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The idea that angels don't love is erroneous, something invented by humans, because angels not only love, but also grieve the loss of a loved one. Among the angels who protected the Earth, there was one with a heart Full of sorrow. The angel of the Seaick tribe had lost his partner not so long ago, and since then he had carried that burden alone, not letting the sadness, guilt and anguish in his heart show to his teamates. As the oldest member of his team, he felt the need to appear strong and wise, avoiding letting his bad emotions show as much as possible, but this didn't always prove to be an easy task.
That night, Hyde had a dream about his partner, Magis. They weren't just teammates, they were life partners, and they were very close to each other, almost like...lovers. In his dream, Hyde and Magis were running along a long white sandy beach, the foam of the waves gently touching their bare feet and the breeze ruffling their hair. They ran until they were tired, sitting down next to each other, Magis with his left arm wrapped around Hyde, who rested his head on the other angel's shoulder.
-Hyde, I want you to promise me something.
-What?
-Live Hyde, live and be happy.
The dream changed, Hyde found himself alone on a stormy beach, with a rough sea and a gale blowing menacingly.
-MAGIS? WHERE HAVE YOU GONE MAGIS?!
-LIVE HYDE! YOU NEED TO LIVE!
In a fright, Hyde woke up. It was morning, the sun was streaming lazily through his bedroom window, his heart was racing and his face was covered in droplets of cold sweat. Wiping his face for a while, he tried to forget that dream, but it was very difficult to ignore the emptyness that his dear partner had left behind, his heart was in mourning and recently disguising it had been a difficult task. Someone knocked on the door, Hyde took a deep breath and answered to let them in, it was Agri, one of the angels of the Landick tribe.
-Good morning Hyde, breakfast is ready!
-Thank you, Agri. I'll be right there.
Agri smiled and left quietly, he and Hyde were relatively close, doing various tasks together, Agri seemed to enjoy Hyde's company, but that day, after that dream, all he wanted was to be alone. With great difficulty, the angel of the waves got out of bed and got ready, his expression was terrible, with a sad look in his eyes. Hyde gathered all the strength in his body to pretend that everything was fine, with great difficulty he went to the kitchen where everyone was already having breakfast. He pulled up a chair and sat down, his mind was far away, Moune was in her usual bossy mood, but Hyde wasn't paying much attention to what she was saying, probably something about sorting out the day's household chores, his mind was stuck in a loop, and Magis' words echoed through it.
-Hey, Hyde?
Hyde came back to himself, Moune was waving his right hand in front of him.
-is everything all right,Hyde?
-Ah... yes! I just didn't sleep very well tonight
-Can you do the week's shopping with Agri? It's okay if you're unwell, Alata can go in your place.
-It's okay, I can.
Hyde didn't saw, but Agri put a smile on his lips when he heard that. After breakfast, Moune gave them both a shopping list. Usually shopping with Hyde was a real odyssey, as the angel went to several markets and grocery stores looking for the best prices, the best quality products and the ones with the most quantity, doing the week's shopping always became a task that took at least two hours, but Agri didn't care, he really enjoyed spending time with Hyde, even a little too much. That day, however, Hyde seemed extremely apathetic, not carrying out his protocols, just picking up the items on Moune's list, Magis' voice still echoing in his head, and that made his heart grow even heavier in his chest
-Hyde, is everything all right?
He turned around, Agri was at his side, with an expression of concern and a touch of sadness on his face, he didn't want to worry his teammates.
-I...Agri, can you finish the shopping for me? I have something I need to do today.
-Of course, but are you okay? -You look sad...
-I just didn't sleep well tonight, but you don't have to worry, okay? I'll come back later.
Hyde handed the list to Agri and left the grocery store as quickly as he could, he just wanted to be alone, without worrying his teammates. Hyde spent the rest of the day wandering around the city, his feet seemingly on automatic, taking him to random places. His mind remained focused on Magis, thinking about the moments they had spent together, as well as creating scenarios that would never happen, like that walk on the beach he had seen in his dream. Meanwhile, Agri was returning home with the shopping bags. He put the bags on the kitchen table and sat down, thinking about how sad Hyde had looked that day. Agri noticed a lot about the angel Seaick, how serene and wise he was, Hyde's manner warmed his heart. But he wasn't serene that day, quite the opposite, it seemed that a storm was brewing in the angel's heart, and his gaze showed it.
-Are you back yet, Agri? Where's Hyde?
-Ah, Moune. Yes, I'm back, Hyde asked me to do the shopping today, he said he had something else to do.
-What?
-He didn't say, but he seemed in a hurry.
-Hyde's acting strange today.
-Yes, I'm really worried about him.
The two brothers looked at each other worriedly
-Should we go after him?
-If he's not back by the afternoon, I'll go look for him, Hyde's not like that.
Meanwhile, Hyde continued on his random way through the city, his mind now stuck on the scenarios he had imagined. Hyde thought about how Magis would like to go to the café with him, to the aquarium or spend the afternoon sitting in the square, eating ice cream together. That random walk took up a good chunk of his day, Hyde was tired, but he ignored his body and continued walking. The sun was setting when he realized he was on the edge of the shore. The salty wind was blowing in from the ocean and the waves were crashing lazily on the shore. The angel walked to where the sea touched the shore, watching the waves come and go, he wished Magis were there, so that the two of them could enjoy the sunset together. He didn't realize it, but a tear trickled from his left eye.
-Magis... why?
Hyde fell to his knees, the salty sea water wetting his pants, equally salty tears flowing from his eyes, falling into the waves and mixing with the foam. It was a deeply sad cry, full of sorrow, Hyde blamed himself for Magis' death, he wished he could go back in time and change all that, he wanted Magis there, in his arms.
The Seaick angel was crying alone on the beach, the sun was touching the sea on the horizon and night was breaking. The other angels were looking for their friend, he wasn't like that. Agri was the most worried, seeing Hyde in that state in the morning had hurt his heart, what if a member of Warstar had captured him? He should have gone after him early. He was running along the edge of the shore, the last rays of the sun were touching the sand, and the first stars were beginning to appear on the horizon, his eyes were drawn to a lone figure on the beach, it was impossible not to recognize that jacket, it was definitely Hyde. Agri went towards him, walking at a brisk pace, as he got closer, he heard Hyde's pain-filled cries, was he hurt?
-Hyde?
The Seaick angel turned around, startled. Agri was there, he had seen him crying, now what to do? How would he react? The emotions were strong and conflicting, causing Hyde to just freeze in place, tears streaming from his eyes.
-Are you hurt?!
Hyde denied it with his head, he tried to speak but only incomprehensible mumbles came out of his mouth, he felt ashamed of the scene. Agri looked at him, feeling his heart sinking in his chest. Then a thought popped into his head
-You miss him, don't you?
Hyde's eyes widened, was he hiding his feelings that badly?!
-Yes...
Agri approached, kneeling in front of Hyde, standing at the same height as him. The sea was now wetting the pants of the two angels, night had already taken over the sky. Carefully, Agri took Hyde's hands and began to speak affectionately
-It's okay, Hyde. You don't have to hide your sorrow like that, it's not good.
-It's just... I didn't want you to worry about me. But it's hard, you know? Sometimes I wish I could disappear into the waves and join Magis again. It's difficult without him here...
Tears welled up in Hyde's eyes, and he clasped the other angel's hands, crying with pain and anguish.
-I know it's hard, Hyde, but you're not alone, we're here for you.
-It's not the same, Agri! He was much more than my friend...
A tear fell from Agri's eye, it was possible to feel the pain in Hyde's words.
-I know that... But Hyde, none of it was your fault! He wouldn't want to see you sad like that! You need to live, Hyde!
Those words hit Hyde's mind like the waves hit the rocks on the beach, he let go of Agri's hands and stared into her eyes
-What did you say?
-You need to live and be happy! — Tears fell from Agri's eyes — Maybe this is the worst time for it, but... I can't bear to see you sad like this! I know you loved him, but it really hurts me to see you like this! I know I'm not going to be his replacement, I know I'm not him, but I want...no, I need to help you Hyde! Hyde...I...I LOVE YOU! SEEING YOU SAD IS KILLING ME, I NEED TO SEE YOU HAPPY!
The two angels looked at each other, almost frightened. Many emotions were running through Hyde's head, but the fact that he had said the same words as Magis in his dream made a light go on in his head. In fact, he loved Magis, but living forever in mourning for his beloved wasn't something he would have wanted, everything was happening too fast for him, but strangely it all made a lot of sense now, perhaps that dream was a message from Magis himself.
-I'm sorry, Hyde... It's just that... I couldn't bear to see you so sad. I know you're grieving, but I want to try anything to see you happy again. I believe that just as the sea touches the shore, I can touch your heart...I'm sorry about that, I just want to try and help you.
Agri began to cry again, Hyde couldn't respond, his only instinct was to hug the other angel.
-Hyde...
The two angels walked home together, everyone was very worried about them. Hyde apologized for the commotion he had caused, and said that he shouldn't have hidden his sadness, he just wanted some time alone. His colleagues were very understanding, despite their concern, and in the end it was all treated as a big misunderstanding. Later that night, Hyde sneaked into Agri's room. The other angel was already asleep when he gently nudged him.
-Hmm..Hyde??
-Thank you
-For what?
-I... I had a dream last night with Magis, he said I needed to live, and you told me the exact same thing... I think it was a message from him, that I shouldn't live forever in mourning.
Agri smiled and sat down on the bed, Hyde sat down next to him
-I guess I picked a bad time to confess my feelings but I just wanted to help you and didn't knew what to do, so I acted guide by my true emotions. I'll never replace Magis, but I want to help you deal with your grief, I want to see you happy again.
Hyde hugged Agri and kissed the sleepy angel on the forehead, something was growing in his heart, and he knew that wherever he was, Magis was happy with him. He would never forget his partner, but he couldn't live in mourning forever either, or it would break his heart and end up killing him. An angel's feelings are complex, just like humans', and they suffering it's bitter too, and just like humanity, there's nothing better to help heal an angel wounds to heal than someone who loves them. The sea always touches the land, but just this once, the land touched the sea, helping to heal the wounds in his heart.