It should have been perfect. Monad was shining and radiant, her ultimate form in all of its splendor. With luminous angelic wings, and pure white hair flowing out behind her. They soared towards the heavens, hands clasped tightly, heading toward a break in the clouds where divine light shone through. Every moment they soared higher was a bit more breathtaking.

More than that, Monad's full attention was on him. Her affection was his, totally. She'd been seeking him out, rejecting the company of all others til she found him. With Monad, he knew what it was to be loved.

Monad didn't want him to suffer anymore. She didn't want anyone to suffer, including herself. They were on a journey to find their Creator, together, to find answers but also to be at peace. At last.

Yes, this should have been perfect. But Ergo couldn't deny something. He couldn't deny there was something wrong, very wrong. On the surface everything was perfect, so why should he feel this way?

The answer lay in the form of of a woman, crouched and wounded, clutching her side and stumbling through the ruins of a collapsing city.

He could not deny it. Though the woman flying beside him was a clone of her, they could not be more different. And despite his history with Monad, Re-l drew him in like a magnet.

Like two magnets—he knew that whatever he felt towards her, she felt as well. Try as she did to deny it. She rebelled against the feeling with more ferocity than he did, but it persisted nonetheless. It was in her actions, in her eyes.

Because of that something back down there, he could never be satisfied with Monad.

He took a breath. His eyes closed in acceptance. Whatever difficulties lay ahead of them, he belonged down there, beside the woman he loved.

Re-l.