The newly risen sun's rays completely banished the night. The sky was born anew with the sun's freshly scattered light. The fierce gusts of wind had disappeared, replaced by a gentle breeze.
After Aaron mentioned that he wanted to share something special with Teyat, he maintained a contemplative expression for a while.
As rose petals and green leaves fell from the tree, they struck Teyat's face, prompting him to angrily swat the petals away.
'These damn leaves won't leave me alone!'
While Teyat furiously brushed the leaves from his face, Aaron, who had been lost in thought, let out a soft chuckle at the sight.
"Looks like love is trying to find you. The roses want you."
Upon hearing the word 'love' Teyat felt a strong sense of unfamiliarity.
'Love... me and love? Is that feeling we know people need to reproduce?'
"Love? Oh yes. So... when is the end of the world coming?"
Aaron's laughter was a bit louder than the one from moments before, and with a joyful expression, he asked, "What do you mean? You've never been in love?"
"No."
"I don't want to ask why, but I'm curious. Have you never felt the emotion of love?"
Teyat, overwhelmed by a profound sense of alienation, turned his head down. After maintaining a neutral expression for a short while, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"I don't know. Actually, I do know. I've just never thought about it. I haven't pondered this topic because there were more important things in my life than love. I prioritized things that deserve attention above love."
'But I would like to experience love. I guess.'
Aaron was filled with curiosity about Teyat's views on love and continued to ask questions.
"What are the things you prioritize over love? If it's not too personal, could you share? I'd like to satisfy my curiosity."
'Even if there were special situations, those situations have disappeared. They vanished with my family's death and the burden I unwillingly carried after a brief taste of freedom. I was the soul of darkness. To hell with it. I'd be happier as an ordinary person tsk!'
•
The long dialogue between Aaron and Teyat continued.
After a lengthy inner conflict, Teyat took a deep breath and responded.
"For me, love is more than just a feeling for the opposite sex or impulses like marriage. Love is about affection. Love can manifest in actions, not limited to romantic interests. You can also be in love with the material or spiritual things that shape your ideology. In fact, to me, being in love is something beyond mere affection."
"I appreciate your perspective, but I don't remember asking you that."
Teyat, maintaining his grumpy expression, replied again.
"For me, not only love but everything, even God, comes secondary to my own emotions. Therefore, since love is foreign to me, I prioritize my feelings over it. Whether it's feelings I want to experience, or emotions toward things I care about, or the most important feelings for me. To me, feelings are the primary factors that drive us to act in both material and spiritual realms. That's why I relate everything to feelings. For example, the love you have for your family, or your attachment to freedom, or wanting to isolate yourself."
After a lengthy exposition of thoughts, Teyat let out a deep sigh.
"I'm glad you could understand this absurd viewpoint of mine."
A brief silence enveloped them before Aaron suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
"Hah hah, really, I'm impressed. I admire your views and thought process. Absurd? No, no, you've actually described me, you know? Yes, I struggled to protect those I cared about, but I failed. I longed for freedom and, like you, rebelled. But I couldn't achieve it. I wanted to be alone, and because of that, I even closed myself off from myself."
A few tears streamed down Aaron's face, and he spoke with a sad smile and a trembling voice.
Seeing this innocence, Teyat looked at him in surprise.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, I just momentarily recalled that day when my hatred and pain began. Ah, after all this long talk, I really want to share that special moment with you. That day of catastrophe and hatred."
He wiped the few tears from his eyes with his finger and offered a sincere, broad smile.
"You said you would listen. But I have a request."
"I'm listening?"
"For some reason, I see a bit of myself in you. Based on our conversations so far, I've come to know you as someone who values freedom but also wants to protect those you care about. I defined you as neither good nor bad. There might be many things I don't know about you. Well, I'd like to know. What event led you to this state of mind, this way of thinking?"
Two rogues continued walking, heading towards the death of one of them. Teyat became confused by the question, unsure of how to respond. He couldn't find the words. Having experienced some of the unspeakable horrors that even God wouldn't want a helpless innocent child to endure, Teyat struggled to answer.
But he spoke. With a complex emotional depth, he slightly lowered his eyes and head towards Aaron, as if bearing the weight of an internal, profound questioning, and looked at him with a bittersweet smile.
"Hey Aaron, never mind. What do you say? Go ahead and tell me that special moment of yours."
With a cold and grumpy expression, Aaron now offered a warm smile to Teyat, whom he considered a friend.
"Okay."