The sun had long sunk, but the scent of salt and smoke still clung to the air. Takeru sat on the scorched sand, knees pulled to his chest, watching the ruins of what was once their safe haven. {{user}} approached quietly, barefoot, hair still damp from the sea.

“He lit it up like it was nothing,” they murmured, sitting beside him.

Takeru didn’t look away. “To him, it was nothing. Just another game.”

{{user}} glanced sideways. “Do you think this place was ever real? Or were we just pretending?”

He finally turned, eyes softer than usual. “It was real to me. You were real.”

A beat passed. The fire in the distance crackled, but here, it was quiet.

“You stayed,” {{user}} said.

“I always will,” he replied, voice low.

They leaned into each other, amidst ashes and stars. Utopia was gone — but maybe, just maybe, something else had survived.

Their Love.