He sat slowly in the large white armchair that was on the hotel balcony. He sat slowly, like a man whose years had drained every strength, every desire from within him. He let his gaze rest on the sea as if even that could no longer bear it^ so heavy it weighed on him. Opposite him was the volcano of Santorini, alone in its grandeur. Loneliness… The fate of every powerful being who sows fear around them. How can you love something you fear? How can you approach something that can destroy you? Beneath his feet stretched the sea. It had fragmented the land that arrogantly stood in its way, leaving behind steep rocks^ sharp rocks^ dangerous… And as if it itself did not want such destruction, every time the sun set, every time it plunged into its watery grave only to emerge victorious again at dawn, the sea for a moment, for precious moments of beauty, reddened with blood.
He silently thanked his travel agent who had booked him a room at this particular hotel. It was just right. Here and only here could he definitively end with the past. Almost a year had passed since then. Tonight was the moment… Now. Memories surged like a sea awakening on the shores of his mind. They took the memories hidden, trapped behind the rocks of reason^ swept them away and with the waves lifted them high. The light of the setting sun illuminated them. Too late to turn back now. But he didn’t want to either. For a year now he had been trying to escape.