The sky slowly turned orange as the sun began to set. Orion and Liora walked side by side, silent, both thinking about different things but somehow sharing the same pain.
Orion finally spoke, his voice low, "Do you ever feel like the world wants something from you that you don't know how to give?"
Liora looked at him. "Yes… every day."
Orion nodded. "I made a promise to get stronger. Not just for myself… but for the people who still believe in me."
Liora smiled gently. "And I made a promise to never leave someone who needs me."
The wind blew softly around them. Even without saying it, both of them knew:they were becoming each other's strength.
They reached a quiet stream, and Orion washed his face. When he looked at the water, he didn't see his reflection clearly — he saw memories.
People he failed.People he lost.People who still waited for him.
His heart hurt, but it didn't break.
He whispered, "Maybe pain is not an enemy. Maybe it's a reminder… that we can still care."
Liora touched his shoulder. "And reminders mean we still have a chance."
They continued walking, and for the first time in a long time, Orion felt something he thought he had lost:
Hope.
He didn't say it out loud, but his thoughts repeated:
If I must walk through darkness again, I won't walk alone this time.
As the night arrived, stars appeared one by one — just like new possibilities in Orion's heart.