[Location: ???]
"…Let go… you're supposed to… let go."
The words lingered between us, fragile, uncertain—like I wasn't entirely sure I was allowed to say them.
Helel stared at me.
Not blankly.
Not confused.
But the way someone looks at a door they've been afraid to open for so long that they've forgotten what's on the other side.
"…Let go," he repeated softly.
His fingers curled slightly, then relaxed, then curled again. The silver-gold threads of his wings dimmed and brightened in uneven pulses, like a heartbeat that hadn't decided on a rhythm yet.
"I… don't understand," he admitted. "I've been… trying to hold on. For so long. If I let go…" His voice thinned. "What will be left?"
I exhaled slowly.
"Nothing," I said honestly.
He flinched.
Then I continued.
"And that's okay."
He looked up at me, startled. "O-Okay…?"
"Yeah," I said, meeting his eyes. "Because you're not supposed to be left behind."
