Toc... toc... toc... toc...
The footsteps echoed in the dark corridor, their sound ricocheting off the cold stone walls. Each step seemed to carry the weight of a lifetime of suffering and disillusionment. The silhouette that slowly advanced emerged gradually from the darkness, revealing a woman of youthful appearance. Her hair, once undoubtedly jet black, was now gray.
Her deep black eyes seemed to have lost all spark of life. They stared into the void ahead of her, as if nothing mattered anymore, as if she had long abandoned all hope. Her pale skin accentuated this spectral impression, bestowing upon her an ethereal and melancholic beauty.
Her face expressed nothing—neither joy, nor sorrow, nor anger. Just an acceptance of her fate, whatever it may be. This total absence of emotion paradoxically gave her a certain mysterious and enchanting charm, like a marble statue that a genius sculptor had breathed a semblance of life into.
Her steps led her to the end of the long corridor, dimly lit by a few flickering torches. She emerged into a vast circular room, its walls rising endlessly towards an invisible ceiling, like an infinite tower plunged into darkness.
There, casually perched on the edge of an arched window, sat a man of singular appearance. Despite his undeniably masculine features, a grace and delicacy almost feminine radiated from his entire being. Clad entirely in immaculate white, from his boots to his fitted doublet, he blended into the opalescent light of a crimson moon.
His alabaster skin seemed to reflect the blood-red rays of the celestial body, surrounding his silhouette with a magnificent yet unsettling carmine halo. Like a demonic prince straight from hell, his unreal beauty and haughty presence commanded respect and a certain fear.
But above all, it was his face that captivated and destabilized. No emotion showed on his chiseled features, frozen in a porcelain mask of icy perfection. His eyes were closed, and yet he seemed to be gazing at a point on the horizon, beyond the limits of the tower.
Following his gaze, the woman distinguished in the distance the titanic silhouette of a unique tree, its crown lost in the dark skies. She had never beheld such a colossal plant, rising like an infinite column defying the laws of nature.
The man in white, without even deigning to turn his head toward the newcomer, addressed her in a voice as sharp as a blade of ice:
"What do you want, inferior being?"
The woman flinched imperceptibly, as if slapped by his scornful tone. But she quickly regained her composure and replied in a tone void of any emotion:
"I have a name."
A thin smile, both amused and cruel, stretched the pale lips of the man, contrasting with his expressionless face.
"Names hold little importance in my presence."
He slowly opened his eyelids, revealing bluish irises that seemed to reflect the infinity of this world. His intense gaze pierced the woman to the very depths of her soul.
"I may have spared your life, but is that a reason to come disturb me? What are you seeking to accomplish?"
The woman held his gaze unflinchingly, a flicker of defiance shining momentarily in her black eyes.
"I did not come to beg for help or pity. I seek... answers. A meaning to all of this."
The man erupted in a joyless laugh that echoed ominously between the walls of the tower. Then, growing serious again, he rose with feline grace and approached his interlocutor slowly.
"What is your name?"
"Yuki," replied the woman.
"Answers? My poor child, there are only endless questions in this cruel and absurd universe. But very well... Since you have come this far, I will consent to listen to you. Go on, lay your miserable existence before me, and we shall see if I deem it worthy of my interest..."
The woman took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, gathering her scattered and painful memories. Then, in a monotone voice, she asked:
"Who are you? Where do you come from?" She added with curiosity, tilting her head slightly, "But what intrigues me even more is why me among them all?"
The man recalled his arrival on this planet, his mission to cultivate the divine tree. He remembered his encounter with this singular woman who, unlike the other beings he considered inferior, had shown no fear in the face of him and his subordinate. It was precisely this reason that he had spared her life: she awakened his interest.
It had now been two months since the tree had been absorbing the vitality of this planet. According to his calculations, he had one more month before completing the process. He cast a thoughtful glance at the woman, then turned back toward where he had been sitting a moment earlier. The woman followed, hoping to obtain answers to her questions.
He settled comfortably, gazing at the sky, lost in thought. After a moment of silence, he murmured:
"Where should I begin?"
The woman moved closer and sat beside him, patiently awaiting him to continue. The man took a deep breath, as if about to unveil a long-held secret.
He paused, observing the woman's reaction. She listened attentively.
"The reason I chose you, you among all the others," he continued, diving his gaze into hers, "is because you showed no fear even when your kind were being killed before your eyes."
"I am a traveler from a distant land," he began in a cold, emotionless voice. "My people sent me here to cultivate that tree you see in the distance."
The woman nodded slowly, absorbing these revelations. She now understood that she was facing a being of power and wisdom that surpassed her comprehension. Yet, instead of fear, it was a growing fascination that took hold of her.