Eternal season

as it once had been. There was a weight in the air, the lingering remnants of a conversation that had left her feeling both unsettled and uncertain. Kai was gone. Not physically yet, but emotionall

f something, in the illusion of it, that I didn't realize how fragile it all was. Nothing lasts forever. People come and go. And sometimes, the hardest lesson is realizing that you can't hold onto everything, no matter how much you want to. Aria closed the journal, the weight of her own words sinking deep into her chest. She had spent so much of her life believing in the permanence of things-her work, her relationships, the way she saw the world-but the truth was, nothing was permanent. Life was an ever-shifting landscape, and her expectations had been nothing more than fragile illusions. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. Startled, she turned to see Evelyn, the elderly shopkeeper from the antique store, walking toward her with a gentle smile on her face. "I thought I might find you here," Evelyn said softly, her gaze taking in the view before resting on Aria. Aria didn't say anything at first, unsure of how to articulate the storm of emotions inside her. But Evelyn's presence, calm and reassuring, made it easier to let her guard down. "Everything all right, dear?" Evelyn asked, her voice laced with concern. Aria nodded, but it wasn't convincing. "I'm just... thinking. About everything, really." Evelyn studied her for a moment before sitting down on a nearby rock, her movements slow and deliberate. "You've been carrying a lot on your shoulders lately, haven't you?" Aria sighed, her eyes drifting to the horizon once more. "I thought I had it figured out. I thought I knew what I wanted. But now, it feels like everything I believed in is falling apart. I can't keep pretending that everything's okay." Evelyn didn't speak right away. Instead, she seemed to weigh Aria's words in the silence between them, letting the moments stretch out before offering her wisdom. "You know," she began softly, "sometimes we cling to illusions because we're afraid of the truth. We think if we hold onto a dream long enough, it will come true. But the truth is, not everything is meant to last. Sometimes, things have their time, and then they're gone. And that's okay." Aria turned to face her, confused. "But how do you let go of something that feels so real? So important?" Evelyn sm