Chapter 11

They killed him. They killed his buddy!

Kingsley crouched by his bed, his fingers trembling as he slid open the wooden memory box he treasured. When his gaze settled on a particular photo, nostalgia flooded over him, wrapping him in a painful yet precious embrace of memories.

Tears welled up in his eyes.

That was the first surprise birthday party Peter held for him.

The photo said it all—whipped cream smeared across his face, chocolate cake flattened on the table, and Peter standing behind him with another dollop of cream in his hand. Lyn was at the side, joining their friend for another cream attack on her brother.

Everybody was happy. Nobody was leaving.

"I'm sorry, Kingsley." Miracle broke the silence after staying in his room for the past fifteen minutes.

"You know what he said here?" Kingsley murmured, his fingers gently tracing the features of his late friend in the photo. "He said, 'Oh, come on, Kingsley! Birthday cakes aren't meant to be eaten—they're meant to be ruined for greater happiness!'"

He paused to look at Miracle. 

"I... I thought I could protect him, Miracle. I should've protected him... Or perhaps, I shouldn't even have gotten close to him."

"Kingsley..." Miracle gently patted his shoulder. "Don't be like this."

"Peter... he was such a character. When I first met him, he put on this tough-guy act, like he was some kind of gang leader. But after I bailed him out one day for messing with the wrong person, he wouldn't leave me alone. You should've seen him back then, chasing me everywhere just for the ice cream I'd promised him."

He chuckled, a tear slipping down as he exhaled shakily. "I was going to buy him one. But he wanted it so badly that I couldn't resist messing with him a little instead..." His voice broke more with each word. "Damn... I miss him."

The room was soon filled with his cries as he grieved the loss of a mortal friend. Not the first time, but it was something one wouldn't wish to experience over and over again.

Hayden was out, and there were the twins, lamenting over Peter's death. The sun shone brightly outside, but inside the house, it felt as dark and still as if the light itself had fled.

"It's all my fault," she said for the hundredth time as she left Kinglsey to have a time on his own.

For something like that to happen in Stellaerio, nobody was to be blamed.

But her, the peace protector.

Miracle hesitated at the door where she had spent the night, a wave of doubt overtaking her all of a sudden. 'What if the boy isn't okay? What if bringing him in has been a mistake?' she thought.

Just then, she heard someone coughing from inside. She pressed her ear closer, her heart pounding. No mistake—there it was again, louder this time. Pursing her lips, she gripped the door handle and pushed it open.

As expected, the boy was awake.

And he was staring back at her.

"H-Hey there," she greeted, her tone tinged with awkwardness.

He sprang upright, his back hitting the slatted headboard with a thud. "W-Who are you? Where am I?" he asked, darting his eyes left and right in frantic.

"Don't worry. You're safe here," Miracle assured, picking up the blanket dropped on the floor.

Half of his face was blocked by his messy hair, and the stench from the night before still hung faintly in the air. 

When Miracle reached out to him, he moved his knees away, not giving her a chance to touch him. "Who are you?! Ouch..." He squeezed the sides of his head. "O-Ouch... My h-head hurts..."

Miracle took a deep breath, ready to tell him the story she came up with. "Actually..."

But before she could continue, the boy's next question forced her words back down her throat.

"Who am I?!" His face contorted in pain as he seized her wrist, his grip tightening every second. Panic flashed across his upturned eyes. "Tell me! Who am I? What happened to me?!"

"W... What?" She stood frozen for a moment.

"How did I end up here?! TELL ME!"

"H-Hey! Let go... Let go!" Miracle twisted in his grip, trying to break free. "I'll get back to you soon." She jerked her hand away and stumbled back to her room.

'How did it end up this way?' She sank onto the bed, her frown deepening as her mind raced in confusion.

She had only meant to save his heart, not erase his memories! Peter's death was just yesterday, and no one in the house had gotten over it yet. Now, another problem had arisen. Was he supposed to stay with them until he remembered everything? Or could she kick him out and pretend they had never found him in the alley?

'Maybe there's a better way to solve this. But what is it?'

Miracle buried her face into the pillow. It was as though everything, including the last hope she had a few minutes ago, had vanished into thin air. All hopes were gone. She thought she had found a new aspiration to continue her mission, but it turned out to be a whole new disaster.

"I've messed up everything, Master..."