Suddenly, the flames are no more, the creature is no more and Seol is crouching beside him, calling him back to his present from the embrace of his ghosts. Her eyes reflect his in their unshed pools of tears. A ghost of silver flickers in their bottomless darkness like starlight. To him, she'd never been more beautiful.
She traces the glowering burns with ghosting fingertips, trembling whispers of touches. He watches as her mouth twitches and her lower lip juts out.
"Don't cry," he rasps. Unable to bear the thought of watching her with no means to console.
Her hands return to his face and so do her eyes to their source of starlight.
"Tell me how to stop this," she demands. "To stop hurting."
He shakes his head, crackling skin tight and unyielding to movement.
"Leave and it stops," he lies not for a moment believing she would heed him. Stay, he yearns. I'm too tired of this chase.
