- Five Years Later -
He stood in the empty room. The one he hated even remembering, white walls, white curtains, that always made him sick. Then, a pair of boots caught his eye, echoing in the distance, slowly approaching him.
Ren froze. The man before him—Ilyan—smiled brightly at him.
He'd seen the sun shine, but not brighter than the man's smile.
"I thought you hated this place," Ilyan said, his expression grim and the corner of his lips dropping.
Ren quickly walked toward him, reaching for the man's hands only to gasp. They were cold as if they had been dipped in a bucket of ice.
"What? Have you gotten used to the summer, the warmth and can't bear the cold now?"
The words stung in his chest, but Ren couldn't argue. With trembling hands, eyes damp, he locked gazes with Ilyan's bright green eyes.
"I-I found him." His voice cracked, a mixture of joy, excitement and sorrow.
"Who?"
