The recording session was over, but my heart still felt heavy.
I didn't go home right away.
Instead, I sat on the studio's front porch, a warm cup of coffee resting in my hands.
Its bittersweet aroma drifted through the air, blending with the soft breeze of the late afternoon.
I gazed at the streets of Eldoria, slowly quieting down as the day drew to a close.
The other musicians had left. Now, only the occasional sound of footsteps echoed in the distance.
The peace of this moment should've calmed me… but my thoughts kept turning.
I took a sip, letting the warmth sink into me.
But even that warmth couldn't chase away the cold doubt lingering in my chest.
"Is this really enough?" I wondered, eyes fixed on the fading horizon.
I tried to replay today in my mind—helping Alden, finishing the recording, hearing praise from Joran and the others.
It should have made me feel fulfilled.
And yet… something felt missing.
I stared at my hands.
The memory of the healing light I used that morning flickered in my mind.
It was something I'd always been proud of—a power that made me feel useful.
But... is that really enough?
"Healing small wounds… singing songs... does that really make my life meaningful?" I whispered, my voice nearly lost to the wind.
I closed my eyes, hoping to hear some answer from within.
But instead of clarity, a memory I didn't want to revisit surfaced in my mind.
It came without warning—
Mia.
My little sister, always so full of light, smiling at me from across the room.
Back then, I didn't know it would be the last time I'd ever see her alive.
I held my breath, trying to push the memory away.
But her final words came crashing into me like a wave I couldn't stop.
"Sis… I know you always try to protect everyone.
But you don't have to be strong all the time…
You're allowed to ask for help."
I don't know who she was really speaking to.
But those were the last words I remember.
I opened my eyes, fingers tightening around my coffee cup.
But… I never asked for help, did I?
I was too caught up in myself. In my magic. My dreams.
And I lost her.
"If only I'd been more useful..." I thought, that old guilt starting to rise again.
"If only I hadn't been so busy chasing everything else… maybe I could've saved her."
I lowered my head, letting my hair fall over my face.
What if Alden was wrong?
What if I'm not someone worth placing hope in?
But then, in the middle of all that guilt...
A small voice inside me pushed back.
"It's okay, Sis. You can do it. This is just the beginning, right? You don't have to rush."
I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm inside.
My eyes drifted down to the almost-empty cup in my hand.
Life felt like that cup of coffee—warm, sweet... but quick to fade.
I looked up at the sky, where the orange glow of the setting sun blended with the faint shimmer of Eldoria's crystal lights.
This view always reminded me of the beauty in the world—even if I often felt I didn't deserve to be part of it.
"Just one step forward, Aria..." I whispered to myself.
I stood, reaching for my small bag.
"Maybe I don't have the answer right now," I thought, trying to gather strength.
"But I won't stop searching. If I want to know whether my life means something... I have to make it mean something."
And yet, as I walked away from the studio porch, the shadow of the past still clung to me.
The guilt hadn't vanished.
I knew… someday, I'd have to face what really happened that day—
The day I lost something I could never replace.
My steps felt heavier than before, but deep in my heart, I held onto a flicker of determination.
They believed in me.
And I couldn't—wouldn't—waste that belief.
I would grow stronger.
For her.
And for everyone out there still searching for light in their lives.