Ch.82 : Winter Sky and Silent Wishes

Winter had finally wrapped the city in its embrace.

Inside his warm house, Nic lounged on the couch, snacking idly. Snow fell gently outside the window, swirling under the dim glow of the streetlights.

Suddenly, the house phone rang, breaking the peaceful silence.

Groaning, Nic got up and picked it up.

"Hello?"

A warm, slightly worried voice came from the other side.

"Nic? It's Mom. Are you doing okay over there? Are you eating well? Is the money your dad and I sent enough?"

Nic smiled softly. "Yeah, Mom. Don't worry. I'm doing fine. How about you and Dad?"

"We're doing better now. Actually… we're coming home tomorrow," she replied with a hint of relief.

The voice on the line suddenly changed.

"And don't forget to clean the house! I don't want to see it all messy when we get back!" came the sharp voice of Kiara, his older sister.

Nic sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I'll clean it. You guys be careful on the road."

The call ended.

Nic sat back down, but this time, his thoughts weren't at ease.

"They're coming back tomorrow..."

He stared up at the ceiling.

"The UNITY base... all my girlfriends... What if they find out?"

The anxiety started creeping in again. There was too much to explain. Too much he couldn't reveal.

Trying to shake off his thoughts, Nic grabbed his winter jacket and a knitted scarf—something he made himself. He decided to go out for a bit. Not to meet anyone. Just to breathe, to calm down.

His steps led him to a rarely visited hill during winter. A quiet place with a wide view of the night sky. A thin blanket of snow covered the ground. The wind stung, but somehow, Nic felt at peace.

He stood at the edge of a small cliff, the cold wind brushing his face as he gazed into the star-filled sky. A faint aurora shimmered far in the distance.

But then, he saw her.

Across the ravine on the opposite hill, stood a girl. No bridge. No path connecting them.

She stood still beneath the moonlight. Her long hair was a pale icy blue, shimmering like frozen crystals under the stars. Her eyes, the same hue, glowed softly with a calm, mysterious light. She wore a dark sleeveless dress that fluttered in the wind, and a star-shaped accessory on her arm. She looked like a spirit born from the night sky itself.

She gazed upward, as if becoming one with the stars.

Nic froze.

The wind picked up. Snow swirled around them. But the girl didn't move. She seemed unaffected by the cold, unbothered by the forming blizzard.

"Hey!" Nic cupped his hands around his mouth. "Don't just stand there! That's dangerous! You could slip!"

No response. His voice was swallowed by the wind.

"Can she even hear me…?" he muttered, shuffling nervously.

He was about to shout again, when Zeta's voice echoed in his mind.

[ Master Nic, aren't you interested in using Cupid Arsenal on her? ]

Nic rolled his eyes.

"I just wanted to enjoy the moment. Not shoot every girl I see."

[ Ohh~ So Master Nic has become... hesitant now. ]

"If you keep provoking me, I might stop shooting girls altogether," he said with a faint grin.

[ Fine, fine~ But don't regret it if someone else shoots her first~ ]

Nic ignored her. He took one last look at the girl, then turned and began walking back, leaving deep footprints in the snow.

But behind him… the girl slowly turned.

Her clear eyes followed him as he walked away. No smile. No signal. But in her gaze, it was as if she whispered:

"I see you."

The night remained silent. Snow continued to fall gently, like the sky itself was whispering memories.

In the still whiteness of winter, a story was being written—the silent past of a girl named Nova.

Back when Nova was a child, her world had felt much warmer. She often sat in her father's lap in their backyard, staring up at the stars.

"Daddy, why do stars twinkle?" little Nova once asked, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Her father, an astronaut and scientist, chuckled and pointed at the sky. "Because they're really, really far away. But did you know? Every star has its own story. And someday, I'll go up there… and bring one back for you."

Nova giggled and hugged him tight. "Promise?"

"Promise," he replied, kissing her forehead.

That became her most cherished memory.

As she grew older, her father eventually departed on a real space mission. On launch day, Nova waved with tears in her eyes as the rocket vanished into the sky.

Months passed. Then years. No word came.

First there was silence. Then rumors.

Some said contact was lost. Others claimed the team was trapped in a decaying orbit. Some whispered the ship was destroyed.

Nova refused to believe it. Every night, she looked at the stars, waiting for the one her father promised to bring.

But then came the day everyone feared.

A crashed space shuttle was recovered from the sea. It was her father's. The team was confirmed… gone.

Her mother collapsed in tears during the broadcast.

But Nova… just stood there.

She didn't cry. She didn't speak. She didn't accept it.

From that night on, Nova often climbed to the highest hill in town—a place with an unobstructed view of the heavens. She stood alone, challenging the cold wind, searching the sky.

"That falling star…" she whispered one night, "Was that you, Daddy… trying to bring me one?"

Snowflakes touched her face, but she didn't move. Her only escape was the memory of dancing among the stars with her father beneath the aurora.

Her mother tried everything—therapy, family visits. But during every session, Nova simply smiled and said, "I'm fine. I just like watching the sky."

Yet inside her, the storm never stopped.

She knew her father was gone.

But some part of her heart refused to let go.

Someday… when the sky opens again, maybe—just maybe—he'll appear, smiling, holding the star he once promised her.

To be continued...