The sun had drifted into the arms of absence, leaving the land trembling beneath a heavy darkness as though it had lost the very light of life.
I quickened my steps, that powerful aura radiating from me.
Mystery cloaked me. A deep strength surged within, wrapping around my presence like a second skin.
I move my void-like shadows through the space, searching tirelessly.
I step out of my room into the dim corridor, making my way toward the cellar.
Another room one swallowed by centuries of darkness, as if the night had claimed it long ago.
I stretch my coarse fingers toward a single matchstick. I strike it with care.
The ancient candles quiver under its faint flame, and life stirs once again in the corners of the cellar.
The webs of long-forgotten spiders reveal themselves, silent witnesses to time's passage.
I scan the room, seeking that small box there, half-buried in dust.
I rush to it, opening it without hesitation, and pull from it a folded paper...
I leave my castle swiftly, heading toward that place.
A place old as time itself.
A small cabin nestled deep within a vast forest.
I perch atop one of the trees, searching for him near the ruins.
A humble cabin stands, as if it were birthed from the forest's heart.
Its walls woven from entangled branches, etched with shadow-inked inscriptions.
Hundreds of words carved in silence, whispering the secrets of ages past.
They speak of ancestors and forgotten eras.
I climb down and move toward it.
Inside dwells a man who has lived for thousands of years.
A white-bearded figure, his eyes blind yet glowing with wisdom.
In his hands, he holds a crystal sphere glowing with a powerful blue light.
…Cassius…
I hear his footsteps drawing near, and tears rise like warm streams to my eyes.
"Is that you... Arius?"
…Arius…
As I approach, he speaks again.
"Is that you... Arius?"
Tears trail down his pale, time-worn skin.
He turns his face toward me his blind eyes shimmer like the crystal in his palms.
"Yes, Grandfather, it's me."
"Are you alright? I haven't heard from you in ages."
"Yes, I'm fine. I often visit the realm of humans."
"Is everything well there? I haven't set foot in that world since she passed the one I spent centuries loving."
He spoke in a voice woven with sorrow and longing...
...A Glimpse into the Past...
I walked behind her, enchanted by her presence.
Her silky hair danced in the wind, and I couldn't look away.
How I loved you… how I adored you…
She strolled deeper into the forest, humming softly.
Majestic trees surrounded us, their branches like outstretched arms.
Moments passed. I turned to check how far we'd wandered from home
just in case we got lost, I wanted to be able to guide her back.
But when I turned to look at her again… she was gone.
I scanned the area in panic
"Imy! Where are you?!"
A terrifying emptiness clutched at me.
I ran frantically through the woods, calling her name…
But there was no trace. She had vanished before my eyes.
Days passed. Then weeks. Still, I searched like a madman.
Worry consumed me, growing heavier with every sunset.
I would sit alone in her room, clutching her clothes, breathing in her scent...
What had love done to me?
It made me obsessed.
Then one day, I heard a voice her brother's.
He said
"The police found her body… in the forest. She had fallen into a deep pit... she's gone."
She's gone.
The words struck like lightning.
She's gone. The one I spent my years with.
The one I loved.
Gone just like that.
She never knew.
She never knew I loved her.
She never knew I was her silent guardian.
She never knew… anything!.
I returned to my realm, drowned in grief.
I couldn't bear to go back to hers… not now that she was no longer there.
She left me in sorrow.
And the reel of memories ended, leaving me back in the present.
"Grandfather… can you hear me?"
I spoke gently, drawing closer.
He replied, as a tear escaped his eye
"So… tell me, what brings you here so suddenly?"
"I'm in love… No I'm obsessed with someone who doesn't see me. Who doesn't even know I exist."
"Grandfather, I want her to see me… to know me… to love me."
"It hurts loving someone who doesn't know you, who doesn't feel your presence. It's... painful."
He nodded, sadness mirrored in his blind eyes.
"I understand… I've known that pain."
"I don't care about the consequences. I want her here, in my world."
"I will protect her. I will love her."
"I'll give her everything she's ever dreamed of.
I just want her to see me… to feel me… to love me like I love her."
I approach you in silence.
In a world that has yet to notice, I leave you my vow.
I promise
You'll be a homeland within me that no one can conquer.
I love you. And that, alone, is enough.