Days and nights passed and things began to look brighter for all of them. Eligos wasn’t Eligos anymore, Gadreel took his place. There was no more pain or resentment in them when addressing him, probably a little bit of sadness but that was understandable. 

They all felt like a huge weight had lifted off their shoulders. The girls and the blue ones were trying their best to make him feel comfortable, which was working somehow. Most nights, when the girls secretly went to see the dead cherry blossom they would see him wandering around the bookshelf that hides the secret passage. Although the majority felt curious about it they decided not to meddle. He was kind enough, helping them out with the house chores or looking out for them. 

The girls had not seen Sooyeon again, Gadreel told them that she was busy tracking down the remaining demons and guarding the gate. It was sad news for Tiffany and Taeyeon but there was nothing they could do even though they were feeling a little insecure after they met Amitiel. The way both of them seemed to be so close wasn’t something to their liking, and so they had to wait until she appeared again just like before. 

Tiffany often dreamt about her, the same dream and that made her wonder if it wasn’t real. In it, Sooyeon was always sitting down with her back resting on a huge tree. For some odd reason, it was always nighttime with a full moon adorned the sky giving them enough light to see even the slightest smile. Tiffany did the same thing every time, approach her and talk to her even though the other girl couldn’t see her but never stopped trying in hopes that she would turn her way just once. And so, every night she always sits next to her in complete silence, her eyes never leaving her perfect self tracing every single pore afraid of not being able to see her this close when she wakes up. One time she tried touching her but it was like air passing through her fingers. How unfair that even in her dreams she wasn’t able to touch her but even so, this was better than not having her at all. Now she understood Wendy perfectly.

2 weeks had passed and there was still not a sign of Sooyeon. It was a thundering night with heavy rain when it finally happened. The sky seemed about to break anytime soon; the thunders, the rain, and the loud wind made you think that it was possible. Taeyeon was a light sleeper, so it was taking a toll on her to try and see what could appear in her dreams that night. When she had enough of rolling from side to side, she decided to just enjoy the weather for a bit. She got off the bed and walked with her thick peas in a pot blanket that she got for Christmas around her body looking like a burrito with only her face showing. She looked so cute with her pout while whining like a baby thanks to her sleepless night until she saw what she was looking for all this time. There, just like when she saw her under the moonlight a few days after she was summoned, Sooyeon stood right in front of the opened doors that gave the perfect view of the dead tree. Her side profile never failed to take her breath away, now she was glad that it was thundering this hard because with each strike the sky lighted up and so did her whole being, accentuating her perfect and fine features with those black leather pants and white v-neck shirt. Rain was getting inside and part of the floor was wet but Tae didn’t mind, not when that perfect girl seemed to be dry as hell, not a single drop on her face or clothes. She was in a daze until the reason of her crazy-beating heart noticed her and was suddenly aware of how her deep soulless eyes were boring into hers afraid of being found out because she couldn’t stop the loud beating that echoed inside her chest. 

Minutes passed and none of them said a word. The pea girl was trying her best to strike a conversation but her stupid mouth wouldn’t cooperate, and her mind was a lost cause due to her fantasizing that the scene was just like a drama. She saw the other girl blinking in the darkness, not taking her eyes away from her and that was making her nervous. 

She cleared . “Sooyeon, you’re here.” She said in a low voice, afraid that her trembling tone gave away her feelings.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Her voice was a little void of any emotion but her eyes were a little soft. 

Tae composed herself and forgot about her attire that probably was funny to others' eyes. She was holding her blanket tightly while lowering her gaze a little after she felt herself getting hotter. “Yes, it’s a little loud for me.” She gave an apologetic smile and with slow steps, she approached the lonely figure. 

“Should I make it stop?” It was funny how innocent that sounded and Tae couldn’t help but smile at the gesture. 

“No, no.” She shook her head in denial. “I like it.” She took a deep breath. “Even the smell is so calming.” She moved her eyes and placed them on top of the soaked trunk, closing them for a bit and enjoying the symphon. “It’s hard not seeing it there showering us with its beautiful petals.” She said, her voice was soothing.

Sooyeon was still staring but turned her face upfront. “It’s part of a cycle, it has lived for so long.” Her words surprised Taeyeon but she wouldn’t mind if the reason was her voice. 

“Can it live for a little longer? We grew up with it; it listened to our pleas, to our cries, our stories. Now that it’s gone it feels so empty.” 

In Sooyeon’s eyes, Taeyeon looked so fragile, almost like a little kid with her blanket all over her. “You want it to live once again?” She asked. 

Tae opened her eyes in surprise and suddenly realized her appearance. She quickly tried to take off her blanket but the other girl stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t, is too cold for you.” Indeed, it was so cold that she felt her face going numb.

She grinned and lowered her head in an attempt to hide her blush. “Okay.” She stood in silence while the pouring rain kept going until she realized she didn’t respond. 

She raised her head and caught the flawless being flickering her eyes everywhere as if guarding the place. “I want it.” That drew her attention and she felt conscious about it. “If there was a way for that to happen, that is.” She smiled sadly. “The others won’t say it often but they are waiting for a miracle, praying every single day, yet we still haven’t been heard but we won’t stop. Gadreel gave us the push to not give up ever again.” She hid in her blanket and only her cute nose and eyes were visible.

Sooyeon listened quietly like always, her thumb kept on caressing her soft and cold fingers. “There is a way.” That made the girl almost jump on her out of excitement. “But, it can be a total disappointment to all of you.” Her words were like ice to her.

Taeyeon found it hard to gulp. “Why?” 

The beautiful blonde clenched her teeth for a second. “There’s a reason why he can't hear them or more like do anything about it.” Taeyeon felt her blood pressure-lowering but her eyes never left that beautiful face that seemed to be doubting whether or not to continue, thank Lord she did. “He can’t revive something he didn’t create.” Huh? The midget’s legs were about to give up, she couldn’t understand what she meant. “Because it was me, I created that cherry blossom.” 

What the hell? The midget couldn’t believe what she was hearing, she had to hold the door frame just to prevent herself from collapsing. Her breathing got a little heavier and suddenly went dry. “Y-You we-were the one who created it?” She had to rub her eyes twice just to know she wasn’t dreaming. All this time they thought something completely different.

The blonde girl saw her reaction and sighed. She could see the surprise in her eyes but nothing else, not even a hint of distaste which was unexpected. “I could’ve saved it but I didn't. You linked that tree with God’s will and after what he did or didn’t do to help your family that night he didn’t deserve to be thought that way. He was given credits that weren’t his.”

Unexpected, that was the word that applied for Tae as well. All of this was…a shocking grace. She was trying to organize her thoughts and facts but realized that the girl could think that she was taking this the wrong way. She coughed for a bit and offered her a smile. To think all this time they thanked and prayed to the wrong person was sort of comical. “So, it was you all this time?” Sooyeon frowned not getting what she meant. The girl seeing this giggled quietly and smiled even brighter. “The one who we should be thanking for this miracle."

The latter was left with no words for a bit. “Miracle?” She moved her head to one side, her eyes getting lost for a second. “What do you mean? I don’t create miracles, that’s God’s thing to do, not mine. I just…turned back time.” She was refusing. 

Take shook her head a couple of times in denial. “You’ve done more miracles than you can imagine. You saved Sooyoung’s and Hyoyeon’s mothers, you gave back Zero to me.” She frowned for a bit. “You’ve done many things for us, us that don’t deserve them and for people who don’t even know you exist, that they ignore the fact that they’re breathing thanks to you.” She was holding her blanket a little bit too tight for her own good, her white knuckles were proof of that. “That’s something I don’t like, you not seeing your worth.” Her lips formed a thin line.

Sooyeon had an eyebrow raised, what she said brought back memories that she kept hidden. 

“You’re just like her.” She said, her voice breaking Taeyeon’s tantrum.

The girl was taken by surprise, she wondered who she was referring to. “Who?” She weakened her deathly hold and her blanket almost fell.

The blonde one shook her head a bit. “My first friend.” Those words felt foreign in her lips, it was the first time she admitted that to anyone; having a friend, that is. The thunders made it difficult to be able to hear her but for some reason, Tae heard her perfectly, just like before. “After I sent every demon back to hell that day I was permitted to stay for a little longer. Almost all the Wardens were adamant and only two agreed, though they decided not to interfere when their leader spoke her thoughts. One Warden was always kind with me, although I didn’t mind him.” Her eyes focused on the pouring rain. “I thought he will leave me alone after some time but he didn’t. Everyone else respected me out of fear, of what I could do if they didn’t. I sensed it but I could care less, those things we're unknown to me. I was like a blank sheet of paper until I met her.” 

Taeyeon saw her close her eyes for a bit and she was mesmerized once again by her perfect features, her surroundings disappearing again. The said beauty crossed her arms while reminiscing. “She was just a little girl back then. I always stayed inside the shrine grounds just because I felt like nothing in this world called my attention.” Her words were clear but that unfazed expression didn’t do her beauty justice. “I realized that she was always alone but one could see the way she desired to play with the other kids that ran around while keeping their distance from her. It was one day when the Warden came to see me and caught me staring at the kid from afar. He sighed tiredly before telling me that the little girl was his niece, that sole reason made her have no friends because the children were afraid of being grounded by their parents. Wardens and their families were out of reach to any of them.

It was interesting how she looked so lonely and pitiful but when approached by other kids or her family she would smile brightly as if nothing happened, humans are such an interesting thing” She opened her eyes and caught those two shiny ones staring deeply at her, not even flinching. “One time I was walking around the shrine when she first saw me, she had this surprised look on her face and for a second I thought that she would walk away from me but she didn’t.” Tae noticed how when talking about her the tone in her voice changed, it was gentle and nostalgic for some reason.

“She approached me instead. I couldn’t believe how everyone else walked away from me but that tiny girl walked with no fear towards me. Her tiny hand took a hold of my cold one but her smile never left her face I couldn’t understand why she was smiling. From that day on, she would come and see me although her parents didn’t like the idea but her uncle helped her out, so much happiness because she got a friend like me.” The midget had to close her eyes tightly for a second because she swore she saw a faint smile linger on the blonde’s lips for an instant. “She was 9 but looked too young, nevertheless she was smart. She showed me this world, every little thing in it is what makes it beautiful, she told me. She taught me about respect, patience, love, right and wrong, friendship, and all she knew about emotions. She gave me my name, Sooyeon. She smiled telling me that I had the face of someone named Sooyeon. How weird.

She always brought her notes and repeat the same thing her teacher taught her hours ago just so we could learn together. It was the first time I was treated that way, seen as an equal because to her I was, I was the girl who was her friend that lived inside the shrine, the girl she considered as her dear friend. 

Years passed by so fast like sunrays through my fingers. The little girl wasn’t so little anymore, although height wise it was different. If there is something I found amazing was how humans changed physically with time but even so, her face still ressembling her little self in my eyes. I was always checking up on her even when I knew she was old enough to take care of herself. Everyone wanted to befriend her but she nevera accepted them.”

‘You should go with them; you’ve always wanted to have friends.’

‘I did before I met you. Now, you’re enough for me Sooyeon. You’ve been enough all these years.’

“Seeing her was something I looked forward to, an acceptable part of my day, even though I never told her that. Just seeing her was enough for me, that’s what friends are, right?” She asked but the silent girl couldn’t answer, her mind was playing tricks with her maybe because she knew that it was probably something different from what a friend is supposed to be. 

Sooyeon waited for a couple of seconds before continuing. “I always wondered why every time she left for the day or to visit her relatives it always felt…empty. Now I know that I probably got used to her because to me she was the only