The Last Goodbye

[Leo's phone rang suddenly, cutting through the casual chatter among his friends. He pulled it out of his pocket, glanced at the screen, and saw an unknown number. His brows furrowed slightly, but after a moment of hesitation, he decided to answer.]

Leo (lightheartedly): "Hello? Who's this?"

[There was a brief silence. Then, a familiar voice—rough, aged, yet carrying an old warmth, as if its owner had endured much in life—came through the speaker.]

???: "Hah, you little troublemaker… still alive, I see?"

[Leo's eyes widened slightly before his expression shifted to one of surprise, mixed with sudden joy.]

Leo (grinning faintly): "Wait a second… that voice… Mr. Walter?!"

[He laughed, shifting his posture and leaning one arm against the table.]

Leo: "I haven't heard your voice in years! Are you still sitting on your porch, watching passersby like you always did?"

[But there was no laughter in return. No reaction. Just heavy silence… followed by a deep sigh.]

[A slight unease crept into Leo's chest.]

Leo (more serious now): "Mr. Walter? Are you okay?"

[Walter took a slow breath before speaking again.]

Walter (his voice calm but weighted with concern): "Son… I wish I were calling just to reminisce."

[Leo's smile faded, his expression stiffening.]

Walter: "It's about your grandfather, Arthur."

[Leo's eyes widened again, his grip tightening around the phone.]

Leo (growing anxious): "My grandpa? What about him?"

[Another silence. This time, it felt heavier—like Walter was searching for the right words, trying to soften the blow but failing to find a way.]

Walter (hesitant but clear): "His condition has worsened, Leo. He didn't want to tell you because he didn't want to worry you… but he can't hide it anymore."

[Leo felt as if the world was closing in around him. His heartbeat quickened, uneven and uncomfortable.]

Walter (his voice hoarse, as if forcing the words out): "He's asking for you. He wants you to come. Immediately."

[Leo remained silent. His mind struggled to process those last words, but it refused. Asking for him? Why? Why now?]

[And then came the final blow.]

Walter (softly, full of regret): "I… I'm sorry, son. But… it doesn't look like he has much time left."

[A suffocating silence followed.]

[Then… the call ended.]

[Leo remained still, phone in hand, his gaze unfocused, staring into nothing. For a moment, it felt as if all the sounds around him had dulled into a distant hum, as if the world had suddenly pulled away.]

[Then… the phone slipped from his fingers.]

[It hit the floor with a muffled thud—quiet, yet in his ears, it sounded like a small explosion.]

[Everyone turned to him, startled.]

[Rianel, who had been joking around with Lilia, noticed the phone slipping from Leo's hands. With a smirk, he stepped closer.]

Rianel (mocking): "What's up, man? Did you just find out you won the lottery or something? You look like someone just told you the sun won't rise tomorrow!"

[But as he reached him, his expression shifted.]

[Frozen.]

[This wasn't the Leo he knew.]

[This wasn't the confident, sometimes arrogant, yet composed guy he was used to. This was someone else entirely.]

[Someone pale, his eyes wide with an unfamiliar look—not just shock, but raw fear. No… terror.]

[Someone who looked like he was on the verge of collapsing.]

Rianel (genuinely worried for the first time): "Leo?"

[But Leo didn't respond. His breaths were shallow, unsteady—like the air had suddenly become too heavy to take in.]

[He opened his mouth, struggling to speak, but the words refused to come out.]

[Finally, with great difficulty, he managed to whisper:]

Leo (voice trembling, barely audible): "My grandpa… he's…"

[Evelyn felt her chest tighten. She covered her mouth, eyes welling up with tears.]

Rianel (low, but firm): "What happened? Talk to me, Leo!"

[But Leo wasn't listening.]

[Without warning—he turned around and ran.]

[He ran like a madman, his friends' voices calling after him, but their words were drowned out by the deafening noise in his head.]

"You can't go now… You can't leave me, Grandpa… You're the only one I have left… How can you go?"

[He stumbled over a small step, crashing onto his knees, but scrambled back up instantly, clutching his chest as if trying to keep his heart from bursting.]

[A passerby shouted at him to watch his step, but he didn't hear a thing.]

[He nearly collided with a man carrying a stack of boxes. The man barely avoided the crash, cursing angrily.]

Angry man: "Watch where you're going, you idiot!"

[But Leo didn't stop. Didn't look back. Didn't care.]

[His mind was consumed with one thought—his grandfather.]

[At last, he reached the street's edge and threw his hand up to hail a cab.]

[The door swung open, and he jumped inside before the driver could say a word.]

Driver (startled): "Where to?"

Leo (breathless, desperate): "The old district… Hurry!"

[The driver pressed down on the gas, speeding through the streets while Leo clenched his fist against his knee, trying to steady his breathing. But he couldn't.]

[The car finally pulled up in front of an old house tucked away in a narrow alley. It was a simple home, but one that held countless memories. The front window was half-closed, white curtains swaying slightly in the evening breeze. For a moment, Leo couldn't move. His legs felt frozen.]

Driver (glancing at him): "We're here, kid."

[Leo didn't move.]

Driver (a little concerned now): "You alright?"

[Leo didn't answer. He slowly pushed the door open, stepping out unsteadily, as if walking on fragile ground. He stood there for a moment, staring at the house, his heart pounding violently in his chest. Then, taking a deep breath, he forced himself to walk forward.]

[He raised his hand—but hesitated.]

[How many times had he stood at this door as a child, waiting for his grandfather to open it with his usual warm smile? How many times had he heard his deep voice calling his name?]

[But this time… everything was different.]

[As Leo stepped inside, he was met by an elderly man with gray hair and a thick beard, standing at the entrance, waiting for him. It was Walter, his grandfather's old neighbor and longtime hunting companion. His eyes held a strange mix of sorrow and quiet welcome, as if carrying a truth he didn't want to say out loud. Beside him stood his wife, Marian, a woman with kind features and tired eyes, holding a bowl of steaming soup in her hands—as if trying to offer warmth in the middle of this cold reality.]

Walter (with a sad smile that hides an old longing): "Leo... I haven't seen you in so long. You've grown, boy. But you still have that same look in your eyes—the one you had as a child, always following your grandfather everywhere."

Leo (letting out a small chuckle despite his tension): "And you haven't changed either, Mr. Walter... or should I say, the greatest hunter of your generation?"

[Walter chuckled softly, but there was a sadness to it. It was a fleeting moment, quickly drowned by a deep sigh. He lifted his gaze toward the house with a slight nod, as if saying: 'It's time for the truth.']

Marian (her voice gentle as she handed Walter a bowl of soup, though her words were meant for Leo): "Be patient, dear... his grandfather has been waiting for him for a long time."

[Leo stepped inside slowly, feeling as if each step pulled him closer to something he wasn't ready to face. The scent of burning wood filled the air, the fireplace crackling with warmth, yet it did nothing to melt the ice gathering in his chest. On the wall, an old sword hung, its edges worn down by time. Beneath the window, a photograph of his late grandmother rested atop a small wooden table, covered in the dust of passing years. A tattered rocking chair sat beside the bed, where his grandfather, Arthur, lay—pale, frail, a mere shadow of the man he once was.]

[As Walter watched Leo approach the room, his wife turned to him and spoke in a near whisper.]

Marian: "The mana Arthur stored... it slowed his death, gave us more time with him... but it's fading now. He used everything he had just to see him one last time."

[Leo hesitated at the doorway, feeling as if the air had grown heavier, as if the space itself was rejecting him—or maybe he was the one who wasn't ready to accept the reality before him. With slow hands, he pushed the door open, revealing his grandfather lying there, his breaths shallow, his eyes half-closed, as if resisting the darkness creeping in.]

Leo (his voice trembling, barely a whisper): "...Grandpa?"

[Arthur's eyelids fluttered before he slowly opened them. The moment his gaze landed on Leo, a weak smile formed on his lips—one that was more genuine than anything else in that moment.]

Arthur (his voice fragile yet filled with warmth): "Hah... so you came, you little rascal. I thought you'd let me go alone."

[A lump formed in Leo's throat, choking his words, but he forced himself to smile.]

Leo (his voice hoarse, trying to lighten the moment): "Of course, I came, Grandpa… What did you think? That I'd let you face all this alone?"

[Arthur let out a faint chuckle, but it was exhausting. It ended in a soft cough. Leo immediately moved closer, kneeling beside the bed, taking his grandfather's hand. It felt rough, cold—like life itself was slipping away from him.]

Leo (his concern laced with frustration): "Why didn't you tell me you were sick? Why did you hide it from me?"

Arthur (calmly, as if speaking more to himself than to Leo): "Because I didn't want to burden you... I didn't want you to put your life on hold for me."

[A sharp pain pierced Leo's chest, as if those words had cut right through him—betrayal, from the man he loved most.]

Leo (his voice tight with suppressed anger, but it sounded more like pleading): "How can you say that? You're more important than anything else in my life, Grandpa!"

[Arthur smiled again, but there was something sorrowful in his gaze, as if he knew something Leo had yet to understand.]

Arthur (softly, yet with a weight that couldn't be ignored): "You're a man now, Leo. I don't want you to be bound by me anymore."

[Leo shook his head, refusing to even entertain the thought.]

Leo: "Don't talk like that. We'll go to the hospital. They'll find a way to help you!"

[Arthur didn't respond. He simply raised a trembling hand and gently touched Leo's cheek. It wasn't a farewell—it was a promise.]

Arthur (his voice no more than a whisper, like a final secret to be shared): "I've held on for too long, son... but it's alright."

[Tears burned at the edges of Leo's eyes, but he refused to let them fall—not yet.]

Leo (his voice breaking, but still clinging to hope): "You can't leave me, Grandpa."

[Arthur looked at him for a long moment, then smiled—that same sad smile, the one that felt like a silent goodbye.]

Arthur (his voice steady, but carrying finality): "You were the best thing in my life, son... Never forget that."

[And in that moment, Leo understood.][His grandfather had already made his choice.]

[Then, Arthur reached toward a small table beside him, his weak fingers grasping a sealed envelope. He held it out to Leo.]

Arthur: "For my dear grandson... I want you to have this."

[Leo took the envelope carefully, staring at it as if it held more than just paper—as if it carried something far greater.]

Leo: "...What is this?"

Arthur (his voice weak, but firm): "No, no, don't open it yet... Be patient."

[Leo hesitated, but he nodded.]

Arthur: "Now, listen to me carefully... One day, you will feel exhausted by the weight of life. The world around you will begin to lose its meaning. And when that day comes, my boy, you will be ready for this gift."

[Leo looked at the sealed envelope in his hands, then back at his grandfather, uncertain.]

Leo: "...But… how will I know when that day comes?"

[Arthur smiled gently, resting a weak hand on Leo's shoulder.]

Arthur: "You'll know, son… There won't be any doubt in your heart when the time comes. When everything around you loses its light, and you find yourself searching for a meaning that seems just out of reach—then, open the envelope."

Arthur: "That's all I ask of you, my boy."

[He smiled one last time before slowly leaning back, leaving Leo alone with his thoughts.]