Helena, who had run away, unable to face the unbearable truth, now sat motionless on a lonely rock as she blankly stared at the cascading falls ahead of her.
She was far—so far—from Aether and anyone else… completely alone.
Whenever she felt lonely… or hollow thinking about her lost mother… or whenever the Archpriestess scolded her… this was the place she would always escape to.
A quiet sanctuary.
Though this place wasn't magical or laced with spells of comfort… the steady sound of the water crashing down, the glimr of pure, transparent streams, and the gentle mist that touched her skin… it all sohow helped her breathe, helped her slow down.
It made her feel calm… relaxed… sleepy… like she could drift away and let go of all the pain, even if just for a while.
But now...
Now, even that comfort was gone.
All she could hear was… Aether's voice.
Her ears no longer caught the soothing rhythm of the falls. There was no gentle splash, no soft breeze… only his voice echoed—over and over—those cruel, shattering words.
Words that felt like knives scraping against her heart.
Tears quietly slid down her cheeks as she hugged her knees to her chest, burying her face as if she could hide from the world, from herself. Her bare arms wrapped around her trembling legs tightly, and despite the warm breeze and bright sunlight above, she felt cold.
So cold.
The kind of cold that crept deep inside and never left.
"H-He lied…" she whispered, voice cracking, barely audible over her own shivering breath.
She had truly believed… all this ti… that Aether loved her.
Loved her for who she was—not for so hidden purpose.
She thought he wanted to be with her, that he saw her as soone precious.
But now... now she realised... she was nothing more than a piece in his plan.
A target.
A ans to escape?
She swallowed hard, her throat aching as if she'd been screaming for hours in silence.
Others might never understand how deeply she was breaking from the inside. They might say she was being dramatic or too sensitive.
But how could they know what it felt like?
The love and tenderness Aether had shown… the way he teased her, so playfully… the way he smiled at her every ti, even when she ssed things up... the way he held her hand when she trembled in fear... the way he helped her see her mother… he was always there, right beside her.
But now it all seed like a cruel joke.
He wasn't there for her.
He was there for his goal.
Her heart squeezed tightly.
Nothing else!
The more she tried to make sense of it, the more the tears spilled.
Her sobs were silent, like broken pieces of her soul slipping out.
And what hurt even more?
There were other won too.
Other won in his life!!
At first, when the Archpriestess lied—saying Aether was a god who ca down to find his lost wives—Helena had felt confused.
Conflicted... Disbelieving!
She hadn't rembered anything from a past life. No visions. No dreams. Nothing.
But even so… she felt sothing for him.
A strange, inexplicable connection.
Even before she ford the Eternal Contract with him… she felt it.
That pull!
That warmth!
Whenever she stood near him… her chest would grow heavy and light all at once. As if the space around her had found aning... As if her heart had finally co ho.
That's how much she had fallen for him.
That's how much he had ant to her.
And now… what? All of that was a lie?
All those emotions he gave her… were they just a trap?
Fake?
He seduced her—just so he could break free?
That was it?
Was everything they did together—laughing, shopping, eating, sharing silly stories, admiring sunrises and quiet nights…
"A-All of it w-was a-act?" she muttered, eyes glassy and unfocused, her voice choking on the pain.
Was she really just a target to him?
Nothing more?
Was she even worthy of love?
Was she always ant to be abandoned by the people she gave her heart to?
W-Was this… her curse?
"In the end... the people I love… always b-betray …" she mumbled with a shattered breath, eyes fixed on the flowing water that no longer shimred like it used to.
The world seed dimr now. Her gaze lost its color, as if all hope had been drained from her spirit.
Her heart felt like a hollow shell.
Just as her eyes were about to lose their light completely—
"Betray... ah…"
A soft voice broke the silence behind her.
Her body flinched. Her eyes' colours returned back... She didn't need to turn.
She knew that voice.
She had morised every tone, every whisper from him.
Aether.
Without turning, she imdiately wiped her cheeks with the back of her trembling hand and lowered her head, tucking her face into her arms as if hiding from him, from everything.
She didn't want him to see her like this!
Footsteps slowly approached. Soft. Careful.
Aether ca to a stop, just a few paces away.
He stood still.
In front of him lay the cliff where the water plunged downward, clear and untouched. The pool below rippled gently as small animals ca to drink, their bodies calm in contrast to the storm between the two souls above.
Aether placed his hands behind his back, saying nothing.
He simply stared at the waterfall, its soothing music drowned under the weight of unspoken guilt.
He could feel her pain. It was like standing in a storm with no shelter—her sorrow washing through him, heavy and relentless.
He felt how deeply she had broken.
How betrayed she was.
But...
He had no words to offer.
Nothing he said could take back what he'd done.
He knew it.
He had wronged her. Hurt her.
There was no excuse to justify it. No lie to hide behind.
He deserved her hate... Deserved everything she threw at him.
And so… silence settled between them.
Heavy... Dreadful.
Not the silence of peace… but the silence of hearts too wounded to speak.
Helena, still hiding, peeked just slightly through her arms, drawn by the silence that stretched too long. Her eyes caught the sight of Aether's back.
He was only a few steps away, just standing there, gazing at the falls.
He hadn't co closer.
He didn't try to touch her.
He didn't say her na.
He simply stood there… like he was the one afraid.
Helena's lips trembled.
Of course, she could feel his emotions too.
That sa pull. That sa connection.
Even now.
She could feel how afraid he was. How he trembled inside at the thought of losing her.
But…
Even if a part of her wanted to believe him...
Even if she ached to reach out...
Her mind… her heart… they couldn't accept it.
Not yet.
Not after everything.
Just then—
"No matter how high you go… when you fall… It's over," Aether murmured softly, his ice-blue eyes locked on the waterfall ahead. He watched as the torrents of water ca crashing down from the cliffs and splashed violently onto the rocks below, scattering into droplets—beautiful, yet broken.
His voice echoed faintly in the open air... Detached... Distant... Strangely calm.
Helena's breath hitched as she heard him. Her lips parted in disbelief at his choice of words. She bit down on her lower lip, trying to hold back the fresh sting of emotions rising in her throat.
Then, barely above a whisper, she responded, "It's only over when it stays... not when it moves."
Her eyes followed the splash of water, its fragnts falling and turning into a clear, running stream that curved and stretched far, becoming part of a river that flowed endlessly ahead.
Like sothing broken, still trying to move forward.
Aether raised a single brow at her words before shaking his head gently. A faint smile—sad and quiet—touched his lips.
Again, silence crept between them.
No more words.
No confessions. No apologies. No excuses.
Aether didn't offer any kind of justification. He didn't attempt to twist words or wrap them with charm like he usually would. No smooth talk, no clever lines. No attempt to fix what was shattered.
He just stayed there.
Doing nothing.
And strangely... that was enough for Helena's heart to stir.
'W-Why is he not saying anything?' she wondered as her brows knitted faintly.
Her thoughts spiralled again—
'Why isn't he coming closer?'
'Why doesn't he talk sweetly... like before?'
'Why is he saying things that don't even make sense to ?'
'What's his end goal?'
'Is he trying to trick again?'
Her hands trembled around her knees as an endless stream of questions filled her heart with anxiety.
No, it wasn't like Aether was doing all this intentionally to make her curious or worried.
He wasn't playing a ga.
He genuinely... didn't know what to say anymore.
Because whatever he says... she would take it as he was tricking her... Her current mindset was like that... so no point in saying anything.
He just stood there, silent and still, as if burdened by the weight of his own thoughts.
Aether humd softly, almost to himself, before finally parting his lips.
"You know… Delphine. She too… didn't know my life."
Helena blinked in shock.
'He's… he's talking about another girl?'
Her heart skipped a beat.
'Wait—Delphine?! He ans Professor Delphine?!'
Her face paled, eyes wide with disbelief. She had known Aether had targets… but he never said who. She never thought…
The surprise on her face was raw—tinged with fear, curiosity, and sothing more complicated.
Aether slowly turned to glance at her with a weak, broken smile.
Instantly, Helena flinched.
She hurriedly lowered her head again, hiding her face between her knees, burying herself in that small space of trembling safety.
Aether let out a soft, hollow chuckle.
"Honestly… I don't even know how to explain my whole ss to Delphine… But if there's one thing I know about her—it's that… if I told her the truth, she'd leave ."
His voice was dry,
"I know she would… and I wouldn't even bla her."
Helena's fingers tightened into small fists.
Sothing inside her clenched... Sothing sharp and unfamiliar.
Then Aether stepped forward.
Slowly. Hesitantly.
His footsteps were quiet but steady as he made his way toward her.
"I'm nothing but a womaniser," he said with a strained voice, "who plays with won behind the backs of the ones I claim to love."
He let out a shaky breath, his eyes locked on the ground, unable to et hers.
"Honestly… I'm surprised anyone even accepted a person like ," he muttered.
"You know… I took it for granted. I really did."
He gave a small, bitter laugh—directed at himself.
"I kept thinking… I worked hard. I suffered. I was tortured. I was beaten down and humiliated. My whole life's been pain. So I convinced myself these won should understand that... and treat kindly. That it was sohow their duty to make happy... to give the happiness I never had."
He smiled again. But it was broken.
"But I never once thought about them," he confessed, his voice rough with self-loathing.
"I never truly considered their feelings."
He let out a long, shuddering breath.
"Back then, all I wanted was... for them to get . Just accept . No more drama. No more questions. Just... let be happy and move on."
He puffed out his cheeks briefly, like he was forcing himself to stay composed, before his voice dropped again.
"But then…"
He paused.
His voice quivered.
"When... I saw you c-cry…"
He glanced down at her curled-up body.
"I… I realised... I'd only ever thought about —my pain, my wounds, my loneliness."
A pause.
"I never... ever... thought about the pain of the ones who loved ."
His voice cracked at the edges.
"I wanted them to understand … but I never tried to understand them."
A bitter laugh followed.
"Hypocrisy, right? I'm so fucking ssed up..."
Helena's shoulders trembled. Her chest felt heavy as she absorbed his every word. And more than anything else—she felt his guilt... His pain... His sha!
It wasn't fake.
It wasn't sweet words to win her back.
Honest!
Shattered!!
She flinched when she suddenly felt a gentle warmth on her head.
His hand.
His palm rested on her softly—almost like a feather landing on a broken wing.
Aether patted her gently.
Her tears spilled again. She didn't stop them.
She couldn't.
Her eyes burned as she listened to his voice, low and tender:
"Just rember… within every lie… There lies a truth. And that truth is—I loved you. I always have… and I always will. No matter what choice you make… I'll accept it."
His hand stroked gently across her hair.
"It's not about anymore," he whispered.
"It's about you… Helena. A girl with a heart."
A long breath.
"Think about what your heart wants. Follow that. Do what feels real. Just like the water…"
His hand lifted, slowly, reluctantly.
"Don't stay still... or it'll be over."
Drip...
Tears trickled down her cheeks… slid down her chin… and dripped softly onto her thighs.
The warmth of his hand faded.
The shadow beside her… vanished.
Helena flinched, heart suddenly racing as she lifted her head carefully.
Her breath hitched.
He was gone.
Only the breeze remained.
Only the mist.
Only her tears.
"A-Aether…?" she called out softly, her voice cracking in the still air.
But no reply ca.
Only the sound of the water falling... and running endlessly forward.
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