faded echoes ¦ sk x ks

FINALE

Everything had transpired in this breathless, instant whirl of emotions, something that had snatched them into its maelstrom before the other could gain a hold upon its size and scope. They felt the entire universe had woven yesterday's confession and heartache into this prolonged moment. There, where this all began, was where Ling found herself, tall and strong. The sun had set before her, across the sky like a living canvas, brilliant strokes of orange, pink, and gold, shimmering against the deepening blue-a final, radiant farewell from nature itself to a chapter long closed.

The cool, salt-kissed breeze wrapped around her, carrying whispers of memories and mingling with the scent of the nearby ocean. Ling took deep, slow breaths and felt the healing balm smoothing the rough edges of her mind, a fragile promise of hope after all she had lost. The rhythmic cadence of the waves breaking against the shore was like a gentle lullaby: an indication that the most turbulent storms will, sooner or later, give way to quiet reflection.

Just as they were starting, Orm presented herself beside her, coming alive from the depths of shadow within the past itself. Both knew that this was not for another conversation to open the wounds of each other-today was to bear witness to the last pangs of all old sorrows, to hear everything left unsaid. A lightness, unstoppable and unbeautiful, yet entirely free from hate or apology, hung in the balance, its fragile beauty tinged with warmth upon the fireside of long-standing memories, now with hope illuminating future redemption.

The presence of Orm was discreetly profound. She shivered slightly in the cooling air and clutched herself close as if trying to push away this chill that felt similar to that residual cold of old days. Her eyes still riveted themselves onto the horizon, an endless space where the sea meets the sky-where the dividing line had already been a long-time witness of their intertwined pleasures and pains.

Breaking the silence that had descended like a reiterative shroud over them, Ling's voice came softly, "How are you?" Her question was gentle, heavy with a history shared between them, even as she did not remove her gaze from the kaleidoscopic dance in the sky. The scene was almost too perfect for farewells-a surreal finale painted in the hues of nostalgia.

Only a faint laugh, soft and tinged with bittersweet vulnerability, escaped Orm's lips before she continued, "I'm fine, I think. Unless, although I'm supposed to be asking you that."

A tremor, unvoiced and faint, in her tone momentarily passed and then was silent again, testifying only to the battles won and the scars lurking still beneath.

Ling crinkled her eyes into a gentle smile as she snuck a look at Orm. In that quiet moment, an unspoken understanding passed between them-a delicate acknowledgment of a past filled with both beauty and pain. "I'm better too, Orm," she replied softly, each word imbued with sincerity and the soft strength of forgiveness. Their eyes met-a lingering connection that transcended the need for further words, as if every glance held a lifetime of apologies, love, and acceptance.

They stood there for an eternity, in silence, memorizing the familiar contours of each other's faces. Ling's eyes shone with the tender glow of empathy while Orm's smile, though slight, spoke of a heart both wounded and grateful. And in that fleeting silence, they knew this meeting was their final rendezvous at this sacred place, where the echoes of the past and the promise of tomorrow coexisted.

Orm was the first to breach the silence once more, her voice low and reverent. "You're too good to be true," she murmured, her words heavy with a cascade of emotions. "I have no idea what good deeds in a previous life justified having someone like you in my life, but I feel so lucky." Her voice choked up as she went on, "I was lucky that you loved me, to love you and be part of your world." Her eyes roamed out towards the turbulent waves, as if searching for peace from their endless beat. "And I am thankful-thankful that there was a moment when I was knitted into the fabric of your existence."