter how much you can't show it, or feel it, I know the emptiness you feel in your chest."
Truth sat on the arm of the cushion, her hand reaching for the common one (flesh and bone), squeezing gently.
"Empty? I don't feel emptiness."
He recruited, his gaze falling on the figure's face, expressionless, empty.
"I know you want to be loved, Slady. To be with someone who will stay by your side until death, someone who can understand and know you without fear, without... abandoning you."
"I understand what you're saying, Truth. But I shouldn't be ungrateful. I have you and Shaphira."
"Slady..."
Truth places his hands on his thigh with a sigh.
"I'm just a Destroyer living in your mind, Slady. Nothing more. Shaphira is a Renkai Creature and mortal; she can't outlive you. And when she likes someone, she'll want privacy, maybe even not want to be by your side anymore, but by the one she loves."
The words were cruel, almost cold, but they felt truer than ever.
"I understand... I haven't had her by my side for long, but I'm far from having the courage to ever have to bury her."
The silence between them was immensely uncomfortable; the reality surrounding them was cruel, but far from a lie. Truth placed her hand on his shoulder, her voice sounding like a sigh.
"Immortality is a cruel curse, forcing you to see the death of those you love. But even crueler than immortality itself is your mind. It prevents you from being... human. And what makes it all the more frustrating is that I'm the Destroyer of Truth and I can't do anything, just... watch the despair consume you from the inside out."
Truth's body tensed, writhing downward, tears falling from her closed eyes, her hand clenching, piercing the tissue of her skin, flesh, and bones.
"I... I wish I were someone you could trust, Slady. Someone who could save you from the deepest darkness..."
With a wave of her hand, Truth mingled with the air. Her voice, echoing in her mind, gently silenced. Her gaze fell to the couple, to Victoria's legs draped over her knee, and then to the emptiness of her living room.
"If my mind needs rest, the one that knows more than I do deserves eternal peace."