Heads Above the Clouds

I watched in awe, my breath hitching in my throat. The chest that was once marred with jagged scars, carved by the humanoid, had reformed into the soft, pale skin it once have been. Tentatively, I reached out, my fingers brushing against his chest. It rose and fell steadily with each breath, his heartbeat a rhythmic hum beneath my palm-strong, steady, and alive.

I shifted my gaze downward, locking eyes with his. Those evergreen orbs seemed to hold a forest within them, vibrant and infinite, as though they carried the weight of countless stories untold. Neither of us moved, nor spoke. The silence stretched, heavy yet comfortable, like the pause between heartbeats.

The moment was broken by a faint flutter, soft as a whisper. My eyes darted to the sound, and there it was-the crystal butterfly. Its delicate wings shimmered like sunlight scattered across fractured glass, radiating hues of soft blue and violet. It floated toward us, its movements unhurried, as if time itself bent to its grace.

I raised my hand, letting it perch on my finger. Its wings flickered, catching the light, casting fractured rainbows on the cave walls.

"It's fond of you," Lae's voice came from beneath me, raspy and low, yet carrying a depth that resonated in my chest.

I glanced down at him, his head resting on my thighs, and offered a small smile. "I'm fond of it too," I replied softly.

He hummed in response, a deep, resonant sound that matched the warmth of the embers crackling nearby. I returned my gaze to the butterfly, mesmerized by its fragile beauty. Around us, the cave whispered with the sounds of burning wood, the mournful howl of wind snaking through unseen cracks, and the slow drip of water echoing from stalactites above.

Though Lae and I had only just met, it felt as though we'd known each other for a long time. There was a strange familiarity in the way his presence calmed me, as though my soul had recognized his long before my mind could comprehend it.

The butterfly fluttered its wings again, lifting gracefully from my hand and drifting toward Lae's chest. It landed precisely where the scars had once marred his skin, the place where pain had been carved so deeply. My eyes flicked back to his face, his gaze transfixed on the creature.

"What are they?" The question escaped me, unbidden but laced with curiosity.

"They're the spirits of those unlucky enough to be mutated by the humanoids," Lae murmured, his voice tinged with an almost imperceptible sorrow. "Their souls... trapped in these fragile forms."

I swallowed hard, the weight of his words pressing down on me. "Can't their souls just rest?"

"They can," he said quietly, his eyes never leaving the butterfly. "But only if their bodies are destroyed or their deaths are... final."

I looked back at the butterfly, watching its crystal wings shimmer in the dim light. My chest tightened at the thought of these souls, tethered to a world that had already stolen so much from them. Their struggle hadn't ended with death; it had simply transformed into a new kind of imprisonment.

In the corner of my vision, movement caught my attention. Another crystal butterfly drifted toward the lifeless body of the humanoid beside us. Its violet ichor stained the cave floor in grotesque patterns. The butterfly perched on the corpse, its wings glowing brighter and brighter until a soft steam rose, curling in delicate tendrils.

Then, an image-a woman-emerged above the body, her form hazy and translucent, her features serene.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice carrying a quiet gratitude that pierced my heart.

And just like that, she vanished. The humanoid's body disintegrated into ash, scattered by the wind that wove through the cave.

Tears welled in my eyes, rushing down my cheeks as I watched the remnants of her suffering dissolve into nothingness. Her soul was free, no longer bound to the pain she had endured in life.

I thought of the others we had killed-those twisted, tormented beings. For the first time, I felt a small spark of solace, knowing that we hadn't just ended lives but had also granted peace to the broken souls within.

A question, one that had lingered since the day I met Lae, pushed its way to the forefront of my mind. I hesitated but asked anyway. "When we first met... why did you take the dead humanoid with you?"

He looked up at me, his evergreen eyes searching mine. "I wanted to place it somewhere safe, somewhere it wouldn't be disturbed."

Our gazes locked, and for a moment, time seemed to slow down. The crackle of embers, the mournful wind, the distant drip of water-all became a distant hum. His eyes reminded me so much of Neal's, the way they held both strength and sorrow. My chest ached with the memory of him, with the weight of loss I hadn't yet learned to carry.

My eyelids grew heavy, the exhaustion of the day pulling me under. Darkness enveloped me, and when I opened my eyes again, I was somewhere else.

Mutated trees loomed around me, their twisted branches reaching like skeletal hands toward the darkened sky. I turned slowly, disoriented, until I spotted an opening in the forest. A man stood at its center, his figure bathed in an otherworldly light.

I moved toward him, the damp soil squelching beneath my bare feet. With each step, the forest began to shift, the twisted trees morphing into towering buildings. They stretched high into the heavens, their windows reflecting a sky thick with clouds Neal had once loved to watch.

When I was just a meter away, the man turned, revealing himself to be Lae. His form began to change-black wings unfurling from his back, horns spiraling upward from his head. He walked toward me, his expression unreadable, and raised his hand to cover my eyes.

I gently pulled his hand away, and before me was a lake. Crystal butterflies perched along its edge, their reflections showing human forms beneath their fragile wings. Their eyes were endless voids, dark circles that seemed to pull at my soul.

"It's not your fault," a voice came from behind me.

I turned, my breath catching as I saw him. Neal.

Tears blurred my vision as I ran to him, throwing my arms around his neck. "I missed you," I sobbed, burying my face against his shoulder.

He held me tightly, his warmth enveloping me. "I've missed you too," he said softly.

For what felt like an eternity, we stood there, wrapped in each other's arms. I never wanted to let go, never wanted the moment to end.

"I have something to tell you," he began, his voice quiet.

But before he could finish, the world dissolved.

My eyes suddenly opened, tears streaming uncontrollably down my cheeks. I blinked rapidly, trying to piece together what had just happened. It was a dream. Just a dream. Yet the intensity of it clung to me like a fog I couldn't shake. My chest heaved as I tried to steady my breath, the remnants of the dream's emotions still tangled up inside me.

Morning light filtered through the cave opening, casting soft, golden beams across the room. The warmth of the sun against my skin brought me back to reality. I turned over, intending to get up, but instead found myself face-to-face with Lae's chest. My breath caught.

Realizing I was lying on his arm-his biceps, my face grew impossibly hot. The weight of his presence was undeniable, solid and comforting. My heart raced, thundering in my ears as I processed the situation. His scent, subtle but unmistakably him, filled the space between us, making it impossible to think straight.

His hand shifted, wrapping around my waist. It was a lazy, instinctive movement, but it locked me in place, leaving me unable to move.

I stared at his face, peaceful and relaxed in sleep, his soft hair slightly messy from the night. Every detail of him seemed amplified in the quiet morning. The curve of his jaw, the faint rise and fall of his chest, the warmth radiating from him-it all made my heart ache in a way I couldn't quite explain.