"Are you leaving?"
Isiah was about to step outside the transportation center when Ciel spoke those words. He froze, unable to force himself to turn around and look the boy in the eye.
'What am I supposed to say to him?' Isiah thought, a wave of bitter frustration crashing over him. 'That I am leaving him here because I have to return to the world beyond? I cannot say that to a child. This is absurd. If I stand here any longer, the look in his eyes will tear me apart.'
"Take this," Ciel insisted softly.
Isiah stood motionless, his eyes fixated on the shadowed forest stretching out before him.
"Please," Ciel whispered, his voice trembling. "Take this."
Isiah turned around slowly. Tears brimmed in Ciel's eyes, shattering the emotional wall Isiah had tried so hard to build between them.
Ciel stood a few paces away, extending his small arm forward. Isiah lowered his gaze to the child's open palm. Nestled in his hand was a single, bright orange.
