A Farewell from Eros

Unlike those ruled by Thanatos, those ruled by Eros cling to life. However, there were the rarer ones, those who not only wanted to live their own lives but ensure the lives of others.

Among anyone else in the entire world, two people were the greatest examples of this kind of person.

Two friends, neighbors throughout their entire lives, made a promise one morning as they gazed at the clouds during their school vacation. 

"Hey, see that cloud in the sky? What does it look like to you?" asked the clever boy.

"Clouds don't have a specific shape; they're just random formations. The only information we can draw from them is whether it will rain or not," replied the smarter boy.

"I didn't ask why they have shapes or not. The question is more about you than the clouds. It's not about what they look like, but how you see them." argued the clever boy.

They both continued looking at the sky for a while.

"So, tell me, what do you see in the clouds?" asked the clever boy again.

"I see an airplane passing by them..."

"Let's forget about it then. I don't know why I try to play like this with you... Hey, I have another idea. How about we save the world?" said the clever boy.

"Save the world from what exactly?"

"Hunger, war, natural disasters... I think there's no shortage of threats to the world."

"I see. You want to play heroes, all right, I'm in-"

"No, it's not a game. I'm serious. Have you ever thought that right now, as we admire this beautiful blue sky, there are people suffering without help and without hope? Doesn't that bother you?"

"I think we finally agree on something... so how do we start?"

The clever boy placed his hand on his chin, contemplating, until he heard nearby the crying of a girl trying to buy an ice cream but clearly without the money for it. Without hesitation, the clever boy tossed a coin that landed directly in the girl's hand. She thanked him. The smarter boy looked at him with a somewhat skeptical expression.

"We have to start somewhere, right?"

"Okay, let's do this then. But promise me we'll give it everything we've got!" said the smart one, finally getting excited.

"It's a promise, then. Let's fix our world!"

On that day, as they returned to their homes, in the clouds of that blue sky, the two could see Eros' smiling face. And just by seeing each other's smiles, they already knew that their vision was the same. 

The two didn't just return home with memories but also with a promise, a promise greater than any other, to do nothing less than save the world and bring peace to all.

As years went by, people ridiculed the youngsters, saying that their beliefs were childish and all their work would be fruitless. But that didn't matter; their instinct spoke much louder than any criticism.

One of the boys became a scientist, while the other became a diplomat.

Slowly, between research and debates, the plans of the two began to show some results. The brilliant scientist invented practical solutions for ecological problems in small cities, while his friend started to gain small victories by resolving intrigues within small communities. Amid the reflections of clean floors, mirrors and others' cell phones they saw Eros smiling, excited by their decision to try to fix the world.

It wasn't the rapid world-changing they had envisioned, but it was a beginning!

The diplomat, as wise as ever, saw the opportunity to establish a company to accept donations for funding the scientist's ideas. These ideas, due to their low financial return prospects, had been consistently rejected by research funds. In the first week, not a single penny was donated, and the scientist walked the streets with his head down, questioning whether it was worth continuing to try to save the world.

Why couldn't the world and the people he wanted to help trust him?

Then, one day, a woman approached them, carrying a heartfelt note in her hand.

"I know it might sound silly, but you two were always so kind to me when we were younger that I almost felt obligated to come and help," said the girl, who was now a woman.

In the reflection of her eyes, they saw Eros smiling. Following her, more and more people joined the cause, giving what they could.

With some investment, the scientist began showcasing to the world what he could do. Each invention gained the institution more and more respect and admiration, attracting new investors, starting from small companies and eventually reaching governments."

Leveraging his position, the diplomat further articulated his influence on the world, securing major peace agreements between warring nations, even reaching the point of complete world denuclearization.

Everything was going as they had always dreamed. However, the power of the two men began to grow, and while the scientist remained the same, engrossed in his laboratory, trying to invent new things, the diplomat started to become selfish, living a life of high spending and luxury. The money that was once allocated to research began to be diverted to other things, such as the construction of a towering building, larger than any other, in the heart of Tokyo.

The diplomat claimed it was to gain the world's attention, believing that it would lead to greater influence and, consequently, a faster realization of their perfect world. However, the scientist saw that it wasn't true. After much contemplation, he ascended to the top floor of the towering skyscraper, heading toward where the diplomat now resided.

"It's time for us to go our separate ways." said the scientist.

"So, this is how it ends? You're breaking our oath now, just when we're so close to achieving our dream." said the diplomat.

"You're the one who broke our oath... You've distorted our plans so much that now I can see that the future that awaits us could be anything but what we so desired."

Reflecting on everything they had been through together, the scientist still saw a glimmer of his old friend deep within the eyes of the man before him. Overwhelmed by this feeling, he decided something.

"I can't take back the power and influence you've been given. I'm not sure it'll lead us to the world we dream of, but I'll stick to my promise. Ask for one thing, just one, and I'll give it to you, to give you that final boost you need to perhaps reach a better future. Then, I'll rest, knowing I've done my part."

The diplomat, looking back, avoiding his friend's gaze, saw in the reflection of one of the thousands of mirrors that filled his immense apartment, for a few seconds, the reflection of Eros, who smilingly spoke a single word.

"Time..."

Smiling, the diplomat knew what he wanted.

"Build a time machine and transform me into Chronos! This way, our promise can be undone, as there is no conceivable way for a god and a mere man to maintain an equal bond."

The scientist simply nodded and walked away, heading straight to his laboratory.

The scientist took a whole month, but after working tirelessly for so long, he finally succeeded. A simple black bracelet was handed to the diplomat, without a note, without warning, without a farewell.

Driven by the power, the diplomat manipulated the bracelet, programming it to go 100 years into the future. He wanted to see what the future he had been building would look like. How the world would become perfect now that it practically rested in his hands. With the push of a button, he was sent to that future.

His feet felt nothing.

The building he had been in had disappeared. All he could see below was a city in ruins. In slow motion, he began to fall, gazing at the blue sky above his head. In that blue sky, he managed to see the saddened gaze of Eros, watching him about to die for nothing.

The man, even though he was so wise, couldn't comprehend what was happening. Why was Eros so sad? He had achieved what he wanted, right? Hadn't he said "Time" so clearly? Or could it have been someone else, a figure as beautiful as Eros.

Yes, it wasn't Eros, but me, Thanatos.

With a farewell from Eros, the man who had lost his wisdom fell into the arms of Thanatos. 

For the man who had tried to help people so much but now wanted control of his own life, peace was granted.

For the man who had helped people so much but now wanted to control the lives of others, a hug from Thanatos was what he received.