The wind was colder today.
The adventurer walked alone through a quiet forest path, his steps soft against the fallen leaves. The trees whispered above him, as if carrying secrets only they could remember. Somewhere in the distance, birds sang faintly, but he didn't stop to listen.
His mind was still full of stars and silence.
That was when he saw it, a soft blue glow, coming from behind a wall of vines near the base of a rocky cliff.
He stopped.
It wasn't firelight. It wasn't sunlight.
It pulsed gently, like it was breathing.
He followed it.
Behind the vines, he found a narrow opening leading into the earth. A cave. But unlike any cave he'd seen before. The moment he stepped inside, the world changed.
The cave glowed.
Soft blues. Pale greens. Mushrooms like tiny lanterns. Vines that shimmered softly. Even the stones on the ground gave off a faint light, like stars had fallen here long ago and never left.
It felt quiet.
Peaceful.
But not empty.
"...You're not from here, are you?"
The voice echoed gently through the glowing air.
The adventurer turned.
A young man stood not far away. Around twenty years old, with silver hair and soft, tired eyes. He wore a traveler's coat, worn from use, but clean. His smile was calm. Gentle.
"You don't look like one of the treasure hunters," the boy said, tilting his head slightly. "You're… different."
The adventurer didn't answer.
He didn't know how.
"That's alright," the boy continued, walking toward him. "I'm Bonnie. I've been here a while. Looking for something."
They sat near a glowing pool, where soft light rippled across the water like moonlight on a lake. Time didn't seem to move inside the cave. The world outside felt far away.
Bonnie talked.
He spoke of a treasure hidden deep within the cave. A treasure said to grant any wish.
"Most people who come here want gold. Power. Immortality," he said, gazing at the glowing walls. "But I don't want any of that. I just… want to feel alive again, and...."
The adventurer looked at him.
That wish sounded familiar.
They sat for a long time, talking about stars, dreams, and the things they couldn't remember. And even though he had no name, no past, the adventurer found comfort in Bonnie's voice.
Then the peace shattered.
The cave trembled.
From the shadows, strange creatures began to appear. Crawling from cracks in the walls. Glowing with red light. Their shapes twisted, their eyes hollow.
Bonnie stood quickly, drawing a blade.
The adventurer stood beside him.
They fought.
Together.
The adventurer moved without thinking, blocking strikes, protecting Bonnie's back. Bonnie moved the same way, quick, confident, smiling even as the danger grew.
It wasn't just survival.
It was something more.
For the first time, the adventurer felt it..
The fear of losing someone.
When the last creature fell, they were both wounded, breathing hard. Bonnie fell to one knee, laughing softly.
"You're stronger than you look," he said.
The adventurer helped him up.
"…So are you."
They walked deeper into the cave.
Until they reached a final chamber.
At the center… a stone altar.
And on it…
A body.
Pale. Still.
The same silver hair.
The same face.
Bonnie stopped.
"…I see," he whispered.
He stepped closer to the altar, eyes fixed on the body.
It was him.
The same silver hair. The same gentle face. Still. Cold. Lifeless.
He let out a soft breath, as if the weight of it had finally caught up to him.
"I… wanted to find the treasure," Bonnie said, voice low. "Not for me. For my mother."
His hand reached out and gently touched the hand of his own body.
"She was sick. Drowning in debts. I thought… if I could just find the treasure, I could fix everything. I told her to wait for me."
His voice shook.
"I said I'd come back rich. That I'd save her. That we'd live well. Laugh again. Eat together like we used to."
He closed his eyes.
"But I never made it. I died in this cave… still dreaming."
Silence filled the air.
The adventurer watched, heart heavy, eyes unable to look away.
Bonnie turned toward him, and despite everything, despite the truth, he smiled.
"Thank you," he said softly. "I know now… the treasure couldn't grant that wish."
He took a breath.
"But you did something greater."
His voice trembled, but not from sorrow.
"Even if just for a while… you made me feel alive again."
His form began to shimmer, like starlight breaking apart in the wind.
"I laughed. I fought. I spoke like I was human again."
He looked up, toward nothing, but with eyes full of warmth.
"Mom… I'm sorry. I couldn't keep my promise. But I wasn't alone in the end."
And then he looked back at the adventurer.
"Thank you… for walking with me."
He began to fade, light scattering like petals on the wind.
"Goodbye, my friend."
And just like that… he was gone.
The cave fell silent again.
But the light remained.
The adventurer stood still, staring at the altar. At the boy who had smiled. Fought. Laughed.
A boy who had been waiting… just to feel something real.
He placed his hand gently on Bonnie's resting chest.
And bowed his head.
No tears came.
But his heart ached in a way it never had before.
When he left the cave, the sky outside had changed.
Rain fell softly, like the world itself was mourning.
But above the clouds…
The stars still waited.
He walked forward again.
Alone.
But something inside him had changed.
He didn't find treasure.
But he found a bond.
A memory.
Proof that he was here.
And so was Bonnie.
Even if the world forgot them both.