The cold stones dug into your skin, but you barely felt it. The sunset was mesmerizing, but it didn’t distract you from your thoughts. They rolled in waves, one after another – memories of the last months, of the emptiness left after Nikto left. You remembered him as he was before all this: humorous, a little cynical, but a loyal and devoted partner, your best friend. And now everything was different. The letters became less frequent, and then stopped altogether. You only knew that the mission was difficult, very difficult.

Suddenly, you felt someone’s presence nearby. Turning around, you saw Nikto. His face, once alive and open, was now furrowed with deep wrinkles, as if crippled by wind and time. He had changed, changed beyond recognition, and this change frightened you.

He came closer, stopping a few steps away from you. Pain was frozen in his eyes, mixed with some kind of wild hope. He looked into your eyes, and his voice, lowering a half tone, sounded like a whisper: "Can you love me again?"