The Symphony of Sorrow

The Sound of Silence

In the stillness of pain's grip, when the world crumbles and the weight of loss crushes the soul, silence is the only solace. It doesn't offer comfort—only cold, unspoken truths too agonizing for words. The heart bears secrets that no voice can express, each beat a hollow echo of the life that once was, each breath a sharp reminder of what has been stolen away. While the world marches on, indifferent and unyielding, inside the quiet ache, grief screams louder than any sound ever could.

Ethan was still on the couch, lost in thought, unaware of the hours slipping by. His reverie was broken by the sound of Leon and the others returning.

"And then she came up to me and gave me her phone number," Raphael said playfully, clearly trying to provoke Leon.

Leon rolled his eyes. "And now what, are you going to sleep with her too?"

Raphael chuckled, his blue eyes sparkling. "Maybe."

Raphael's laughter grew louder, and Leon's irritation became more evident with each step they took toward Ethan.

Yawning, Leon said sleepily, "I'm heading out. I'm really tired."

"You talk as if you've had sex for two nights straight without a break," Raphael teased with a smile.

Leon muttered to himself mockingly, "As if you had sex for two nights straight without a break," as he walked toward the stairs.

Raphael approached Ethan, sat beside him on the couch, and sighed. "What year did you go back to tonight?" he asked, staring at the ceiling like Ethan.

"To the first of May of the year two thousand and two, - he paused briefly and then continued- to the hour of ten and thirty-four minutes." Ethan replied coolly.

"The night we first met, Your first night here, I see. " Raphael mused, pausing before continuing, "You know, from that first night... I felt something towards you, something like what I felt for my deceased brother. ..I think your presence here helped me improve... Maybe ... Maybe you didn't notice, but you became like a brother to me..."

Ethan opened his brown eyes, reflecting a bit of happiness. still fixed on the ceiling, looking somewhat surprised of what Rafael just shared for the very first time.

"I see now why Leon was jealous of me for a while; I stole his older brother," Ethan said, smiling. Raphael returned the smile. Silence fell for a few moments until Raphael looked away from the ceiling and asked, "Have you decided? Are you going to agree to what Nathaniel said?"

Ethan turned his gaze to Raphael. "What do you think? Did you really think I would accept this nonsense? Please, not you too, Raf."

Raphael's expression turned serious. So, did his voice, "Really, nonsense... I'll talk to Leon and the others tomorrow. I hope they see things more clearly."

Ethan nodded in agreement and returned his gaze to the ceiling.

Raphael left the room, heading to his upstairs bedroom. Meanwhile, Ethan continued to stare at the ceiling, which seemed to him like a film strip displaying scenes from his life, one after another.
_____________________________ _

The air danced under the moonlight, while the sound of raindrops was its melody. Just as Claudia's fingers danced on the piano, her voice resonating with deep sorrow, tears glistening in her eyes:

"Your lover is dead, he is empty inside." she conveyed, referring to Nathaniel, sharing the news of Lumière's death. "Got no love to give, got no strength to fight." she continued, describing her emotional state after losing Lumière.

"Can't do it again, there's too many lines." she expressed, alluding to the difficulty of revisiting the moment she took Lumière's life. "So, you better wake up, there is no you and I." addressing Nathaniel again, telling him there is no 'you and I' as she has already woken up.