He looks around and he can still see it, sometimes, as it was Before.
He remembers hiking with Sarah and his brother on occasion. Remembers fireflies, the real kind, not the ones shot dead in the street. Remembers lazy afternoons and terrible movies and being a family. He remembers the days with bittersweet fondness, and he wonders where they went.
Those days are gone now. They drift untouched in pasts no one speaks of, collecting dust and fading silently. Sometimes he'll turn to them in search of solace, but usually he lets them rust, forgotten and afraid in the shadows. They don't remind him of hope, not anymore. They ring of loss and things left behind.
He wants to believe in something, but if he's honest, he'll admit that he's afraid to. Family, friends, hope, it all disappears eventually. Nothing lasts long these days. Still, he'll look for a light when he's feeling brave, hold onto it as long as he dares, bask in the glow and almost allow himself to believe. He'll hope and cling to the light in the darkness as if it can save them.
Even if he still remembers that the Fireflies had once glowed too.
Am I the only one who can't ever tell if the opening animation while the game is loading is fireflies or spores? Also, 'The Way it Was' is undoubtedly one of the most bittersweet soundtracks to a game, period.