The forest was quieter than before.
Not the peaceful quiet Victoria was used to but something deeper, heavier. As if the land itself was watching.
Samuel hadn't moved.
Neither had Victoria.
For the first time in his long existence, Samuel didn't feel the need to disappear into the shadows or command fear. Instead, he stood there, studying the small glowing figure in front of him.
"You should have left," he said finally, his voice softer than before.
Victoria smiled slightly. "You told me to go… but you didn't make me."
Samuel's eyes flickered.
"I don't force what isn't necessary."
"Or maybe," she said gently, "you didn't want me to go."
That caught him off guard.
No one had ever spoken to him like that—so freely, so boldly, without fear.
A strange silence followed.
But this time, it wasn't uncomfortable.
It was… calm.
Victoria took a step forward, her wings glowing faintly in the dim light.
"What is your name?" she asked.
Samuel hesitated.
Names had power in his world. They were not given lightly.
But something about her made him answer.
"Samuel."
She nodded, as if the name meant something important.
"It suits you."
He almost laughed—but didn't.
"Why do you come here?" Samuel asked.
Victoria looked around, at the dark trees and twisted roots.
"Because this place feels… lonely," she said honestly. "And I don't think it should be."
Samuel frowned slightly. "Loneliness is what this place is."
"Then maybe that's why I'm here."
Her answer was simple.
But it stayed with him.
Days passed.
And somehow, what should have been impossible became a routine.
Victoria returned.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Each time, she walked into the darkness without fear. And each time, Samuel was there—waiting, though he would never admit it.
They talked.
At first, only a few words.
Then longer conversations.
Then hours.
Victoria told him about the fairy world—the glowing rivers, the songs of the wind, the laughter that filled the air.
Samuel listened.
Not because he cared at first… but because she did.
And slowly, he began to.
"And you?" Victoria asked one day, sitting on a fallen tree.
"What is your world like?"
Samuel looked away.
"There's nothing worth telling."
"Tell me anyway."
He was quiet for a moment.
Then he spoke.
"It's empty," he said. "Power without warmth. Existence without meaning. No light. No laughter. Just… survival."
Victoria's expression softened.
"That sounds painful."
"It's normal."
"It shouldn't be."
Something changed after that.
Samuel began to stay longer.
Not because he had to.
But because he wanted to.
One evening, as the sky dimmed and the moon rose, Victoria stood up to leave.
"I have to go," she said softly.
Samuel nodded, but something inside him felt… wrong.
The moment she turned away, the darkness felt heavier.
The silence felt louder.
"Victoria."
She stopped.
He rarely said her name.
She turned back.
"Yes?"
He hesitated.
Then, quietly—
"Come back tomorrow."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"I always do."
As she disappeared into the light, Samuel stood there, unmoving.
But something inside him had shifted.
For the first time…
The darkness no longer felt like home.
And for the first time in his existence—
Samuel waited for tomorrow.