What greeted us was the beautiful blinking fairy lights in the night sky. Valeri told me, they look like fireflies only they burn brighter against the glowing black fabric behind layers and layers of clouds above our heads.

At these times when the world is dark, these lights called as stars light up so much. It"s so surreal and it makes anyone wants to reach up for one, keep it in our hands and display them.

As I gaze at this magnificent view, I looked at him at my side looking at the same scenery.

What is he thinking? What does he want to see? Who does he long for?

Wrapped in black clothing, keeping people always at a distance. But deep inside it should be lonely, right? That"s what I would feel if I were him.

In this chaotic world where no one knows exactly who you are, no one can give you their warmth and affection.

You risk your life for someone yet who takes care of you?

In this colossal wall that you are trying to climb on to save your loved one from that curse, it would at least take ten, twenty and even fifty years to defeat the enemy even if you have that strange magic of yours.

Are you going to live life in such a way in all those years?

It"s too cruel.

Upon realizing what misfortune the strongest man I"ve ever seen is in my lifetime, I realized how lucky I was to have Valeri by my side, someone I can go home to no matter what I go through, she was always by my side, that"s why no matter what happened I never broke down and lost hope, it was my reason to live every day, along with the dream to take back the nations that were rightfully ours.

As I looked at him he looked at the fireflies that gathered around us as he lifted and stared at his two palms where some fireflies landed into.

"You don"t you have those bugs at your country?"

I asked him out of curiosity. Those bugs called fireflies that illuminates the forests were always everywhere when the elven nations was still around. They were also around in my hometown.

Unlike other bugs, elves don"t hate it that much as it doesn"t sting, bite or carry any disease, as if they were made to make nights pretty.

"No… we have them… but not so many"

Then he stretched his hand and the fireflies that gathered at his hand flew away, its light flickered as it went together with its friends, flying with them.

"I see, they are pretty right? And they gather mostly, as if their light makes them able to follow each other with no problem, that"s why they are always together, forming seas of light that looks like paths."

"Really? That"s amazing, but some of them still get lost, as they have lost their light already, and no one can find them anymore… "

"Oh… you"re getting fluent now"

I smiled and tried to tease him, as I leaned towards him with my hands at my back.

"Really? Maybe because it"s so long since I"ve been here."

He looked at the fireflies as they went to the tree and surrounded and danced around it. Back then, when the kingdom was still there, fireflies gathered at trees like this. But I wasn"t able to appreciate it really back then, because it was normal, and now that they have driven us off our nations, those trees wrapped in fireflies we saw each night only feels so nostalgic.

"But does fireflies really lose light? If they really do, they would simply rest at the ground and wait right? For its family to find it?"

"Really? I hope so… "

He said as he looked at the fireflies that circled around the fir tree, as if wanting to be a part of them, with his seemingly empty eyes reflected their lights.

"Then… are you the firefly who lost its light?"

"Maybe."

"Do you want to be found?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I don"t want them to lose their light as well."

He looked down and closed his eyes, though I can only see his eyes, for some reason I felt some sadness engulfing him, that I felt bad for all the suspicions I had on him before.

"Really? So that"s why you are fighting on your own here?"

"I"m really not alone."

"Those birds?"

"Yeah, Eagle and Raven are with me."

He caressed the head of the raven who slept at one of his shoulders, while the large and heavy-looking bird he called Eagle was beside him.

Seeing the raven fancy the way he caressed it, I smiled and felt happy. At least he has some birds supporting him on his lonely journey here. Even without another"s touch, those strange-looking birds are still with him.

But how far can a man go with those birds alone? For me, it would probably drive me insane, but I think for him it"s not the case, just look at how sweet are those birds to him.

"Yeah, but you also have us right? You saved us after all, the council of ten welcomed you with open arms, right?"

He simply stood silent, without giving me a reply. Maybe he still doesn"t consider as an ally yet, well it couldn"t be helped, even how friendly he is, he still may have reservations, and he only met us for two… no, three times.

I sighed and shrugged.

"Now where are you going to sleep?"

He then pointed at the same fir tree that he was looking at earlier, where the fireflies gathered. How silly, he"s just like a kid, but it isn"t so bad.

"Then, I"ll go sleep behind of those big rocks so you can call me whenever you need me, I"ll see you tomorrow okay? If you need something, just wake me up."

I pointed to the rock just right before the entrance.

However, this time he turned to me and asked me.

"Isn"t the rock... hard?"

Oh, he"s surprisingly worried about the useless things, just like how he gave us that coffee and tea. That makes me happy a little, that I was able to smile truly for a bit, it"s been so long since I had a strange interaction like this.

"It"s okay, I"m used to it after all, goodnight for now"

I turned around and stretched as I yawned.

Tomorrow he told us that he would teach us his ways in fighting, I wonder what it would be? I"m excited and looking forward to it.

I looked behind my shoulders to check on him, and there, I saw him already the tree, with his back head resting on one of its bigger roots and have fallen asleep with the bird named Raven at his shoulder, while the bird named Eagle, slept on top of the tree.

"Good night, and sleep for now, lightless firefly. Even if you don"t want it, I"ll still pray that someday you"ll be found soon by the people you treasure."