It's beautiful, isn't it?

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

With her elbows on the table, the young woman was observing at the street from the other side of the café window. The man sitting across from her did not react.

"What humans can do out of love never fails to move me. It is proof of such pure feelings..."

Faint tears formed at the corners of her eyes as a smile appeared on her lovely face and red flushed her cheeks. She moved closer to the glass, almost pressing her face against it, her eyes shining with emotion. Outside, a crowd had gathered and soon the scene disappeared from her view. She slumped back in her seat with a sigh.

"I'll never get tired of this spectacle..."

The man, still mute, stared at his interlocutor with a blank expression.

"Come on, say something! Don't you have any emotions? Don't you feel anything when you see such a display of love between a man and a woman?"

The young woman was bubbling with excitement. So much so that she frowned as soon as the man's reply came:

"No."

There was an immediate silence. The man continued:

"I don't understand what it is that fascinates you so much. All I feel when I see this is sadness."

"Don't be so grumpy! Why can't you rejoice in other people's happiness? They'll be together happily ever after! Look at this crowd moved to tears by so much love! Don't you think it's beautiful?"

The young woman leaned over the table, plunging her passionate gaze into the eyes of the man sitting opposite. Instinctively, he backed away from her and gave her his usual cold stare, which went so well with his stern face and black clothes.

"I certainly see some kind of beauty in that, but I don't think we're talking about the same thing. By accepting, this man has condemned himself."

"There you go... Those old-fashioned ideas again… Don't you understand this is the greatest possible proof of love? Their souls are now united forever! Never again will they suffer loneliness or falter under hardship. By accepting his beloved's proposal, he has set himself free!"

The man remained silent.

"Some people think that life is all about the pursuit of pleasure. I disagree. What gives life its interest is love. No one can live in loneliness. Whether man or animal, life has this intrinsic need to be shared. To find fellow human beings. And to unite with them. This is what makes life magnificent. It is love that gives it all its beauty! It's love that allows human beings to transcend themselves! And is there any greater proof of love than that? That two people uniting in life and death? I don't think so."

Her voice had quickened throughout her speech. By the time she had finished, her eyes were wet again, and her breath was short.

After this moment of exaltation, her outstretched arms fell limply back down her lively body. The young woman cleared her throat, then resumed in a calmer tone:

"No, I affirm it. It's love that makes life worth living. This man made the right call."

The man in black shook his head gently:

"Life is precious. Perhaps love gives it meaning, but is that reason enough to offer your life?"

"Of course it is! If you don't offer your life for love, then what reason could you possibly have to offer it for? Is there no greater reason than love?"

"Even if that love leads you to death?"

"Then I shall embrace it and revel in its warm hug."

Faced with this young woman with eyes shining with emotion, the man in black turned his attention to the other side of the glass.

In the distance, a siren began to sound.

"So these are your expectations of humans?"

A murmur ran through the crowd outside the café as the siren grew louder and louder.

"Yes."

Suddenly, an ambulance appeared and stopped in front of the shop. A medical team got out and shouted to the crowd to move away. In an instant, the onlookers moved aside, and the scene was once again before their eyes. A man and a woman, facing each other, were lying on the pavement. With their intertwined fingers and dreamlike smiles, never had a couple seemed so in love.

"You are very cruel."

Around the two lovers, a pool of blood was spreading.

"That may be. But for a moment, I offered them the most absolute happiness."

As the dislocated bodies were ripped from the floor, the man in black stood up and stepped through the door of the café. A gust of wind blew into the establishment and the two beings disappeared in a whisper. The sun had long since set, but the air was still humid and warm.

"It's up to you to take care of them now. I entrust them to you, Thanatos."