Year: 2226 | Location: Earth

Humanity had reached a pinnacle once thought impossible. Light-speed travel and interplanetary colonization were now a reality. Human civilizations thrived on distant planets, and the stars were no longer unreachable, these monumental attainments of humankind aside, the cosmos was so huge and full of mysteries that it held both wonders and unimaginable dangers. This is where my story begins. A journey into space—but also into the human heart, where love, loss, ambition, and hope intersected in ways I could have never predicted. Now let our journey begin…

My name is Shin.

From as far back as I can remember, I was drawn to the stars. The limitless expanse of the universe, filled with wonders waiting to be uncovered, ignited something in me. It wasn't just about exploration… it was about discovery, adventure, and finding my place in the cosmos. When I was a kid, I used to spend countless nights staring at the sky, imagining myself traveling across galaxies, encountering alien civilizations, or setting foot on uncharted worlds. It became my obsession, my purpose. I studied hard from a young age, fueled by this dream…...

But life, as it often does, had its own plans. And they were a bit too cruel….

When I was in middle school, my parents…. my entire world…...were ripped away from me….

A terrible car accident took everything that was dear to me. On a stormy night, because of a brake failure our car crashed. That accident took my parents away from me. I was also in the car. But somehow, I only survived with some minor injuries…...

Since then, grief has become my constant companion. It felt like I was drowning, the weight of loss pressing against my chest every second, suffocating me….

But just when I thought I'd drown in sorrow, someone reached out and pulled me back…... Maki…. My childhood friend….

She wasn't just a friend; she was family, though not by blood. Our fathers have been best friends since they were in middle school, and after my parent's death, Maki's family took me in. It wasn't out of obligation rather it was out of love. My father had once helped her family during hard times, and now, in return, they gave me a place to stay when I had nowhere else to go….

Maki and I were the same age, sharing everything: school, secrets, laughter, sorrows…... The house we lived in became a refuge, our bond growing deeper with each passing day.

Fate, however, wasn't done with us yet….

When we were sixteen, Maki's parents…... They were killed in a tragic lab accident. A fire tore through the research facility where they worked, leaving Maki orphaned like me. We were two souls adrift in a world that seemed to take so much pleasure in cruelty. But in each other, we found an anchor. We were all we had left….

Fortunately, her parents had left behind enough money and the house we lived in, securing us financially. But emotional wounds don't get healed that easily. We fought against all the storms of life, leaning onto each other for our strengths. We went to the same high school, holding onto what little normalcy we could find…

Next year would be the university entrance exams, and nothing mattered more to me than getting into the Japan Space Research Institute (JSRI)…...

It was my lifelong dream, the only light in the darkness….

In the second year of high school, something unexpected happened. I met Rina…...

She was different from anyone I had ever met in my life. Tall, with purple hair that glittered in the sun like silk, her piercing blue eyes seemed to see right into my soul. The entire school looked up to her and it wasn't hard to tell why... She was confident, graceful, and full of life…. she was everything that I wasn't. And yet, she somehow noticed me….

It started with small conversations—talks about the stars, black holes, and the possibility of life beyond Earth. I was stunned to find someone who shared the same passion as me for space. It felt... magical as if the universe had brought us together….

Soon, our friendship evolved into something more. Rina was bold, always the one to take the first step, while I remained shy and reserved. But with her, I felt safe…... Loved…... I thought I had finally found happiness.

But life doesn't hand out happiness without a price….

Maki's jealousy simmered just beneath the surface, growing more intense with each passing day. I tried to explain, tried to reassure her that she was still important to me, but it felt like I was talking to a wall. The pain of her parent's death…... Also, the fear of losing me…... Everything boiled over into resentment. We were slowly drifting apart, and I didn't know how to stop it….

My entire high school life passed in a whirlwind of emotions, and then the university entrance exam finally arrived. The weight of my future—and my dreams—pressed heavily on my shoulders. Maki, despite everything, stood by my side…... Because of her unwavering support, I was able to come this far…. I still clung to it, as I walked into the exam hall.

Rina was by my side as well; her presence was a quiet comfort….

The air in the exam room was heavy with tension. Every scribble of a pencil felt like a countdown to destiny. My hands shook as I answered each question, cold sweat dripping down my brow. The guy behind me noticed.

"Dude, you good?!..." he whispered.

I forced up a smile. "Who wouldn't be nervous? This exam decides everything."

Two hours later, the exam was finally over. But the hardest part was yet to come, the waiting…

The next day, the results were posted. My heart pounded as I scanned the list, and then I saw it…. I had successfully made it…... I had been accepted into JSRI.

But Rina hadn't….

Her dreams were shattered in an instant. I'll never forget the way she cried. I tried to console her, but no words could mend the devastation in her heart….

That night, she texted me, asking me to meet her by the high school mountain…...

I made up an excuse to Maki and ran out of home. I ran faster than I thought I could, as cold night air bit at my skin, whipping through my hair. My heart pounded in my chest; each beat was a painful reminder of the fear gnawed inside me. Rina's message had been short, but the weight of those words was heavy enough to make my blood run cold…

"Can you meet me near the high school mountain?"

Something was off. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach. I lied to Maki before I left, mumbling something about needing air, but in truth, I didn't know what I was running toward. Or what I was leaving behind…

And as I neared the mountain cliff, my breath was caught in the back of my throat. And there she was—standing at the very edge of the mountain, her slim figure silhouetted against the moonlight. Her long purple hair shimmered like liquid silk under the silver glow of the moonlight. Her hair was flowing gently in the breeze. She didn't move one inch. She just stood there, her arms crossed over her chest, staring into the full moon as if it held all the answers that she ever wanted…

"Rina!!!" I screamed, my voice cracking with the strain of a mixture of exhaustion and fear.

She turned her head towards me. Her blue eyes were filled with an emptiness that scared me more than anything. Her tears ran silently down her face, reflecting the moonlight like glistening streams. I'd never seen her like this…...so fragile….so broken.

"Shin…" she whispered; her voice so soft it was almost carried away by the wind. "Do you think… I should just disappear?"

Her words hit me like a blow to my chest. I went forward, my instincts screamed to pull her away from the edge as my heart clenched in an ache…

"Don't say that!" I gasped, stumbling toward her. "Please, Rina...tell me…. What is happening???…. Talk to me!!!"

Her lips trembled as more tears fell from her eyes, and she tilted her head upward to the sky as if to seek some kind of solace in the stars. "I failed, Shin… I failed the exam… My dream… it's gone… gone forever…" Her voice cracked, and the weight of sorrow bled into each word.

I reached her and wrapped my arms around her from behind, holding her as tightly as I could as if my embrace alone could keep her from slipping away. She tensed for a moment, then she relaxed into me, her body trembling with sobs. I rested my chin on her shoulder, speaking into her ear with desperate urgency…

"It's not over, Rina. I swear. We'll figure it out…. Together…... I won't leave your side…... No matter what happens…."

Turning in my arms, she grasped the front of my jacket, as if it was the only thing holding her to the world. Her tear-soaked eyes stared back, and the pain that was within those deep blue eyes was almost too hard to watch….

"But what if you do???...." she whispered, her voice fragile and broken. "Everyone I care about leaves. What if you leave me too?"

I cupped her face between my hands, brushing away her tears with my thumbs. My own throat felt tight, and I struggled to keep my voice steady. "I won't. I promise you… Rina... I'll come back to you. Just wait for me; until I graduate... Please…..."

For a long moment, she peered into my eyes, as though she was searching for something… hope perhaps, or reassurance. Then without any word or warning she leaned forward and kissed me…

It was a kiss filled with raw emotion, pain, longing, and a desperate need for comfort. Her lips were soft and trembling, tasting of salt and sorrow. I kissed her back, pouring every ounce of emotion I had into that moment, as if our souls were trying to communicate what words couldn't...

When we finally pulled apart, she rested her forehead against mine, her breath warm, dancing against my skin…

"I'll wait," she whispered, her voice very low barely audible. "I'll wait for you…For as long as it takes…"

The moon was hanging above us, a silent witness to the promise we made that night, a promise forged with sorrow and sealed with a kiss under the stars…

When I returned home the house was dark. The only light coming from the dim glow of the streetlamp filtering through the windows… My footsteps were low, heavy with the weight of everything that had just happened. I quietly closed the door behind me, my heart was still racing from the kiss that I had just shared with Rina….

The warmth and feel of her lips, the desperate way she had clung to me, the promise I made to her…. All of it swirled in my mind like a storm. I couldn't somehow let go of that lingering feeling. My chest felt tight as if guilt and confusion tangled together inside me….

I wasn't sure how long I stood there, lost in thought, before the soft creak of a door pulled me back to reality. Maki stepped out from the kitchen with a glass of water in her hand; her silhouette outlined by the faint light…

She was wearing one of her oversized hoodies, her short hair was slightly messy, and it was as if she'd been lying on the couch waiting for me...

"You're late," she said with a quiet tone but it was sharp enough to cut through the silence. She crossed her arms… her gaze was locked into me.

"Yeah... Sorry!!!" I mumbled as I kicked off my shoes and set my bag down by the door. I avoided her eyes as much as I could, hoping that she wouldn't read all the emotions that were written all over my face….

"Where were you?" she asked, her tone was casual, but there was an edge beneath it….

I hesitated, trying to search for the right words to speak. I hated lying to her, but how could I even tell her the truth? How could I even explain to her that I had just kissed Rina and I had held her in my arms while she cried under the moonlight?

"I just... just needed some air…" I said finally, the words sounding empty even as I spoke them. "I just wanted to get something off my head…."

Maki studied me for a moment, her dark eyes narrowing slightly. She wasn't stupid. She could sense something was off….

"Really?" she asked, a thread of skepticism weaving its way into her tone. "You went out for hours just to 'clear your head'? That's it?"

I passed a hand through my hair as frustration bubbled up just beneath my skin. "I don't know, Maki. I just... I had a lot on my mind, okay?"

She didn't respond right away. Instead, she stepped closer, the soft patter of her socks against the floor the only sound between us. There was something in her expression—a vulnerability I hadn't noticed before, hidden beneath the annoyance.

"Was it Rina???...." she whispered.

It felt like the air was sucked out of the room as my heart was beating faster. I stared at her, stunned, as the truth dangled between us…

"What...?" I exclaimed though it came out more like a croak.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she looked away from me, her arms tightening around herself as if she were bracing for something painful. "You've been spending a lot of time with her," she murmured, almost to herself. "It's obvious... You've changed since she came into your life."

I wanted to deny it… I wanted to tell her that she was imagining things, but the words… the words wouldn't come. Because deep down inside my heart I knew she wasn't all wrong. Rina had changed me…. that's a truth I can't avoid

"Maki…" I began to speak, but she cut me off, her voice suddenly getting sharper…

"Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded. "If something's happening between you two??!!...."

"There's nothing happening!!!!" I blurted, the lie burning on my tongue. "It's not like that."

Her eyes snapped back to mine, and I saw something flicker there…... hurt… frustration… fear….

"Then what is it, Shin?" she asked softly, her voice breaking slightly. "Because it feels like you're slipping away from me. And I... I don't want that…."

And her words cut into me, those words…. It felt like a punch straight to the gut. Maki, who had stood with me against everything, who had lost as much as I had, was standing before me, small and looking so scared. And the only thing that crossed my mind was how I was betraying her... how I had betrayed her by getting too close to someone else.

I took a step forward, before placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "Maki... I'm not going anywhere. I promise…."

Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, and she bit her own lip as if she was trying to hold herself together... Hold herself from crying out loud…

"You always say that, but I can't help but to feel like you already have…" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

The silence between us grew longer, awkward, and oppressive. I didn't know what else to say to her... How could I make her believe me when I wasn't sure if I even believed myself??

A moment later, she sniffled quietly, brushing a hand across her face as if to wipe away any remaining lingering traces of emotion. "It's late," she muttered, stepping away from me. "I made some dinner earlier. It's cold now, but... I can heat it up if you're hungry."

I shook my head, guilt clawing inside me. "I'm not hungry. I... I think I'll just go to bed."

Maki gave a small nod, her expression unreadable once more. "Okay," she whispered.

I turned toward the stairs, but her voice stopped me before I could take another step….

"Shin."

I faced her, and what I saw in her eyes at that instant will stay with me forever…

"Don't leave me, too," she whispered. "Like everybody else."

Her words settled in the pit of my stomach, heavy and suffocating. I opened my mouth to reply, but nothing came out. So, I just merely nodded, giving her the only reassurance I could offer at that moment.

"I won't," I whispered.

But as I climbed the stairs to my room, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had already begun to lose her—just as I was losing myself.

 TO BE CONTINUED