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Asher was sitting in a massive valley full of yellow chrysanthemums. The sky was kind of pale, and the flowers were just waving in the wind, making the whole place look like a sea of gold stretching out toward the hills. There was one old tree in the middle of it all, and Asher was leaning against its trunk, half-sitting in the flowers. The breeze was hitting his crimson hair, and the smell of the flowers was everywhere.
Someone was leaning against his chest.
They weren't just sleeping or tired.
They were gone.
Valko was way taller than him, but he wasn't moving anymore. That strength he used to have in his shoulders and hands was just... gone. His dusty red hair shifted in the wind, but his golden eyes were closed for good.
Asher held him, supporting the weight because Valko couldn't do it himself anymore.
He’d held her like this once. Actually, a lot of times. He thought nothing could hurt more than that, but he was wrong.
Asher brushed his fingers through Valko’s hair, pushing back the strands that the wind kept blowing in his face.
"You should have met her," he whispered.
The valley didn't answer.
"You would've liked her."
He sounded calm, but you could tell his voice was kind of breaking.
"She would've complained that you're too serious."
He smiled a little.
"And she'd spend weeks trying to make you laugh just once."
Then the smile vanished.
"It would've worked."
He could see it clearly. She would've dragged Valko through all these markets he didn't want to go to, stopping at every single food stall, and she would've laughed while he just sighed and followed her anyway. She would've bought flowers just because they looked happy.
Eventually, Valko would've smiled. Just a little, and she would've acted like she won.
Asher knew it. He was sure of it. He'd seen enough different futures to know what happiness looked like.
That was the worst part.
It was never actually possible.
No matter how time shifted or how history changed, or how many lifetimes he watched, destiny never let Valko exist at the same time as her.
Whenever she lived, he didn't. Whenever he was born, she wasn't.
It wasn't even a tragedy; it was just how things were designed. Like a glitch in existence. Once Valko's fate was set, he didn't belong anywhere. No future, no hidden timeline, nothing.
Asher hugged him tighter and rested his forehead against Valko's temple.
"I searched," he whispered.
Every single lifetime. Every broken version of the future. He looked everywhere. There had to be one world where destiny messed up—one mistake, one chance.
But there wasn't.
She always existed somewhere. Somewhere she was laughing or crying or finding people who loved her, even if she forgot them or they disappeared. She was always there, in some version of history.
But Valko... destiny had just erased every path before they could even start. It was like the universe looked at him and just decided: No. Not this one.
The wind blew through the flowers again, making a soft whispering sound.
Asher looked out over the yellow field.
"Astra," he said softly.
He wasn't even angry anymore. He was just tired.
"You really are a cruel god."
The flowers kept swaying under the sky, and the valley stayed silent.