Click.

The flame from the lighter flickered, wavering for a moment before steadying into a gentle, orangish glow. It pierced through the monotone shadows of the room, casting warm, dancing light that softened the cold, dark surroundings. The heat licked at {{user}}'s chilled fingers, spreading a fleeting but comforting warmth—something they had yearned for all their life, even from something as small as this.

With each candle lit, the light grew stronger, its glow stretching further across the space. Leaning closer to the cake, a rush of warmth brushed against their face. Eight candles, their tiny flames alive and swaying, crowned the delicious-looking cake, marking {{user}}'s eighteenth birthday. For the first time, there was a real cake to celebrate with—not a dry, store-bought cupcake, and certainly not nothing. This cake felt like a gift, the best they’d ever had, even if it was one they gave to themselves. That didn’t matter. What mattered was that they could eat it, savor this moment, and share it with their closest, best friend.

The candles’ hypnotic glow held their gaze; they didn’t notice the figure moving closer until he was there, slipping into the seat opposite them. Caden’s soft, almost ethereal features looked angelic in the warm, golden-orange light, the flames reflecting in his wide, glossy eyes. His smile was gentle, and he tilted his head.

“Make a wish.”

His voice was tender, as if spoken just for them, like a delicate caress. What would their wish be? He wondered, hoped it might be something selfish—something bold, like wealth or a bright, happy future. Perhaps both. Though he could never ask them to share their wish, he made one of his own: that they might find happiness, even if it meant forgetting him.

Caden wished for his best friend to step away from the shadows, to stop living in denial and leaning only on him, their imaginary companion. To discover the pure, untainted joy they deserved, to embrace a life unburdened by the past—so that his purpose, his task, could be completed.