Rewrite The Star

CHAPTER 50 : CLOSURE OF PAST AND PRESENT

CHAPTER 50 : CLOSURE OF PAST AND PRESENT

As their lips met, Creed felt warmth like never before. A strange, magnetic pull bound them together, and time seemed to still, suspending them in the charged silence of their connection. For the first time in his long life, Creed sensed a warmth beyond anything he'd known. “So this is what love feels like,” he marveled, his mind echoing with a sense of awe he couldn’t quite express.

Gradually, as their kiss softened, the sky transformed. The brilliant colors of twilight melted into deep indigo, and above them, auroras spread in ribbons of green and purple across the heavens. The world around them felt small, cradled in this hidden valley as they sat, hand in hand, on the hilltop under the stars.

Atlas was the first to break the quiet. “Creed, I’m sorry for everything I said earlier,” he whispered, glancing away as his hair fell across his face. “I was so overwhelmed…I didn’t think things through.” He looked up at the sky, his eyes reflecting the distant stars as he continued, “I was wrong.

Creed’s gaze softened, filled with a quiet acceptance. “Atlas, you have every reason to feel the way you do. Your anger…your pain… I understand.” Creed squeezed Atlas’s hand, each word heavy with a truth he’d only recently begun to accept.

Silence blanketed them, both feeling the weight of unspoken thoughts. Eventually, Creed looked out into the night and asked, “Atlas, there’s something I need to know… Who was the man in that photograph at your friend’s place?”

Atlas laughed softly, surprised. “Oh, so you noticed?” Creed’s embarrassed smile said it all. “His name was Keevin,” Atlas replied, his expression softening at the memory. “We were…engaged once. We had a life together.”

Creed’s eyes widened slightly, a flicker of understanding settling in. “You don’t have to tell me if it’s too painful,” he said gently.

But Atlas shook his head. “No, I want you to hear this.” His gaze fell as he began, “Keevin and I were assigned to a quest—a government task to investigate a new demon portal. I was reckless, barely in control of my powers. Then, one day…he came for us.” Atlas’s voice hardened as he said the name, “Thanatos—the demon who took his life.”

Creed froze. “Thanatos,” he thought, a dark spark of recognition flickering in his memory.

Atlas continued, his voice choked with sorrow. “Keevin fought to protect me, to make sure I got out alive. But he didn’t make it, and…I never got the chance to say goodbye. I didn’t even go to his funeral. I couldn’t.” He swallowed, the weight of old guilt casting shadows over his face. “From that moment, I hated demons. I took every quest, trained every day to get strong enough to take them down, one by one.” He looked down, tears welling in his eyes. “And then…you came along.”

Creed’s heart ached at the pain etched into Atlas’s face. Atlas continued, his voice softening, “I tried so hard to hate you. I wanted to see you as nothing more than another demon. But the more time I spent with you, the harder that became. You confused me.” A slight smile touched his lips. “Then I realized…you filled something in me that I thought I’d lost forever.”

Creed, feeling his own barriers beginning to crumble, took a deep breath. “Atlas, you’ve lived through a darkness most people couldn’t endure. And despite it all…here you are. A human who chose to trust me—a demon. No one has ever seen me the way you do.” His face softened, and he added, “I’ve spent a thousand years trying to find purpose in my existence, to fill this emptiness inside me. And I think…somehow, I was waiting for you.”

They shared a long, searching gaze, Atlas’s eyes reflecting quiet wonder. “Maybe you were,” he whispered, the stars casting a soft glow over his tear-streaked face.

After a pause, Atlas added, “You know…I think I’ve figured out what my visions mean. They’re not warnings—they’re guidance, showing me possibilities. I think…I think they’re trying to show me that I can change what’s to come.”

Creed placed his hand gently on Atlas’s face, brushing away a stray tear. “Then we’ll change it together. I’ll follow you, Atlas, wherever this journey leads us.” His voice was warm, sincere, each word a promise of steadfast loyalty.

Atlas took a deep breath, his eyes clear with newfound resolve. “Then let’s do it, Creed. Let’s make our own path.” They leaned closer, sealing their promise with another kiss, filled with all the love, trust, and hope they’d struggled to find in each other.

They stayed there, under the shelter of the night sky, sharing the warmth of each other’s presence. For the first time in ages, neither felt alone. They sat silently, gazing at the endless stars above, both filled with the quiet knowledge that whatever darkness lay ahead, they would face it together.