Feelings we hold but cannot show—
Anger, love, hatred... they come, they go.
None of them tear, but all of them stay,
Hidden in silence, day after day.
They say time heals, but that's not quite true.
What heals is forgetting, letting memories undo.
Time is a knot, tangled in thought,
Where the past gets lost, but never forgot.
Love—some need it, some crave its touch,
Some give too freely, others not much.
But is the love we give the same as we get?
Or does it change when it's returned instead?
They say the world is small, just a dot in space,
But to some, it's endless—a sprawling place.
Still, among 8 billion souls who rise and fall,
One may be your love—your all in all.
In this life, or the next beyond the wall.
After everyone had eaten, the young woman gathered the dishes. She was now in the kitchen, quietly sipping water when Ramon approached her. He kept a respectful distance, visibly shy and embarrassed.
"H-Hey," he said awkwardly.
She turned, smiling gently. "Oh, hi. Can I get you something?" she asked
Ramon hesitated, scratching the back of his head. "Uh… sorry."
Her brow lifted slightly. "Sorry? For what?"
"In the afternoon... I accidentally bumped into you," he said, nervously avoiding eye contact. "I didn't do it on purpose. I swear."
She giggled. "Don't worry about it. Actually, I was in a hurry too. I had to go see my mother and give her her medication—but I had to take care of your bags first, that's why I was rushing."
"Oh… I hope she gets well," Ramon said, his tone warm and sincere.
"Thank you," she replied with a soft smile.
"I wanted to ask you something—if you have time," Ramon said, still awkward, his hand now behind his neck as he struggled to get the words out.
"Yeah, go ahead," she replied curiously.
"Would you like to… maybe go outside? Near the cliff down the road. I found this amazing spot."
She stared at him for a moment, then nodded calmly.
The sky was filled with stars, glittering like scattered gems. A peaceful, surreal beauty wrapped the night. Ramon and the young woman stood on the crumbled remains of an old watchtower path, high above the valley.
Unbeknownst to them, behind a large boulder nearby, the rest of the group—Jack, Kamil, Kasib, Khonsu, Noya, and Yune—peeked from cover, spying with intense curiosity.
The young woman finally spoke, "So… what did you want to tell me?"
Ramon swallowed hard. "Ahh… may I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"
She blinked, surprised, but then smiled. "My name is Alaine."
She began twisting the edges of her hair with her finger. "And yours?"
Ramon, still visibly shy, replied gently, "My name is Ramon. I'm a soldier in the Royal Army of Thebes."
"Ramon," she repeated thoughtfully. "That's a great name."
His face turned red. "Your name is beautiful too. I mean—it's amazing. A very noble name."
"Yeah," Alaine chuckled. "My mother really wanted me to have that name.
But before she could say more, Ramon suddenly blurted out, "Alaine… I like you."
Silence fell between them.
Kamil whispered from behind the rock, "He's done it… His part is done."
Khonsu added, "Now we wait for the results of his courage."
Alaine looked deep into Ramon's eyes, then lowered her gaze. She used both hands to pull her hair down, nervously avoiding his eyes. The breeze gently danced through the air.
"I've never actually liked anyone before," she finally said. "You're the first person who's ever expressed their feelings to me. I don't know what to say."
Ramon stammered, "I understand. It's the same for me. Since I bumped into you this afternoon, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. And now that I finally had the courage to say something… I didn't want to regret it later in life."
Then he gathered his breath and added, "If you accept… would it be possible to speak to your father to ask for your hand in marriage?"
Alaine looked down, her expression dimming. "My father no longer lives in this world. He… he died in the war. Against your kingdom."
"Ah, crap…" Jack whispered.
Ramon's face fell, his heart sinking. "I'm… I'm so sorry. You must've suffered so much because of the war. But we—we had to protect our people too…"
There was a moment of silence. Then, with tears starting to well up in his eyes, Ramon said, "I think this isn't right. But thank you… for giving me this moment to speak with you."
He began turning to leave when Alaine gently said:
"You can speak to my mother."
Ramon froze.
"But I fought against your people," he said, guilt weighing heavily on him. "I don't deserve this… not anymore."
She stepped forward, stopping him. "You both were soldiers. You both fought for what you believed in. My father always told his brothers that having different beliefs or reasons didn't make someone lesser. It made them human."
Then, with a reassuring smile, she said, "Follow me. I'll take you to our house so you can speak with my mother."
Ramon stood still, overwhelmed.
Alaine, tears in her eyes, joked warmly, "Come on, dummy. You're gonna get left behind."
He blinked, then smiled, and began walking after her. As he did, he noticed the group peeking from behind the rock. They all gave him a big thumbs-up.
Kamil exhaled. "Man… I thought Ramon was going to be crushed. But he actually pulled through. He might finally find love. How amazing is that?"
Kasib, confused, repeated, "Love, huh…" as if the concept was foreign.
Kamil smirked. "Don't think too hard, Kasib. The only things stuck in your head are swords and spears."
"Hmph. Maybe you're right…" Kasib replied. But as he realized Kamil was teasing him, he snapped, "Shut up!"
Yune stretched. "Well, let's go to bed. I think Ramon's got this."
Noya retorted, "Come on, Yune! You're such a letdown. Let's see this till the end! Who cares if we lose sleep—we'll be in the Nubian Kingdom by tomorrow anyway."
Khonsu laughed. "Noya's right. A little fun on this expedition won't hurt."
Jack added, "Let's all sit on the old man's roof and talk under the stars."
For a moment, they all went quiet, looking up.
Yune softly said, "The night sky sure looks beautiful tonight."
The stars shimmered above, as if quietly celebrating what had just begun.
Night had already fallen when Ramon followed Alaine down the narrow path, his gaze lifted to the blue-black vault above. Stars pricked the darkness like scattered lanterns— the most beautiful sky he had ever seen.
"The sky is beautiful today," he said to Alaine.
She replied, "Yeh, your right, it is."
They stopped before a low hut. "Here we arrived—this is my home," Alaine pointed out.
The hut's brick walls leaned beneath a roof of straw and scrap. A wooden door, soft with rot, hung crooked on its hinges.
Inside, one room held everything: the kitchen, a half-built wall hiding a tiny wash area, and the bed where Alaine's mother lay coughing. Clothes dangled from a line above the packed earth floor.
Ramon knelt. "Dear mother of Alaine, I am Ramon. I serve in the army of Thebes. I have come to ask you for a favour—I have come to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage."
"Young man, your here for my daughter?" she asked, smiling.
"Yes, I am, ma'am, and I promise you—I give you my word—I'll keep her happy."
"What kind of work do you do, Ramon?"
"I am a captain, rank 1, and once I prove myself to my commander or general, I can have up to 100 men under my command."
"Right, that's amazing to hear, Ramon," the mother replied.
She turned to her daughter. "Alaine, do you love this man?"
Alaine thought for a moment. "Mother, I have just met him, and I wish to continue getting to know him first, but I think you should be made aware of this before we proceed—thus he wanted to introduce himself to you, to ask for my hand in marriage."
"Ok, Ramn," the mother questioned, "when do you intend on getting married to my Alaine?"
"I promise, when I become the General of the Thebes army, I will bring my whole convey to take Alaine to the palace and marry her on that same day. Till then, I want to get to know her."
"How much do you earn, son?"
"I have 2 pieces of land under my possession. I've been granted a personal room at the royal palace, I possess over 100 gold coins saved up, and I own a black war horse named Kailo, given to me by Commander Menes when I was young."
Alaine's mother smiled. "I see you're a young man aspiring to be more. My husband—Alaine's father—used to be the same. I saw a bit of him in you."
"Thank you," Ramon replied.
"Do I have your permission, then, to get to know your daughter and ask for her hand in marriage?"
"It's her life. I'll surely let her decide—I'm in no rush for her. However, it was very brave of you to ask me. Hermeson would be soo happy to see this," said Alaine's mother.
Ramon's eyes widened. He grabbed his head, trembling. Alaine and her mother leaned toward him in alarm.
"Ramon, are you okay?"
"Is your husband's name Hermeson?" he asked.
"Yes. He was a soldier in the Royal Nebu. I know you fought them; however, my husband would never let that be a reason—"
"No, no, no!" Ramon staggered back. "Hermeson—he… he is the man I killed. He was one of the 3 Beast. He sold his humanity—no, he sacrificed it—for you. But I… I killed him." He shook, tears forming. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Alaine. I am the man who murdered your father. I do not deserve you—I do not deserve you…"
He rushed from the hut toward the old man's home. Alaine ran after him but soon tired and, breathless, turned back to tend to her coughing mother.