The air was heavy, thick with something like the smoke of burned ash.
With every step Raymond took, his chest felt tighter, suffocation pressing down on him more and more.
He walked slowly, unaware of where his feet were carrying him, until finally, he saw the end of the path that had seemed endless.
The forest thinned.
Tangled trees faded from view, and a faint crimson light appeared ahead.
He couldn't tell if it was a refuge from the darkness—or from hell itself.
Yet his body moved forward without hesitation, as if it already knew what lay ahead, until he reached the end of the road.
Before him was a jagged cliff.
Below, flames devoured everything in sight.
It looked like a living inferno.
Smoke rose from the burning trees and mingled with gray clouds, as if the sky itself was preparing to cleanse the hell that had consumed the land.
Raymond couldn't grasp the meaning of the scene.
Even though vivid dreams had been a part of his life since childhood, he dismissed this as a reflection of his exhaustion from the past few days.
After a moment, he stepped back from the cliff's edge.
When he turned his gaze aside, he noticed a figure in white, leaning silently against a nearby tree.
Who…?
Raymond thought.
He assumed it was part of the dream and hesitated to speak.
But the man addressed him first.
"I didn't expect our next meeting to be this close."
Raymond didn't understand his words.
In fact, the voice sounded far too real.
After a moment, the figure stepped out from the tree's shadow and approached him calmly, his face coming into view.
He was a young man, slightly older than Raymond, with silver hair and long bangs brushing his eyelids.
What caught Raymond's attention was the unusual color behind those silver strands—
A pale lavender purple.
His skin was ghostly white, and his ears were faintly pointed.
Raymond realized immediately: this was not human.
There was a cold calmness about him—strangely captivating.
Yet deep down, Raymond didn't sense any danger.
Without realizing it, he let his guard down, even as the distance between them closed.
It felt almost natural to be near this strange being.
Then, after a brief pause, Raymond remembered something he had completely forgotten.
When the young man was close enough to meet him face-to-face, Raymond asked in a low, hesitant voice:
"I think… I saw you before.
You seemed to know me. Who are you?"
The lavender-eyed man's eyes widened slightly.
He lifted his right hand to his chin and lowered his head, thinking for a moment.
The strange reaction made Raymond uneasy, so he continued, sharper than he intended:
"Are you planning to ignore me?"
The man raised his head and met his gaze briefly.
It was as if he were trying to read Raymond's thoughts.
Finally, he spoke, calm but hesitant:
"No matter how I think about it, I don't understand it either…
Even I know how strange this is."
Raymond didn't grasp his meaning.
The vague words only deepened his confusion.
But the man continued:
"It seems you don't remember me.
And you're slightly different from how I remember you.
If I hadn't recognized your soul, I wouldn't have believed you were the same person… but that only confuses me further."
"My… soul?"
Raymond exhaled slowly, trying to steady himself.
"So you're saying we know each other… yet I don't remember meeting you.
Where exactly did we meet?"
The man studied him silently, then asked:
"What year is it?"
Raymond stared at him in disbelief, as if to say, What nonsense is this madman spouting?
He swallowed the words and answered anyway:
"The year 879 of the Imperial Calendar.
To be precise—the last day of the ninth month."
The man frowned and sank back into thought.
Cold droplets began to fall from the gray clouds above, bringing Raymond back fully to the present.
After a brief silence, the man spoke softly:
"Then… it really was a long time ago."
Raymond asked cautiously:
"What do you mean?"
"I mean our meeting was a long time ago.
The fact that I remember you while you don't means something is wrong with your memory.
I can't guess the cause… but have you experienced any kind of incident recently?"
The rain intensified.
Cold droplets splashed on the dirt beneath their feet, soaking them both, yet the conversation continued.
In a weary, hesitant voice, Raymond asked:
"I don't understand anything you're saying.
Who are you—and what do I have to do with you?"
The man stepped away, moving closer to the cliff's edge and gazing at the scene below.
The flames had died out.
Only charred trees remained, and the scent of ash and damp earth hung in the moist air.
After a moment, he turned back and studied the confusion on Raymond's face:
"Judging by your condition, you're ignorant of many things.
Telling you everything at once would only harm your mind.
For now, all I can say is—discover who you are now.
Whether that is fortunate or not… I'm not sure.
But there is someone close to you who can help you with that."
A faint smile appeared on his lips as he read the complete lack of understanding on Raymond's face.
"I'll give you a small hint.
Look into the past of mages.
It doesn't matter how you do it—once you do, everything will flow naturally, and the pieces of the puzzle will fall into place in your scattered mind."
Raymond sighed and looked away.
"I understand… but let me ask one last question."
The man nodded.
Raymond continued, his voice low, almost like he was speaking to himself, as he took a few steps away and looked around:
"All of this feels like a vivid dream.
Yet something inside me tells me it isn't.
I might sound strange—or even insane—but… who are you, really?
You don't seem entirely human. What are you?"
At those words, the man froze for a full second without blinking.
Then he closed his eyes briefly and smiled softly:
"You're right.
I'm not human like you. And this isn't merely a dream.
A dream doesn't grant the same sensations as the physical world.
Here, you can use your senses as any living being would… it seems you only just noticed that.
More importantly, part of your consciousness is connected to me—or rather, your awareness reached this world through your dream.
That doesn't mean everything you see is false.
You'll understand what I mean once you do what I told you.
But be careful.
Mages are forbidden throughout the Empire.
If you're discovered, you will be executed.
Still, don't worry too much.
As I said, someone close to you, directly tied to this matter, can reveal everything you don't yet understand if you ask them."
Before Raymond could respond, the world around them began to crack—like a mirror shattering piece by piece.
As the world collapsed slowly, the man spoke one final time:
"Our time is up.
Let us meet again after you discover more about yourself."
Raymond nodded and murmured, low but audible:
"Yes… until then.
Take care."
He didn't know why he said it—but felt he had to.
For a brief instant, an unreadable emotion flickered in the man's eyes.
He opened his mouth as if to speak—but closed it in silence.
Before anything could be clarified, the image shattered, and darkness swallowed the scene.
When Raymond opened his eyes, the familiar ceiling was the first thing he saw.
Unlike the last time, however, there was a strange sense of ease within him.
Yet for reasons he couldn't explain, the final scene unsettled him.
As he stared at the quiet details of the room, he thought:
What was he trying to say…?
His features felt strangely familiar, but—
No use.
I can't remember anything about him.
After a moment, he pushed those chaotic thoughts aside and murmured:
"This is strange… but I can't help believing him.
I think I know the person he was talking about."
A serious glint settled into his gray eyes as he firmly decided on his next move.
______________________________________
Author's Note:
I might sound a little strange saying this as the author, but I've been waiting for this young man to appear since the very beginning of writing this story.
What do you think about the character with the lavender eyes?