Aster carried a light burden on his shoulders, determio avoid making mistakes, as they were inadmissible to him. He felt like a soulless vilin, a treacherous and elusive being. The enter in the car was like a magnitude Five earthquakes on the Richter scale.

  The night had been pleasant and tolerable, or perhaps the correct word was "bearable." Aster sidered himself a man of armor but upon further refle...

  He boldly attacked and had retions with the protagonist in the car. However, upon closer examination, he realized that the night hadn't been as pleasant as he initially thought. The response of "If I did, I don't remember" was strange, and pretending abstra and a ck of sense was not an attitude that pleased him.

  Despite that, Aster reized that he possessed nobility and great potential, and from a certain perspective, it was good that he cared about the protagonist, a man ired to ge the world, even if it seemed utopian. He had also fought to make his previous world safer.

  For some, like Spencer Walker, he was seen as a demon, just as some people might see Callum in the same way. The book only mentiohat Callum was ambitious and desired to ge the world.

  There were no indications that the protagonist was associated with good or evil, just a focus on the evolution of that world.

  Callum harbored no feelings or esteem for him; he only ehe pheromones emanating from Aster. It was time to reflect. It wasn't a matter of self-sabotage, but rather fag reality.

  Arriving at the building was a relief; Aster wao distance himself as much as possible from Callum, minimizing his involvement.

  The m... Aster woke up and gazed at the bright sun, almost as if he expected its rays to dissolve him. He felt like the vampire protagonist in a "spstiedy".

  Aster entered Damián's room, and his eyes were immediately drawn - to the silver papers scattered on the floor. He couldn't help but release an ironic ugh upon witnessing the mess left from some frenzied moment of Damián's.

  With a pyful smile on his face, Aster approached Damián and asked jokingly, "Damián, did a child open Christmas presents from Santa Cus? It seems like you masterfully recreated that se here!"

  "What was that, Damián? Have you turned into an adult, extravagant version of an eager child on Christmas m?"

  "No, it was a trace of hatred," Damián replied.

  Damián, with a curious expression, asked Aster how the night went.

  Aster, trying to disguise his slight disturbance about the night, responded in a rexed manner, omitting some of the events that took p the car, and began narrating his version of the events.

  As Damián listened, he felt something, but in the end, he simply expressed relief and said, "gratutions on the perfeight."

  Aster looked at him with a certain nond deflected, waiting: "Why are you like this?"

  Damián, dressed in all bck attire and bck boots, responded, "I chose to stereotype evil to the maximum. That's why vilins dress in bd have exaggerated theme music."

  Aster, refleg on the response, replied, "So it's a version of yourself with yourself?"

  With a determined and fident posture, Callum waited outside the building, his gaze fixed on the horizon. A mix of anticipation and apprehension pulsed within him as he reflected on the ck of he perceived in Aster, his new panion.

  Despite uanding the importance of g for a former partner like Crice, who had a long history with him, Callum questioned his duty and itment to the person now by his side. Was Aster truly itted to mutual prote and care? These questions echoed in his mind, igniting a desire to address the issue of initial vigind deepen the e between them.

  Aster spotted Callum from afar, walking in the pany of Damián. A mix of surprise and curiosity took hold of him, as he hadn't expected to enter Callum at that time or pce. As they approached, Callum greeted Aster with a warm smile and a friendly greeting.

  Damián, always irreverent, didn't miss the opportunity to py with the situation. "Ah, Callum, thanks in advance for the ride! You're a true savior today," Damián said with a touch of sarcasm, elig light ughter from Aster.

  This brief iion momentarily left Callum speechless, without room to initiate a private versation with Aster. He observed the iioweewo with a mix of curiosity alessness. It was evident that Damián was taking advantage of the opportunity to have fun and avoid any personal versation, while Aster seemed calm and rexed.

  Callum felt a pang of frustration as his desire to talk with Aster was temporarily postponed. However, he maintained a ral expression, disguising his true emotions in the face of this ued reunion.

  In the car... After the ued enter, a few mier, an awkward siletled in. Each of the three individuals was immersed in their own thoughts, making the atmosphere unfortable and tense.

  With his fident demeanor, Callum turo Aster and said, "Aster, my grandfather is very ied iing you. we arrange a date?"

  Surprised by the invitation, Aster responded cautiously, "I feel honored by your invitation to meet him. Please tell yrandfather that I'm looking forward to this meeting."

  The versation tinued in a rexed manner as the three shared and exged friendly ents. Although there was some disfort between Aster and Callum, they tried to maintain a light atmosphere, leaving more serious matters for aime.

  Damián fidently stepped out of the car, ready for another day of work at the gallery. After all, it was his field of expertise and one of his old passions, art. Callum, who had relutly accepted the ride, listened in disbelief as Damián didn't even say thank you before leaving without a goodbye. However, before Aster exited, he gently held Aster's arm, looking at him with a mix of affe and mencholy.

  With a serene smile, Callum approached Aster and quickly kissed him in farewell. It was a gesture filled with meaning, expressing not only the desire to meet again but also a certain nostalgia for the shared moments.

  "Wishing you a great day at work. Thank you for your pany, Aster," Callum said with a soft void a touch of some emotion that Aster couldn't identify. Perhaps frustratiohought.

  Aster, somewhat surprised by the gesture, responded cordially, "We thank you, Callum. It leasure to share that moment with you. Take care and see you soon."

  They exged a brief look, filled with unexpressed emotions, before Aster exited the car and the driver closed the door. Aster walked away with slow steps and a pensive expression.

  As Damiáered the gallery, he carried with him a Machiavellian pn, a meticulous strategy to destabilize Aster and Callum's retionship. He was determio be the obstacle that would separate them, no matter the cost. In love and war, anything goes!

  In the gallery, hours ter... Aster, Damián, and Emeline were gathered to discuss the pre-produ of an o exhibition. The atmosphere was filled with anticipation aement as they shared ideas and pnned every detail of the event.

  As they debated the sele of artworks and the anization of virtual spaces, the question arose about the participation of renowned artist Finley McDermott. Aster suggested that his presence would bring an additional element of prestige and authenticity to the exhibition, as his paintings addressed relevant and thought-provoking themes.

  Damián, always atteo any opportunity to boost the gallery, readily agreed with the suggestinizing the impact that Finley's presence could have on the visibility of the event. He mentiohat Finley's reputation and talent as a painter could attract even more i from the publid specialized critics.

  Emeline, drawing from her experience, expressed her admiration for Finley's work and shared stories about previous exhibitions in which the artist participated. She emphasized the importance of presenting a variety of artistic voices and perspectives in the exhibition, and believed that the inclusion of Finley would signifitly tribute to this goal.

  Finley McDermott, known for his paintings that address social and political issues, brought to light themes such as discrimination, the use of inhibiting medications, and the struggle of the extinegas. His works were a refle on the analyses and value judgments imposed on art, ultimately reizing and defining artistic products as such.

  Aster, Damián, and Emeline focused on two or three carefully selected paintings, as they believed these artworks strikingly represehe themes addressed in the exhibition. One of these paintings was truly captivating, depig a suspended hand overflowing with medications, desding like a delicate and light cascade. Every detail of the position—the perfect symmetry, the angles seen from above and below—invited a critical aailed interpretation of the artwork, revealing the depth of the message veyed.

  Aandout piece showcased a subtle gray background trasting with the intense red cloth c a tral table. On this table, the se unfolded provocatively: an omega wearing a white nightgowly pulled the colr, exposing their ne a blend of vulnerability and ce. At the same time, an imposing alpha in ire assumed a dominant posture, poised to bite. Meticulously painted facial expressions on both the omega and the alpha captured the palpable tension and plexity of retionships among the different physical castes present in the ABO World.

  These masterpieces beed viewers to delve into the subtle and profound yers of the depicted world, instigating refles on power, submission, inequality, and the intricate nature of social retionships. The artist's ability to vey suuances and evoke trastiions was a testament to the artist's exceptional talent and the significe of these artworks in the uping exhibition.

  The meeting cluded with the sehat the exhibition and its virtual unch were taking shape and promised to be a standout event i se. Aster, Damián, Emeline, and the possibility of having Finley McDermott involved in the project brought ara dose of enthusiasm and anticipation for the exhibition's success, which would not only present impactful artworks but also create spaportant discussions and refles oy. The ption of beauty within the domain of aesthetics fuels the formutions of art criticism and art history.