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“Is everything ready?”
“Let’s see… sodas, popcorn… yep, everything’s ready.”
It had become a tradition—just the two of them, with only the screen illuminating the room. Inside the vast castle, there was a movie theater room. The place was enormous, with multiple seats spread everywhere, an impeccable, beautiful and magnificent hall.
As beautiful as it was, the place was almost never used. Her duty kept her busy most of the time. Even since she was little, she had rarely been able to enjoy the joy of something fun. She was always training for her role, always focused on duty. And when she finally became a Guardian, the responsibility only grew heavier.
As a child, she watched other kids playing happily without worries, as if no weight existed on their shoulders. Laughing and smiling. She wanted that, but they always told her she had to train to become the Guardian of the Sol Emeralds.
Of course, she eventually had the fortune of meeting friends who taught her the value and beauty of friendship—that duty could be surpassed, that loneliness wasn’t unbeatable.
But sometimes she questioned how many things she never got to enjoy because of her duty. How many times she could have laughed without stopping. How she might have had friends earlier. The ability to sleep without the weight of knowing so many people depended on her. The cinema was just one of the many things she never enjoyed in her childhood.
“Blaze, are you okay? If you want, we can postpone it, I wouldn’t mind,” Silver said.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine, don’t worry,” Blaze answered.
She felt that golden, worried gaze. He was right beside her, the faint cyan glow of his rings and gloves reflecting softly. She could always tell what he was thinking just by looking into his eyes.
Silver…
An equal and an opposite in many ways. Dedicated but naïve, brave but impulsive, kind but clumsy. Because just like her, he never got to enjoy his childhood. Born in an apocalypse, raised in a dead and empty world—what kind of child could enjoy that? No child deserved that, especially not him. A stranger who, over time, had become someone close to her.
It had all started with a recommendation from Sonic to both of them—suggesting they watch a movie together. “Chaos Space.” Neither of them had ever been to the cinema. They went and… neither liked it. They barely understood the depth of the characters, and Silver was simply confused. But they still enjoyed it—a new experience, one hour where they could forget duty, just watch a screen and say whatever they thought.
Comedy, romance, action, drama—they were all fun in their own way. Though if she had to choose one, she’d pick the movies where she could feel the characters’ inner conflict, their struggles, development and change. It amused her how Silver always said his favorite movies were the ones that made him laugh. “A laugh is something that always makes me feel better,” he once said. She remembered their first movie together so clearly—just a simple comedy. That almost manic laugh of his was something she could never forget. Or the way he fell asleep when they watched a mystery-themed movie.
Finally the movie began, after she pressed the controller.
This time they watched something different.
It was simple: two misfits, knowing so little of the world because they had never been able to explore it. Blinded by the ignorance of loneliness, they wanted a happy life—to feel and live like everyone around them did. But they couldn’t. Each had a commitment they couldn’t escape or explain.
Neither had a happy origin. Their environments were similar yet different, each choosing different paths. But both shared the feeling of being tied down by forces far beyond their control.
There was so much love in every look, yet neither could explore it. How could they, if they had never felt it before? Maybe that’s why they were so drawn to each other—because in their whole lives they had never seen someone so… so much like themselves. Curiosity became admiration; admiration became love.
Where he was impulsive, she was methodical. Where she was reserved, he was sincere. Both different, yet bound by the same loneliness. Two sides of the same situation.
But it never came to be. Their commitments made it impossible. Life had assigned them a predetermined destiny. Neither had control over what they wanted. Forced to fulfill their roles. Why was it so unfair? Why did the story have to be like that? But the script demanded it—they were characters who had to fulfill their purpose.
They had laughed and played together, enjoyed each other’s company until the end… when they separated. No resentment, no hatred—just the small promise of a second meeting. Even with the sadness, there was still hope.
Personal… too personal. She felt everything—every moment, every laugh, every scream, every tear. It was as if the movie had seeped directly into her emotions.
But she was wrong—the promise did come true.
The reunion felt so… special. Because despite their situations, there was laughter, happiness, and love. Their origins did not dictate their ending. It was their own effort, their appreciation for one another, that drove them to overcome the impossible.
A bitter origin didn’t deny a happy ending.
The first thing the pair did was hug. They spoke each other’s names with affection, every word soaked in sweet love. Their tears fell in streams. Their voices cracked. And still they laughed like children enjoying a game.
Was this normal? To feel her eyes watering, her breathing shifting slightly, her fur tingling with a strange sensation? She knew it wasn’t real—just a movie, actors following a script in front of her. But why did it feel so real? Her tears fell onto the floor. She stared at the ground. Crying felt strange—an overwhelming but oddly liberating sensation, as if a set of emotions were finally being released. She never considered herself emotional, but the scene struck directly at her heart.
Out of curiosity, she turned to Silver. His expression was distant, eyes locked on the screen, tears falling, his mouth slightly open. He seemed to be trying to understand his own emotions, like a child discovering something completely new. Silver had always been emotional, exposing his heart to everyone. Unconsciously, he tried to stop the tears, wrapping them in cyan energy. Those tiny droplets now looked like little stars orbiting near his sun-like yellow eyes.
Seeing him like that felt so familiar, as if she had seen that look before, a deeply buried memory wanting to surface. It only made her tears flow even more. It hurt, but at the same time it didn’t.
Finally, the movie ended.
They needed a moment to process everything they had seen. With anyone else, they would’ve felt embarrassed showing such vulnerability. Neither expected a simple pastime to affect them so much—they both saw themselves reflected in the story.
“It’s… inspiring. Everything. There was always a tomorrow, no matter what happened to them, no matter what… they never stopped being themselves. I think it’s my new favorite movie,” Silver said, wiping his tears, his voice still shaky.
“I completely agree with you, Silver. It’s my favorite now too,” Blaze said with a gentle smile.
“Then it’s ours!”
“Yes, it’s our favorite movie.”
They continued talking even after the movie ended, their voices echoing in the room, sharing every opinion. In that hall, all they needed was each other’s presence. No duty, no obligations—just two young people enjoying what they never could in the past.
Because beyond the environments that shaped them, beyond all the weight of duty, beyond every joy denied in childhood… there were simply two young souls seeking happiness and understanding.
Just two people in love.
Of course, neither of them knew it yet.
But that was something for the future…