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As the light of the stars flickered across the tranquil lake, Ivan remained still, his heart a mix of quiet grief and overwhelming love. The peace that had settled in his chest felt like a balm to the wounds that still, despite the eternal calm of Heaven, throbbed in his soul. He longed for Till. Every cell of his being screamed out for him, and yet, as much as he wanted to return to the life he had left behind, something told him that this — this quiet peace — was where he was meant to be, for now.
Till’s mother stood beside him, her presence like a warm, grounding force. She had not yet let go of him, her hand still resting lightly on his arm. The sound of the wind through the trees was the only other noise, the leaves rustling as if they were speaking in some ancient language. Ivan closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in the serenity that surrounded him.
“Do you miss him, too?” Ivan asked, his voice barely a whisper. The question seemed almost foolish, yet he needed to ask it. There was something deeply human in the way grief connected souls, and he wondered if the woman who had carried Till, who had loved him long before Ivan ever had the privilege of doing so, felt the same ache.
Till’s mother didn’t respond immediately, but when she did, her voice was as soft as the breeze that swept across the lake. “I do,” she murmured, her voice thick with the weight of a mother’s love. “I miss him every day. Even now, in this place, I feel his absence — his laughter, the way his presence could fill a room with warmth. But there’s a comfort, too, in knowing that his spirit is strong, that he carries the love of those who cared for him with him wherever he goes.”
Ivan let her words settle in his heart. He had always known that Till was special, but to hear the reverence in his mother’s voice — the deep love that had shaped him, had nurtured him — made his own love for the man who had been his world seem almost small in comparison. Yet, the truth lingered: he had given everything for Till. His sacrifice had been a promise.
“I... never imagined... that he would have to carry on without me,” Ivan confessed, the words slipping from his lips before he could hold them back. “He’s so... lost. So full of grief. I could feel it, even before I left. And now, I can only imagine how much more he carries.”
Till’s mother’s eyes glimmered in the dim light. She seemed to look at Ivan, not with pity, but with an understanding that only a mother could possess. “You were his anchor, Ivan. And now... he has to learn to be his own.”
Her words pierced Ivan’s heart like a shard of ice, but there was something in them that stirred a spark of hope. “He’ll never be without you, Ivan,” she continued. “Not truly. His love for you is a part of him, woven into his very soul. And in time, he will find his way, just as you’ve found yours here.”
Ivan shook his head, frustration and longing clouding his thoughts. “But it’s not the same. I can’t be with him anymore. I can’t hold him, protect him, like I did before. He doesn’t understand. And I... I don’t know if I can bear the thought of him moving on without me.”
Till’s mother moved beside him, her hand still on his arm, her touch steady and grounding. “Your love transcends time, Ivan. What you shared with my son... is not bound by the physical world. What you gave him, what you taught him — that will never leave him. And as for you...” She paused, and Ivan could feel the weight of her gaze on him. “You are not truly gone.”
The words hung in the air like a quiet promise. Ivan felt them deep in his chest, and for a moment, he thought he might weep again.
“I don’t understand,” he said, his voice cracking under the weight of his confusion. “I’m here. He’s out there. How can I be with him if I can’t see him, can’t touch him? How can I be a part of his life again?”
Till’s mother’s smile was serene, full of a wisdom that stretched beyond the boundaries of the afterlife. “You are part of him in a way that cannot be severed. There are moments, Ivan, when his heart beats with yours, when the love you shared will echo in the world around him.”
Ivan felt a shiver run through him, as though something deep within the fabric of existence had shifted. He looked out at the lake, the shimmering stars overhead, the endless horizon stretching out before him. For a fleeting moment, he thought he could hear Till’s voice — faint, but unmistakable. It was as though the entire universe had shifted, pulling him closer to the man he loved.
“Do you hear that?” Ivan asked, his voice thick with awe. He turned to Till’s mother, his eyes wide with disbelief. “I think... I think I can hear him. His voice...”
Her eyes sparkled with an understanding that seemed to transcend the physical world. “He can hear you too, Ivan. The love you share is eternal. And while you may not be able to touch him with your hands, your hearts are still bound together. Just as he carries you with him, you will always carry him.”
Ivan took a deep breath, the weight in his chest lifting, even if just slightly. He thought about the way he had always been able to hear Till’s laugh in the back of his mind, even in the moments when they were apart. He thought about their music, the way their souls had intertwined, harmonizing like a perfect chord that could never be broken.
“Will he be alright?” Ivan asked, his voice a low murmur. He could feel his heartache still, the quiet pang of his love for Till, but in this moment, there was something else — something deeper, something profound.
Till’s mother nodded, her face bathed in the soft glow of the stars. “He will be. He carries you, Ivan. He carries you in everything. In his music, in his heart. And one day, when the time is right, you’ll see him again. You’ll find your way back to each other. The love you share will guide you both.”
The stars shimmered brighter in the sky, their light dancing across the water in waves of silver. Ivan watched them, his heart full of longing and love, but now, there was a deep understanding that he didn’t have before. He could not change the past, nor could he undo the sacrifice he made, but in this moment, he knew — his love for Till would not be confined to death.
“Thank you,” Ivan said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Thank you for helping me see.”
Till’s mother smiled gently, her eyes full of compassion. “You were always meant to be part of him, Ivan. And now, you are part of something greater. A love that will never die.”
With that, she began to fade, her figure dissolving into the golden light that surrounded them. But as she vanished, Ivan felt something in the air — a soft, steady pulse that felt like the beating of his own heart. He knew that Till was out there, in the world, alive and carrying the love they had shared. And that, perhaps more than anything, was the gift Ivan had given him — the knowledge that love, real love, never truly fades.
As the mist began to settle around him, Ivan took one last look at the shimmering lake. He whispered into the night, “I’ll always be with you, Till.”
And as the stars above twinkled in perfect harmony, he knew with every fiber of his being that no matter where life — or death — took him, their love would echo through eternity.
