13

"It's finally time for me to leave." Elsa glanced around the staircase with a wistful gaze, as though she wanted to capture every detail in her memory. Joseph watched her with a soft smile, amused by her childlike gestures.

"I never thought my departure would be like this," she said with a light laugh. Though the moment was difficult, Elsa wasn't the kind to cry endlessly. There had been enough tears; now, as she left this world and Joseph behind, why not do it with laughter?

"Tell me, should I arrange your departure the way you imagined? A bride's heavy dress, jewels, a carriage carried by four aliens, and a special red sheet draped over it? I could arrange all of this in the blink of an eye," he said, pride evident in his voice.

"Really? Then there should be a groom too, right? Where would you find him?" she teased mischievously.

"It would be me, of course. I'll fill in temporarily," he offered graciously.

Elsa burst out laughing. "The groom goes with the bride, not waving goodbye from behind."

"Well then, you’ll have to leave without a groom, or perhaps hire one of the aliens to carry you?" he said, walking towards the car.

"Absolutely not. I don't like your aliens," Elsa pouted.

"Why not?" Joseph raised an eyebrow.

"There's just no reason to like them," Elsa retorted with a scrunched nose. "I don’t know how I’ll ever live with them." She mumbled the last part softly, but Joseph heard it and said nothing. After a brief silence, she had a sudden thought.

"Why can't we leave for your planet from anywhere on Earth?"

Joseph explained, "We arrive in rockets, which remain hidden on Earth in a different form. Once we're ready to leave, we must return to the same place where they’re stored."

"Oh, I see," she nodded in understanding, falling silent for a moment. "I'll miss you. Will you come visit?" Elsa leaned her head against the seat, closing her eyes. She had taken plenty of pictures, but she knew they could never replace her memories of Joseph.

"You won’t miss me, Anna." He took a deep breath. His tone shifted, and Elsa's eyes flew open in shock.

"My memory isn’t that weak," she said lightly, but his serious gaze made her uneasy.

"Elsa," he said her name fully for the first time, making her heart skip a beat. "By tomorrow, you will forget everything—every moment we shared, starting from when I first hit your car up until now. It will all be erased. My existence will vanish from your life as though I never existed." He spoke with unsettling calm, as if narrating something inevitable.

Elsa stared at him, speechless. "Are you joking?" she managed to ask after what felt like an eternity.

Joseph’s expression confirmed he wasn’t. It took her a moment to fully grasp it.

"I won’t even remember you? My father? And you said you’re going to die?"

Joseph shook his head. "I can’t truly die, Elsa. But once I’m gone from your life, it will be as if I never existed. Your memories of me will vanish, and your life will return to how it was."

She let out a trembling breath. "You’re not serious. Joseph, this isn’t suicide. You’re not a coward," she said, struggling to make sense of it.

"And you won’t be going to my planet. As soon as my memories are erased from your mind, you’ll regain everything—your father, your world. I didn’t take anything from you. I’m giving it all back."

Elsa’s heart felt like it was being shredded, but no tears came. Her body, stunned, couldn’t process what was happening. Joseph continued, his voice still steady, "This way, Elsa, you’ll feel less pain. You’ll be happier once you forget me."

"You can’t just leave like this, Joseph. Things can be fixed. You can fix anything." She spoke through a tightened throat, her voice barely escaping.

"I’m fine with everything," he responded, indifferent.

"Please, don’t." She pleaded, but Joseph remained unaffected. When the car came to a sudden stop, he stepped out and reached for her hand, pulling her out. Overhead, the sky was illuminated by a strange light, too bright to look at directly.

"Joseph, please..." she tried one last time, but her words fell on deaf ears.

Joseph turned to face her, locking his eyes with hers. Suddenly, beams of light shot from his eyes into hers, paralyzing her. She tried to resist, but her gaze was trapped. The light grew more intense, and her head began to throb. The pain escalated, overwhelming her senses.

"Joseph, stop!" she screamed, but he didn’t respond. The light seared her mind as if tearing through her consciousness. Her body trembled as she tried to break free, but her eyes remained fixed on his.

"Joseph! What are you doing?!" She held her head in agony, but her body refused to move. Tears streamed down her face, her vision blurring, until suddenly the pain began to fade.

The light retreated from her eyes, and her body collapsed to the ground. Joseph stood above her, watching silently as the last rays of light returned to his own eyes.