There you are! Welcome back. I've missed you so, so much, you know that?

Look at all those scars on you. It had been such an exhausting journey for you, hadn't it?

Don't worry... you'll be safe with me. No one can hurt you anymore.

No one.

I promise.

"You can see me now?"

A faint little voice echoes throughout the completely empty sky, with some unintelligible structures occasionally littered throughout the landscape. Clouds adorn the desaturated blue, moving so slowly it almost seems as if time has halted. It probably has.

You nod, although you're not really sure who you're nodding at.

You're not really sure how to feel about the implication of being in the afterlife either.

"Hey. I know."

Before your figure lay a dark colored sphere. An inanimate object. It's so small it barely reaches half the way to your knee. It glows faintly, almost as if beckoning you to take another step forward.

"I used to look just like you, but I changed. A lot of things changed, really."

You instinctively crouch down and realize the voice you've been hearing all along belongs to this seemingly lifeless orb. It pauses briefly before continuing to speak.

"It's like one day you have everything you want, but the next, life gets really hard."

You nod in response.

You've seen it all, heard it all, to know that it's speaking of nothing but the cold, hard reality to you. After all, that is how you ended up here to begin with.

"But it's okay."

You almost let the tears fall from your eyes.

"Things really do get better, I promise you."

Do they? You almost believe its words.

But it's been so long. The light at the end of the tunnel seems to have already faded. You've been fighting for so long your body refuses to heal your battle wounds any more, because it can't. You've bled out far too many times, been burnt so much to the point you can't recognize your own reflection any longer. You don't know who you are anymore.

You don't know what you've become. It seems hopeless. Where do you even start? Everything's a mess. A hopeless mess that seems impossible to mend.

"I promise."

You nod, and you let a tear prick your eye while sobbing and sniffling quietly.

"Can we hug?"

A hug?

Of course.

You try to take a step forward on the slim beam under your feet, but you miss a step and slip off the edge of it. Your eyes widen in horror as your chest begins to tighten.

"Ah-" your throat lets out an almost feeble gasp of audible fear, your arm desperately outstretching in an attempt to reach the beam.

As it seems like you're about to fall into the nothingness and become lost forever, a strong gust of wind punches your back and lifts you back onto the beam, allowing you to have a safe and soft landing on your feet.

"Be careful!" The voice warns softly with an audible undertone of concern, clearly distraught and worried sick for your safety.

You nod in caution and take another step forward before leaning down to gently wrap your arms around the sphere. You're not sure why, but a smile creeps up to your face.

You feel... strangely content.

Your grip secures slightly tighter around the orb. Hugging it calms your nerves and makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Whether this is science or magic or anything applicable is unclear, but it doesn't matter.

Suddenly, the orb begins to glow brighter, white sparkles surrounding it as its dark body transitions into a lighter color.

Despite not having any form of expression whatsoever, you can somehow tell it feels happy, too.

"Well, I'll be seeing you, perhaps again, someday."

You don't want to let go.

Please don't go.

Please.

You try to utter those words, scream it maybe, but nothing comes out your mouth and your grip on the sphere tightens even more. Your arms strain so much they're almost trembling.

"I tend to forget, but I'm happy I could've shared this with you."

A tear falls from your eye again, but you're still smiling despite it all. You feel ashamed for being so selfish, but you don't want to be alone. Again. Not again.

Please... Not again...

"I'll always be here, if you want to do this again."

The orb is now completely white.

You finally stop crying as you close your eyes, letting the white glow engulf your body. You don't know how much time passes as you enjoy this bittersweet moment in a momentary silence.

"I love you," it whispers.
"I love you too," you manage to reply.