In the middle of the dark and silent cemetery hill, a gentle but cold wind blew. Only the rustling of leaves and the gusts of wind could be heard.
Evan sighed.
"Thirty years ago, when the gate first appeared and opened, people were so panicked and scared, they were all trying to survive and begging for life."
"At that time, human selfishness was at stake. They united and helped each other to survive."
"But even so, not everyone was able to survive."
"After all that terrible tragedy, life as it was before slowly began to recover. Although it wasn't exactly the same as before."
"But you know, when peace returned, human selfishness also returned."
"Back then, they didn't care about position, status, wealth, or anything else. But now? But that's also what keeps this world going."
"If everyone in this world were kind and there were never any problems at all, wouldn't life be boring?" Evan, who was speaking, looked at Zain.
Zain also looked at him with his usual expressionless face. Evan chuckled.
"Meeting so many people with different personalities sometimes tires me."
"On the one hand, they're nice, but when they turn out, they're enemies. No one can be trusted in a world that truly requires trust."
"If we speak carelessly, even if it's the truth, the people who hear it can sometimes get hurt. And that's quite annoying."
"I used to just judge them in my heart. But after I met you, that started to change."
"You told me to do what I wanted. And thanks to that, I became who I am today."
Evan paused for a moment, taking words.
"As we get older, people's thoughts change, but not everything changes. Even thirty-six years ago for me."
Evan looked back at Zain.
"The way you were then and the way you are now hasn't changed at all. Although it felt strange, I decided not to ask you about it."
"Why?"
"I don't know, I just felt like it wasn't necessary. Because that day, when I first visited this place and saw you standing among the graves, I already noticed something strange."
"Do you know what I thought when I saw you?"
"What?"
"Maybe you're a god. A god of death."
Hearing that, Zain immediately looked at Evan. Zain's expressionless face showed a hint of surprise. And Zain started chuckling.
Evan, who saw that, was a little surprised.
"You can actually laugh?"
"Of course."
"But I never knew?"
"Because there was nothing to laugh about."
"Ah, that's right." Evan chuckled.
"That was the first time I thought about something beyond my usual logic. And it was also the first time I felt scared, and my whole body got goosebumps. I've never been scared when I watch horror movies."
"But after that, I wasn't scared anymore."
"Why?"
"Because I know that if you were an evil being, you wouldn't want to help others."
"But Zain, even so, there are still things I don't understand."
Evan paused for a moment again. Zain remained silent, listening.
"You, who always stays silent despite the commotion, why would you help that little boy? You might even help him find a better path."
"When the destruction came because of the opened gate, why did you want to help the people who now live in that village?"
"Don't you know the answer?"
"Because you wanted to?"
"Yes."
"Of course I know that."
"But Zain, the people you helped in the past, those who saw your power, all criticized you."
"They even blamed you, saying you were too late to help them. After all, their lives are their own responsibility."
"Even though the world provides its help in the form of miraculous powers, not everyone receives it. And again, those who don't receive it blame those who have the power, saying they should be able to help them."
"Yeah, humans are like that. They're annoying, really annoying." Evan said in an annoyed tone.
"But you Zain... you just stood there accepting their insults. And what you did to calm their emotions was to erase their memories of you."
"You're also blurring the memories of people who don't live in the village."
"Why? Shouldn't they be thanking you? You also have the right to curse back at those who don't understand you." Evan looked at Zain.
"You just stood there, looking at the destroyed world and the scattered corpses with grieving eyes."
"Full of sorrow."
Evan's ocean-blue eyes looking at Zain were filled with mixed emotions. Zain just remained expressionless as usual.
After a few moments of silence, Evan sighed.
"If you really want to live quietly without anyone knowing, then just keep quiet as usual. If you don't want anyone to know your strength, then there's no need to do anything to them. If they insult you without knowing the truth about you, then respond to their insults."
"It's thanks to you that I was able to break free from my family's shackles. It's also because of your advice that I'm who I am today. Even though I don't have any powers, I can stand above those who awaken them."
"Sometimes I wonder how long you've lived, how many deaths you've seen, how many people you've buried, how many people you know have gone before you."
"Seeing your grieving-filled eyes makes me afraid to ask."
"I might even be afraid to hear the answer."
"You know what? I even used to berate Charlotte. I told her that she was just like everyone else out there who would only rely on you and end up hurting you."
"But it turned out I was the one who hurt you."
"Sorry, I think I talked too much."
Although Evan smiled, his face looked sad.
Seeing this, Zain reached out and grabbed Evan's graying hair. Zain patted Evan's head gently.
"Hey, I'm not a kid anymore. I'm too old for this." Evan was surprised and embarrassed.
"In fact, I look much older than you..." Evan muttered.
Zain seemed unfazed and continued patting his head.
"In my eyes, you back then and you now are the same. You're just a good little boy, even though you talk a lot."
"Or rather, pout a lot?" Zain said casually.
"Pfftt..." Hearing this, Evan laughed.
His face, which had seemed drowned in sadness, had now recovered.
As the night deepened, a speck of light emerged from the darkness. Then another speck rose from beneath the grass. A cluster of flying lights, originating from tiny fireflies, illuminated the darkness of the silent cemetery hill.
"When I saw you like that, I didn't know why. I felt angry. I felt upset. I didn't understand why you were acting like that."
"I was even more upset with myself, who apparently didn't understand anything about you."
"So I unconsciously took out my frustration on you by saying that I wouldn't die. So as long as I live, you won't see me again, and if I do, I won't let you know."
"So that I won't see the grief in your eyes anymore."
"But sorry, Zain... it seems like that's impossible." Evan smiled sadly.
Zain, seeing this, patted Evan's head for a few minutes until Evan calmed down.
"But Zain, luckily the people who live in the village aren't like that."
"Of course. I'm not that noble."
"Haha." Evan chuckled.
They both stared at the beautiful light of the fireflies. After a moment of silence, Evan spoke again.
"Zain."
"What?"
"Even without the gates that release monsters, this world will eventually end, right?"
Zain nodded in response.
"So why do those gates have to exist?"
"I don't know. I'm curious too."
"You don't know either? You've lived a long time and seem to know a lot and be quite wise." Evan said.
Hearing this, Zain looked at Evan and then back up at the night sky.
"Just because I've lived a long time doesn't mean I know everything."
"Just because I know a lot doesn't mean I'm wise."
"Just because I understand a lot doesn't mean I'm right."
Evan's eyes widened slightly at Zain's words.
"Is that so?"
"Yes."