The final horn blew… The war was over, but the cost was beyond counting. It didn't feel like victory. Exhausted soldiers in torn uniforms with empty stares stood in silence. The guilt and grief of surviving were the heaviest burden on them all. So many friends were buried beneath the cold soil. Rafe stood frozen, not from fear or cold but from emptiness. He had lost everything: his family, his happiness, his hope… The only thought that kept him alive was to return to his hometown and reunite with his love, Ellis, who brought colour into Rafe's grey world. At dawn, Rafe packed what little he had left. He folded letters Ellis had written to him and put a small silver ring into his pocket - the one he had promised to propose to her when the war ended. He wondered if she was waiting for him or if she was even alive… Four days. Rafe walked with no sleep or rest. Not really. His coat was soaked through. His boots were torn, but nothing could stop him now. Finally, he approached the hill that overlooked his hometown. His heart pounded harder the closer he got to the town with every step. He whispered, “Please, let her be there.” The moment he saw the smoke, he froze. The town was nothing but ash and ruins. He ran even though his sore legs barely held him. Not a single soul remained. He wandered around the ruins and screamed her name. But there was no answer. Only silence. He just stood there, blinking as if trying to wake from a dream. Fifty years had passed. The war had been forgotten by the world, but not by him. Rafe, now an old man with grey hair and a walking stick, visited the ruins of what was once his hometown. The promise ring was still inside his coat. It had never belonged to anyone else because no one else ever felt right. He stood where her house used to be. He had nothing left except memories. At that moment, with the last hope still inside him, he whispered, “If you survived, I hope you found the reason to live and smile again. If you didn't survive, I hope your soul is waiting for me to meet again.”