Jun snuck through his barrier on autopilot. He didn't really remember walking to where he stood or how much of the first part of the presentation was left before the barrier lifted and people would pour in, where he po personally present to the world his greatest masterpied his vision for the future.

  He had felt that he had created something of significe that he could leave with the uy that had given him so much before he moved on to the chapter of his life. Ohat was bright aiful and filled with lots of babies.

  His chest tightened.

  This was... so.... painful. Jun couldn't breathe. He was feeling lightheaded, and bile kept threatening to make a se.

  Then he saw where he stood and what y before him.

  Although the Garden was beautiful and he was very pleased with it, in terms of effort, the most difficult had been the sculpture of his beloved. The crystal rune flora had been difficult to form at first, but once he'd worked out a proper work flow, along with his enhanced body, it had gone by surprisingly fast. As his proficreased with repetition, the faster he was and the more creative he had been. It was fun.

  Desi was hard.

  The inal position was easy. If there was one person Jun could easily visualize, it was the love of his life.

  When they had first met, he had only just started learning what it meant to be in civilized society and had just begun his healing process with the help of Aunt Mary, who held him like he was her own child. Lily and lil Davie were stant panions that taught him how to be a kid, while Uncle Juan's few but sincere words showed him what a father was, which was a strange fort.

  But it wasn't until he met Desi that he had started being human again. She was like sunshine. She was warmth and happihat Jun hadn't imagined possible after losing his light.

  They were twelve, an age where the world was new and mysterious and adventures lied just beyond the horizon, but not for Jun. He had seen too much of the evils of the world at too young an age. But he'd been lucky.

  The first people to offer a helping hand to Jun, who had less than nothing, were two families of angels and he'd met his soul mate before he knew what love was. She helped heal his wounds and became the ter that had previously been torn out with his own hands.

  With the feelings of love and gratitude to the universe, he carved. The first iteration was fast. It was beautiful. But it wasn't right. Something important wasn't captured correctly and Jun couldn't identify it.

  So he tried again.

  Desi's pyful spirit got Jun to ehe world and learn to be social. Her generosity filled the void in his soul and then, years ter, the night they made love for the first time, she made him feel whole again.

  She was the ohat brought Jun to art and sculpture and his first fan as an artist and enced him to chase his dreams. Her stant adoration gave him fiden himself and only affirmed that she was his future. The year prior, when he had proposed a dream where the two of them formed a bond so tight that it would st a lifetime, she said yes.

  He worked again, with the love aement of a new future he carved.

  It was beautiful.

  But again, it wasn't right.

  So he tried again.

  Desi and Jun had a lot of fun pnning for the future. Wedding and honeymoon ideas led to career pns and where they would live and what kind of home, which led to more important siderations, like how many babies. She would ugh her twihat he loved so much as she'd tell him all the ideas for baby names and all the things they would experieogether.

  And then when she held Jun with trembling hands and told him she regnant.

  That had been a joy bomb.

  With the bursting love for the happy future family that was now guaranteed, he carved.

  It was the best he had ever done.

  But something still wasn't right.

  He then cluded, with a tired sigh, that his overwhelming love for Desi wouldn't allow even his art to perfect what was already perfect. He was going to have to learn to be satisfied with having someoh a beauty that couldn't be replicated as the mother of his child. What a terrible hardship.

  Thinking about what Nicole had told him, he knew what was missing from his sculptures of Desi.

  He couldn't help but ugh a little weakly.

  “Jun,” Nicole had said through repressed sobs. “Desi and Danny… they’re eloping...”

  “....I'm sorry. What?”

  “She sent me a message before diseg her . She...sniff sniff... she said that Danny got an opportunity with the Vaults Family in Fortress city and that she's going to marry Danny aer with him....”

  “....where is she now?”

  “They already left. They might have already gohrough the Gate.”

  “...what about our baby? She 't gh the Gate with a baby... Nicole. Please answer me.” Jun asked in a small voiicole was barely hanging on. She was so distraught while Tiana, who was supp her from the side, was only a bit better. Through the numbness, he wondered with a twisted amusement what they were so upset about. It was his pain, wasn't it? He almost wao ugh.

  “Jun... she said she… got rid of it.”

  “…”

  He uood the words. They weren't difficult words, but they didn't make sense.

  Got rid of it? What was she talking about? She said it like she took out the trash. Not their child, right? That couldn’t be right.

  No matter how long he looked into those cold white stone eyes, he couldn't uand. His mind was a chaotiferno of emotions, refles, and questions, but as if fate were mog him, he finally uood what was missing from this piece.

  Doubt.

  There were moments where Jun could see a yer of uainty in her cheerfulness and in her love, but he always attributed it to something happening at the time. Was that look for him?

  For instahe time he asked her to marry him, did she look as he had remembered?

  The time she said she regnant... was she happy?

  When was it, Jun wondered as he looked into the lie that gazed back at him, that she fell out of love?

  How didn't he notice when he opped looking at her?

  And with Danny?

  His mentor?

  His best friend?

  His brother?

  The ohat had always stood by Jun's side?

  But they had just spoken.

  When had he tacted his mother's family? Did uncle know?

  Ju himself losing it when some of his senses detected people were all around. He couldn't think about anything like presentations or the whispers that seems to know too much. He didn't care.

  All he cared for was right in front of him, but just like the eyes that professed loyalty and love, it was a lie.

  Did he hate Danny?

  Did he hate Desi?

  Was he capable of hating Desi?

  Familiar voices murmured words he couldn't quite make out, but he reized who stood behind him. Uncle Juan had finally made it, and his voice was filled with a soft strength as he forted his Aunt Mary. They were hurting, too. He wasn't the only ohat was left behind.

  Jun took a step closer.

  Desi and Danny were responsible for who he had bee today.

  A step closer.

  Desi and Danny gave him a family that he had lost and allowed a blessed life fht years.

  A step closer.

  But Desi and Danny had left behind too maional debts. They all had to heal.

  And their child... family... future........

  He stood still. The girl, resting on her perch, leaned ever slightly forward where her longing gaze met hollow eyes.

  A deep, tired sigh breathed out.

  His right hand moved up slowly, to gently caress his lover's cheek o time, but when his hand touched stohere was a tremble in the air that was visible to the naked eye.

  And then a lie disied into dust.

  Today he lost many things. The two of the most important people in his life were dead to him now. And one eagerly awaited ughter of new beginnings would never be heard. He mourheir loss.

  Jun's outstretched hand was hard to withdraw. Though the image in his eyes was gohe one in his heart was hard to set down.

  “Don't be silly. She made her choiow we must live with it.” Jun chastised himself.

  With that thought, Jun waved his hand and a great wind gushed and blew the stone dust into the trees. The branches swayed in stress as chaotic choirs of twinkling crystal leaves shoh the light of ruhat quickly purified the massive amounts of stone dust out of existence.

  No traces were left behind. Another small voi the back of his head mumbled how that wasn't a good thing to do. Secrets had been exposed.

  But he didn't care.

  Jun stared bnkly at the now pristine void between the roots of the tree that he had spent hours designing and crafting.

  Leaf by leaf, branch by branch, he had crafted it with rune-smith tools to process materials and then inscribed enough ruo cssify it as a masterpiece of basie mastery.

  Everything had been desigo be child friendly through the use of durability and softness runes. He wanted her to enjoy this garden with him alongside their child that was on the way to meet them. It was all for them. He was so excited to meet em...

  Now it wasn't for her. It wasn't for a family that had its future clipped.

  It was for.....

  Jun closed his eyes as he thought of a face.

  A face that was getting harder to remember with time. The most beautiful smile was fading from his mind.

  But wheilled his heart and thought of those few preoments that the wave them to be together... he could hear her ugh.

  And if he could hear her ugh, he could hear her sing.

  And if he could hear her sing, he could almost.... just almost remember how it felt when she held him.

  She smelled like home.

  And if he could bring it all together.... he could see her smile...

  Lost in a tranotions, Jun didn't hear the growing astonishment around him. He had revealed a peek of a truth he'd long promised to keep till he was ready. It robably fine.

  Without opening his eyes or removing his focus, he gave a sed flourish. A plex weave of runes glowed below his right eye and a cra spaed with an audible snap that could be felt in the air. A bck abyss wides jagged maw and a giant block of natural stoowered where ohere was nothing.

  The soft voi the back of his mi like he should care that he did that. It robably fine.

  All that existed for Jun was the image in his mind and all the love he knew she wao love him with. Of his many doubts, his mother's love was never one.

  Crack

  Crack

  Two smaller cracks formed above Jun's outstretched hands as familiar tools fell into his grasp, pleting him.

  A love s that it transded death for her to deliver a final, painful gift for her child.

  Tap

  A hammer hit a chisel and a stone's shape was ged. The first tap silehe agitated crowd.

  Tap

  The sed tap resounded in the silend was felt in their core.

  Tap

  The third tap resonated with their hearts and they became captives to the hammer's cry.

  Tap

  Tap

  Tap

  Hammer met chisel, and an artist versed with his vass. Stone stantly crumbled, sometimes in ks and others as dust.

  Tap

  Tap

  Tap

  Ju go of everything and just rode the waves of memories of the ohat taught him what love was. It had been his first lesson.

  Tap

  Tap

  Tap

  Life had been about surviving the day and w about tomorrow, tomorrow.

  Tap

  Tap

  Tap

  The stant dance of life ah had been his daily routine, as was existing beyond even the Fortress's eyes.

  Tap

  Tap

  Tap

  But the first lesson that was taught from the day of his birth was that his mother loved him.

  Tap

  Tap

  Tap

  The way she smiled every time she looked at him, no matter her great sacrifices, told him how much.

  Tap

  Tap

  Tap

  Enough to e back from death’s grasp.

  Tap

  Tap

  Tap

  Even if it was for only a while.

  Tap

  Tap

  Tap

  She opped loving him.

  Tap

  Tap

  Tap

  That was a mother's love.

  Tap

  Tap

  ...Tap

  It was when Jun made his final mark that he realized that the world was on fire.