3

Glimmering Eyes in Twilight

I leaned back against the rough bark of the tree, stretching my arms above my head as the cool breeze brushed against my skin. The once-warm air had settled into a gentle chill, and I welcomed it, letting my eyes flutter shut for a moment.

Beside me, he sat with one leg propped up and the other crossed over it. The wind tousled his hair—long, silky, and impossibly white. Each strand seemed to dance with the breeze, catching the fading sunlight like spun silver.

He looked... unreal.

A thought crept into my mind.

Was he even from this world?

The way the light touched him, the way the air itself seemed to embrace him, made me question everything. Maybe he was some kind of celestial being—an ethereal presence disguising itself in human form.

I chuckled softly at my own ridiculous imagination, shaking my head.

But then I met his gaze.

His eyes—gold. No, wait. Blonde?

The color was strange, shifting subtly in the dimming light. Does that even exist? My mind whirled with possibilities.

A foreigner? A prince from a distant kingdom? A saint seeking wisdom from the mountains? A wandering spirit, lost in time?

I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair.

Maybe yes. Maybe no.

I couldn't keep these thoughts to myself any longer.

"Hey, um... I'm curious. W-what are you exactly?"

My voice wavered slightly, my tongue stumbling over the words. I hadn't meant to sound so nervous, but something about him made me hesitate.

He turned his head toward me, his expression shifting. His golden eyes sharpened just slightly—a flicker of something unspoken flashing through them.

For a moment, I regretted asking.

Maybe I had overstepped. Maybe the question was too personal.

Had others hurt him before? Had people doubted him, feared him, alienated him?

His voice, when he finally spoke, was light—almost airy—but there was an underlying roughness to it, like the whisper of wind through the trees.

"I'm a man."

I blinked.

That was it?

A small chuckle escaped me.

"I know you're not a female. Your voice is husky enough—I never doubted that."

He studied me for a second longer before nodding slightly.

"I see..."

That was all he said. No further explanation. No elaboration.

Just those two words.

And yet, something about his answer felt... final. As if he had nothing else to say—or rather, as if he had decided I didn't need to know any more than that.

I hesitated, debating whether to press him further.

But something inside me held back.

Maybe I was afraid of the answer. Or maybe, deep down, I knew that there were things about him that were simply beyond my understanding.

Beyond my world.

So instead, I let the silence settle between us, filling the space where words had failed.

The wind picked up slightly, rustling the leaves overhead. I closed my eyes, letting the sound of nature soothe me.

It was nice here.

Comforting.

So, without another word, I lay down, shifting onto my side with my back facing him. The air was crisp, cool against my skin, washing away the lingering heat of the day. I could hear the distant rustling of leaves, the rhythmic breathing of the one beside me.

Seconds stretched into minutes.

Then I felt it.

A lingering gaze.

He was looking at me.

I resisted the urge to turn around.

Why was he staring?

Before I could dwell on it, he exhaled softly. Then, shifting ever so slightly, he tilted his head back against the mahogany tree, his long lashes lowering as he closed his eyes.

And just like that, the moment passed.

Two and a half hours drifted by.

When I stirred awake, the world was silent, wrapped in the gentle embrace of twilight. I looked around, half-expecting something to have changed.

But everything remained the same.

He was still there, still leaning against the tree, still lost in whatever strange existence he belonged to.

I sighed, pulling my arms closer to my chest.

Then, without thinking too much about it, I let my eyes close again.

And I fell back asleep.