Koye.
The moment that name appeared,
every heart shivered...most of all, Yim's.
Her breath caught,
because she had told this secret to no one
except Grandmother.
That her mother, along with their entire family,
had perished in a fire.
Later, she had whispered the truth to Talotkan.
And yet....
the date written on this letter
spoke something else entirely.
It was the very day
when Talotkan had stepped into her home
for the first time.
---
The letter began softly,
but each word struck like a blade of truth:
"If Lady Koye had not helped me,
I could never have kept Yim truly happy.
It was Lady Koye
who told me everything about Yim....
what she loves, what she fears,
where her heart longs to stay,
and what shadows haunt her.
I know it in my soul.....
Lady Koye is Yim's mother.
Even as a spirit,
she stood by me,
she gave me love,
and she guided me."
---
The weight of those words shattered them all.
It was as though they had discovered
a treasure of immeasurable worth
only to lose it forever...
like a ship laden with gold
sinking into the endless sea,
never to rise again.
And Yim…
she broke even more,
because the final lines of the letter
were not Talotkan's words....
they were her mother's:
"Yim,
your mother wanted to tell you this:
Move forward.
Forget the past that chains you.
Within your healing lies not only my happiness,
but that of our entire family.
Live, Yim.
Live with joy.
For we will always, always walk beside you.....
until the very end."
---
Below,
the atmosphere was drowned in silence.
The faint rustling of hanging clothes
and the soft sway of curtains in the wind
were the only sounds that remained.
Every whisper of air carried
the echo of broken souls
pouring out their grief.
And Grandmother…
she simply sat in stillness,
listening to the cries of tragedy
descending from above.
But deep within her heart, she knew....
time had the power to mend every wound,
even if it left behind its scars.
Now, she wished only to gather them close,
to remind them of what Talotkan had always wanted:
That their happiness would be her peace.
That only their smiles
could soothe her wandering soul.