"… not ever."

A bitter smile turned up on Devon\'s lips as her eyes softened. There was part of her that felt like crying, but the dominant part of her brain screamed at her to remain strong.

\'Thank you, my friend.\' Were the words she whispered in her head.

Devon would finally return, and everything would be back in its rightful place. She enjoyed her fleeting time in this world and would treasure the short-lived memories they had.

After some time, Devon let him go, as she took a step back and looked up to him. Lewis frowned when he saw the bright smile on her face.

\'She\'s forcing it,\' He thought but decided not to point it out.

"What are you making, my friend?" Devon asked almost cheerfully as she skipped her steps towards the kitchen counter.

He didn\'t respond immediately as he studied her. "Are you going anywhere?"

Devon halted and froze. "Huh?" Her expression was quizzical.

"I won\'t ask why do you look so sad even if I wanted to." Lewis took a deep breath as he leaned against the kitchen counter. "But, why do I feel you\'ll go somewhere far? With no intention of returning?"

His expression was solemn and cold, one that sent a shiver down one\'s spine. Lewis had always been sharp, but Devon was someone he couldn\'t figure out even before the incident.

The strong gut feeling that she\'d just disappear clutched his stomach. It felt… dreading.

"I won\'t go anywhere," Devon said, barely making it sound natural. "I just… want to express my gratitude towards my friend for taking care of me."

She bit her lip as she looked away, holding back the tears that were tempting to spill out of her eyes.

\'Don\'t cry!\' Her subconscious mind screamed at her.

\'I won\'t,\' She told herself. \'Even if I want to, I won\'t. I\'m used to it, yes… I won\'t cry.\'

She was used to not crying and holding back her emotions. No matter how painful she was in or how infuriated she was, she had mastered the art of not showing her emotions.

However, this fleeting life as Devon Lin gave her freedom to be herself. To be curious about things and not be afraid to smile, to laugh, to cry, to worry, and just to be human.

Lewis habitually tapped his fingers on the surface of the kitchen counter as he studied her back. She looked so fragile and vulnerable in his eyes.

A sigh slipped past his lips as he squashed down any questions hovering over his head.

"Cheer up," He muttered under his breath. "Moments like this make me wish I\'m a little pushy to know more."

Silence enveloped the two of them as the mood didn\'t change, even after Devon tried to cheer up. It lasted until it was time for bed and they\'re both lying on the bed.

Lewis cocked his head to her side, seeing her staring at the ceiling. Reminding him of how the old Devon would always stare at the ceiling, deep in thought.

Finally, he broke the silence with a question. "Are you not sleepy?"

"Just a bit more," she replied in a meek tone. "Just a bit more."

His mouth opened and closed, but a sigh came out instead. He didn\'t like this atmosphere between them. She felt distant.

\'Is she slowly going back to her old ways?\' He wondered, recalling how she used to be.

Devon… this distant air around her, that often made him thinking how close and far they were, felt so familiar. The thought of it somehow felt depressing.

"Good night," He said, closing his eyes to sleep.

Just like before, Lewis believed it should be fine to go back to their old ways now than later. It would be harder for him to adjust back to normal if he cared too much.

\'This is why I asked her the first time.\' Lewis was referring to the time he told her, \'I assure you no one will hurt you. I still do. But, how about me?\'

That\'s right. What about him? Not that he was entirely hurt… more like instead of a direct stab, it only grazed him.

\'I guess the crisis will be resolved soon.\' He thought as he shut off his thoughts and tried to sleep.

Meanwhile, Devon remained silent and unmoving until she sensed his shallow breaths. She turned her head to him, smiling bitterly, before shifting her attention back to the ceiling.

"You\'re making me feel bad," the spirit muttered, bending over to block Devon\'s view. "We really have different ways to resolve things."

"I\'m ready," Devon whispered as she looked at the Spirit straight in the eye. "Let\'s do it now."

"Really?"

Devon nodded as her resolve flickered across her mind. It would be better to do it now before she\'d get swayed.

"Oh, alright?" The Spirit cleared her throat as she straightened her back. "Let\'s go to the kitchen."

With that being said, Devon carefully flung her legs out of the bed, afraid she\'d wake him up. She stared at him for a moment and smiled before following the Spirit.

The Spirit led her towards the kitchen, instructing her to get a knife, an onion, garlic, tomato, and a few more ingredients. Once Devon placed everything on the kitchen counter, she gazed up at the Spirit.

"Get the butcher knife," The Spirit ordered, which Devon did without questions asked. "Then, hmm… put the onion near the chopping board."

Devon efficiently did everything the Spirit told her to do. When the Spirit nodded in satisfaction, she ordered, "Now, put your hand on the chopping board."

"Should I really have to sever my finger so you can return to your body?" Devon asked as the butcher knife trembled under her grip.

"Well, you\'re the one who will feel it." The Spirit shrugged, cupping her cheek across the kitchen counter.

Devon took a deep breath before nodding, "Alright."

"Good." The spirit nodded. "Do it now."

"Alright…" Devon took another deep breath, gritting her teeth as she mustered her courage. She closed her eyes, holding up the butcher knife before swinging it down with all her might.

While she did all that, Devon the Spirit smirked in amusement.. "Geez… I don\'t remember myself being this gullible."