The rain continued to pour heavily as Eden walked like a man who had lost his soul. His body moved, but his mind was drowning in an endless whirlpool of thoughts.
"Is this my fate?" he wondered deeply. "To live alone, without love or friends? Whether in a peaceful world or one torn apart by wars and the laws of power?"
From the moment of his birth, betrayal was the first thing he knew. He opened his eyes to a harsh world and was thrown into the streets as if he were nothing. He lived like a pig, stumbling alone, only wishing for a chance to change his life. And just when life seemed to finally smile at him, the cruel blow came, stripping him of everything.
But he didn't give up. He started over, time and time again. Yet fate showed no mercy. This time, betrayal came from the people closest to his heart: his wife and his comrades. He ended up dead, alone on a battlefield, his body discarded on the dirt without a grave or a soul to shed a tear for him.
"Why? Was I that bad?" he had asked himself countless times. Yes, he had done wrongs. He had stolen and fought, but only to survive. He wasn't a monster. He never stole from the poor or preyed on the weak or women. He donated all he earned to the temples, seeking forgiveness from the deities. But his prayers went unanswered.
In this new life, things weren't any different. Despite his earnest efforts and support for others, the specter of betrayal haunted him again. He lost everything once more: his lover and his dearest friend, who had been closest to his heart.
He walked on, unaware that the rain had stopped long ago. His feet led him unconsciously to one destination. He found himself standing before the gates of a cemetery.
"Even when you're gone, you're still my only destination."
He entered the cemetery silently, ignoring the few people entering and leaving. He walked toward its farthest corner, stopping before a clean grave, free of weeds and adorned with fresh flowers.
"Seems like I'm not the only one who visited you today, Anya."
He knelt on his knees, gazing at the carved letters on the stone: Anya.
She was the light that had illuminated his dark life. She had changed everything, pulling him from pain to hope.
"You always saw the best in me, even when I couldn't see it myself," he sighed deeply, as if the air itself weighed heavily on his chest. "But did you deserve it? To carry my burden? To pay the price?"
He fell silent, letting his words dissipate into the air. For the first time in years, he felt the sorrow become an unbearable weight.
Eden remained in front of her grave for what felt like an eternity. The air was thick with the scent of wet earth, and the silence of the cemetery was heavy, broken occasionally by the whispers of the wind through the trees.
"You always said there's good in me," he murmured softly, as if afraid anyone but her might hear. "But what if you were wrong? What if I'm just a reflection of pain and loss?"
He closed his eyes, trying to calm his heart, which beat as if it wanted to escape his chest. He remembered her smile, how she held his hand firmly and said:
"Eden, the world won't become a better place if you give up. You are not what happened to you—you are what you choose to become."
But now, there was nothing left to choose. Nothing left to fight for. All that remained was an endless void and a body worn out from carrying the memories of the past.
"Anya..." he whispered, his voice trembling with the weight of her name. "Sometimes I think... if I had never met you, would you still be here? Would I still suffer like this? Or would I have remained lost in my darkness, without this pain tearing me apart?"
The wind suddenly rose, and he opened his eyes to look at the cloudy sky. Sunlight peeked shyly through the clouds, casting a soft glow over the cemetery.
"Maybe your presence in my life was the only right thing that ever happened to me." He stood quietly, his eyes still fixed on the grave.
He turned his back to the grave and began walking away, his steps slow. Behind him, the cemetery remained silent, as if bidding him farewell.
---
The next day, a group of people dressed in black gathered, carrying a coffin and heading toward a freshly dug grave.
The coffin was lowered into the hole, and men began throwing dirt over it. The attendees wept for the loss of someone dear and important to them: their son, their lover, their friend.
At the edge of the crowd stood a man in a black suit, his sharp features bearing deep sorrow. It was Eden. Today was the funeral of Zane, the friend he had considered a brother.
Eden blamed himself: If only I hadn't gone to the restaurant, if only I hadn't stayed out late, Zane wouldn't have had the accident. He wouldn't have lost his life.
After the coffin was buried, everyone stood silently around the grave before leaving one by one, placing flowers on it.
Eden watched the scene and began questioning the meaning of life. Was it friends? Love? Family? Work? What was the meaning of life?
"A man dies twice: once when his heart stops beating, and the second time when he is forgotten."
Eden approached the grave after everyone had left. He placed a bouquet of flowers and whispered:
"Didn't you say we'd make memories together? Why did you leave before me?"
He sat by the grave, letting his tears fall quietly. He remembered the first day he met Zane, at the company where he worked. Eden had been tasked with training a new recruit with a goofy, naive smile.
"Senpai, my name is Zane. I hope to learn a lot from you!"
"Whatever, just follow me and don't cause trouble!"
As Eden was lost in his memories, he heard a voice calling him. He looked up and saw a young woman—Zane's fiancée.
"Are you Mr. Eden?"
"Yes, and you are?"
"I'm Zane's fiancée."
Eden stood and wiped his eyes before bowing to her.
"I'm sorry... It's because of me that Zane had the accident."
She gave him a sad smile. "As Zane said, you're a good person. Before he died, he wanted me to deliver a message to you."
Eden stood straight, waiting for her words.
"'Eden-senpai, please don't blame yourself for what happened. This is fate. Keep moving forward... Life waits for no one.'"
Eden remained silent, reflecting on her words, then began walking away, remembering Zane's final message to him.