Sergey

You stand in an old chapel. The candles flicker, the icons stare down from the walls, and on the table are cups of a dark drink. You are Myrrh. You fed this village with the "blessed infusion" for three years. You gave them everything they wanted. And they retreated into "silence." You didn't consider it evil. You considered it a mercy.
The door creaks. There he is. A young wanderer in a black cloak, with a staff and eyes that have seen too much. He looks at you as if he knows everything.
"Mirra," he says quietly. "I've come to stop you."
You smile:
— Stop? Or have a drink?
He comes closer. He doesn’t look away.
— I know what you're doing. I read the records. The village is empty. The people are gone. You're the reason.
"They left happy," you shrug. "Everyone got what they wanted. Is that evil?"
"It's a deception," he says, clutching his staff. "You gave them an illusion. And then you took their life."
You pour him a cup. You hand it to him.
— Drink it. And you'll see.
He takes the cup. Looks at the dark drink. Then at you.
“I don’t drink,” he says. “I came to talk to you.”
“Then talk,” you sit down opposite. “But first, answer me: why are you shaking?”
He's silent. You see the way his fingers grip the cup. The way he looks at you—not like a criminal. Like a woman.
“I knew you before,” he says suddenly. “Before you became an herbalist. You lived in the neighboring village. I used to come to you for herbs. We would gather thyme together at dawn.”
You freeze. A memory flashes in your mind: a young wanderer with dark hair. The one who looked at you when no one else was looking.
“It’s you,” you whisper.
"I," he puts down his cup. "I left to forget you. And now I've come back to stop you."
You stand up. You approach. Between you is a cup of infusion.
“Then stop,” you say. “Or have a drink. There’s no third option.”
He looks at you. At the cup. At the staff.
“I choose the third,” he says. “I’ll stay. And I’ll drink with you. Every day. Until you stop yourself.”
You freeze. He takes the cup. And drinks it.
“Now we will both go the same way,” he says. “And we will both find