The echo of "don't go" resonated in my mind, bringing back the unease I had felt in that dream. I could vividly remember the sudden awakening, the scream I let out without thinking, and how my heart pounded so hard I almost felt suffocated.
That had happened in the morning.
Now, I was lying on the grass beside Zirael in the afternoon. I tried to distract myself with the clouds stretching across the sky above us, forcing myself to focus on them, searching for shapes to calm my restless mind.
"What do you think of that cloud, Kaini?" I asked.
"It looks more like a sword," he replied, staring fixedly at the sky.
"To me, it looks like a finger," I replied with slight disbelief. My face betrayed my uncertainty about what I was seeing, but the intention to entertain ourselves was there. Even so, seriously trying to find a shape in a cloud wasn't easy, but at that moment, I appreciated it. Any distraction, no matter how small, was welcome to clear my thoughts of that house.
"And what about that cloud?" Zirael asked, pointing toward the horizon.
"Well, it looks like a storm cloud," I said, glancing briefly at what he was pointing to.
"No, that's a rain cloud," he countered.
We looked at each other in astonishment. Storm clouds were approaching, the wind was picking up, branches were trembling, and leaves scattered across the ground. The first drops were about to fall. We quickly stood up to gather our things before the rain caught us off guard.
However, before we could take a step toward the uneven terrain, something caught our attention. In the distance, in the middle of a vast, flat expanse of land, we saw a child, completely motionless, sitting on a rock. His body was rigid, his face turned toward the sky as if waiting for the rain to come.
A strange sensation ran through me. Something inside told me not to approach, to leave the boy alone. But instinct compelled me not to ignore him, as I had once done with Luna. The air around us felt heavier, and the scene seemed out of place.
"Zirael, look at that," I murmured, pointing toward the boy. My voice was barely a whisper, as if I feared breaking the delicate balance of the scene.
Zirael looked too, his expression shifting from curiosity to caution. Something was off, and we both knew it.
I ran toward him without overthinking it, and Zirael followed close behind. When we reached the boy, I recognized him immediately. It was Aziel.
"Aziel?" I asked, surprised to see him there. "What are you doing here?" I added as the first raindrops began falling heavily.
Aziel remained still, staring at the sky, as if the rain had trapped him in a trance. For a moment, it seemed like he wouldn't respond. Everything around him was calm, despite the storm unfolding. Then, slowly, he lowered his gaze toward us, and his face, which had seemed normal before, suddenly changed to one of pure joy.
"Hello, friends! How are you?" he said, with a smile that seemed out of place, as if he didn't notice the rain soaking him.
"What are you doing here?" Zirael asked, clearly concerned. "The rain—you'll get sick. You should take cover. Come with us."
Aziel seemed unaffected by the weather or our worry. He simply looked at us with that same smile, as if he were completely at peace in the middle of the storm.
"Come on, it's nothing. Rain is good for everyone," he said, enjoying the moment.
"No, come with us," Zirael and I insisted, grabbing him by the arms and leading him to a nearby tree that offered some shelter.
"What were you doing out there?" I asked, still puzzled by his behavior.
"I was just watching the scenery," he answered calmly, his tone more confident and different from the shy boy we had known before. It was as if something about him had changed.
We stayed under the tree for a moment, drying off little by little as the sky, surprisingly, cleared. The storm disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, leaving behind a bright blue sky.
"Well, I think that's it," Aziel said, smiling at us. "I guess I'll head out now." Without further ado, he turned to leave, as if nothing had happened.
"Wait, why are you leaving? Why not stay a little longer?" I asked, trying to stop him.
"Doing what?" he replied nonchalantly, his eyes suddenly wide open after seeming heavy-lidded before.
"Talking, having a conversation," I said, gesturing toward my jaw.
"No, that's boring," he said with a slight laugh. Then he turned back toward his path.
I was taken aback by his response. I hadn't expected him to react that way.
"Do you have something better to do?" I asked, half-joking, half-serious.
Aziel stopped, standing with his back to us for a moment, then slowly turned to face us. After a moment of silence, he walked back and sat down beside us with a mischievous smile on his face.
"Well, what are we going to talk about?" he asked, his eyes wide and ready for any conversation.
Zirael and I exchanged surprised but pleased looks at his decision to stay.
That day, we spent the whole afternoon talking about whatever came to mind—from Aziel's favorite foods, his favorite color, to his opinions on the most trivial things. We couldn't help but laugh at the silly questions that popped up during the process.
"I think, in the end, that would be absurd," Aziel said.
"Yes, but consider the advantages in that situation," Zirael replied.
"And in the end, did your family do anything about that guy?" Zirael asked, recalling what had happened with the man who mistreated Aziel.
"No, not really," Aziel replied. He told us it hadn't been necessary. The man had left out of fear of the consequences he might face. We didn't say anything either, afraid of what might happen and knowing that if our mothers found out, they would never let us go out again.
Zirael and I nodded. It was true. We had kept silent out of fear and to preserve our freedom to go out without our mothers worrying too much.
Suddenly, Aziel changed the tone of the conversation. His face, which had shown signs of fatigue from the long questions and chatter, lit up.
"So… what do you think about life?" Aziel asked with unusual seriousness.
Zirael and I were surprised by the question. It was an unexpected shift, but it seemed like Aziel wanted to delve into something more personal or meaningful, as if he wanted to know our thoughts beyond trivial matters.
"Life… well, life is something wonderful. It's about living and being happy!" Zirael replied, with a smile that seemed a bit dimmed, surprising me.
Aziel remained completely still, his wide eyes fixed on him.
Feeling the awkwardness, I intervened.
"Uh… for me, life is something I won't always understand. But I try to enjoy it," I added, attempting to make sense of a question I didn't know how to answer.
Aziel looked at me with a happy expression and said, "Yes, yes, you both have great answers."
Though Zirael and I exchanged awkward glances, Aziel's question and reaction seemed out of place. He just kept smiling carelessly. In general, he was kind of a fool.
"Well, it's late now. I'll be heading off," Aziel said, standing up.
"Yeah, me too," Zirael added, stretching as he got up.
"Alright, then," I replied.
Before we left, Aziel suddenly paused and said, "Well…" His words hung in the air for a few seconds. "You guys made my day. How about we meet again tomorrow?"
"Yeah, of course," I replied without hesitation.
"Sure," Zirael added.
"Alright, see you," Aziel said, quickly walking away with one hand in his pocket and his head down, as if ignoring the sunlight. His figure slowly disappeared into the distance as we watched him go.