Chapter 13 Blue Eyes
Nico met the strange boy because he got lost. Later, he would decide that was the luckiest moment of his life. And the worst. The forest seemed endless. No matter how far he walked there were always more trees. More shadows. More silence. The wilderness of Elyria swallowed distance itself. Days blended together. Sunlight filtered through ancient branches. Silver rivers wound through valleys untouched by civilization. The world felt older than memory. Older than history. Nico preferred it that way. Unlike Eemil. Unlike most people. He enjoyed silence. The quiet soothed him. No expectations. No noise. No pretending. Just trees. Wind. And his own thoughts. Though lately those thoughts had become increasingly occupied by one person. A celestial. A strange boy Eemil would not stop talking about.
"The prettiest person I've ever seen."
The memory made Nico roll his eyes. Eemil had repeated those words dozens of times. Every evening. Every morning. Every chance he got. That boy this. That boy that. The boy smiled. The boy laughed. The boy likes flowers. The boy swims in the lake. The boy did this. The boy did that. It had become unbearable. Which was why Nico eventually decided to see for himself. Not because he was curious. Obviously. Mostly. Perhaps a little. Just enough. The excuse sounded reasonable. Even if he didn't entirely believe it himself. So one afternoon he followed directions Eemil had given him. Eventually he found the lake. And immediately understood why Eemil had become insufferable. The place looked unreal. Silver water reflected blue skies. White flowers drifted across the surface. Sunlight danced among ancient trees. The entire lake appeared lifted from a dream. And sitting upon a smooth stone near the shore was the boy. Nico stopped walking. For several moments he simply stared. Now he understood. Not because the boy was beautiful. Because beautiful wasn't enough.
The celestial looked almost unreal. As though he belonged in a painting. Or a story. Or some impossible dream. Long black hair flowed down his back like liquid midnight.
Not merely dark. Perfectly black. Silken. Shining beneath the sunlight. His skin looked flawless. Smooth and pale without a single blemish. Almost luminous. White robes draped around his slender frame. Layer upon layer of flowing fabric moved gently with the breeze. Silver ribbons drifted around him like strands of moonlight.
And his face Nico suddenly remembered actors and idols from home. The kind people obsessed over online. The kind whose faces appeared on Asian billboards. Magazine covers. Television screens. Japanese actors. Chinese drama stars. Korean idols. The impossibly beautiful ones. Moon somehow looked even more unreal than that. Pretty. Very pretty. Far prettier than most boys had any right to be. Yet unmistakably a boy. Nico understood immediately why Eemil's brain had broken.
The realization almost made him laugh. Of course Eemil was obsessed. Of course he couldn't stop talking. The miracle was that he had managed to form complete sentences at all.
The celestial sat barefoot beside the water. Long black hair spilled across white robes. A handful of tiny glowing lights floated around him. Fairies. No larger than dragonflies. Creatures made entirely of pale silver light. The boy held one carefully upon his finger. Watching it with complete fascination. The sight felt strangely intimate. Beautiful. Peaceful. Gentle. Like witnessing something he wasn't supposed to see. The fairy suddenly flew away.
The boy looked up. Their eyes met. Blue. And black. Nico felt something strange happen. The boy's eyes were unlike anything he had ever seen. Jet black. Not empty. Not cold. Deep. Like still water beneath moonlight. Like the night sky before stars appear.
And those dark eyes focused entirely on him. Nico forgot every prepared sentence. Every greeting. Every excuse. Gone. The boy smiled. The celestial stood. Slowly. Gracefully. Like water becoming human. Nico's brain stopped functioning.
The smile was the problem. Beautiful people existed. He understood that. But beautiful people weren't supposed to smile at him like that. As though they were genuinely happy he existed.
The boy approached. Curious. Friendly. Without fear. Nico suddenly became aware of his appearance. Mud. Dirt. Travel-worn clothes. The black face covering. The hood. Meanwhile the stranger looked like a spirit descended from heaven. The comparison felt unfair. The boy tilted his head. Waiting. Eventually Nico remembered how speaking worked.
"...hello."
The celestial brightened. Immediately. As though the greeting itself pleased him. Then the boy sat beside him. Without invitation. Without hesitation. The action surprised Nico. Most people found him difficult. Reserved. Awkward. Quiet. The stranger simply sat down. As though it were the most natural thing in the world. Neither spoke. The silence should have been uncomfortable. Instead it wasn't. The lake shimmered before them. Dragonflies drifted through sunlight. Leaves rustled overhead. The boy eventually pointed upward. Toward a flock of birds crossing the sky. Nico followed their flight. Then the boy pointed toward himself. The hooded boy frowned.
"You can fly?"
The celestial nodded. A small smile appeared. The answer somehow delighted him. Without warning the boy stood. And stepped into empty air.
Nico blinked.
The celestial continued walking upward. As though gravity simply didn't apply to him. The boy laughed. Spun once. Then floated gently above the lake.
Nico stared.
Beautiful. The word appeared uninvited. Again. Now he understood Eemil's problem. Not the obsession. That part was Eemil being Eemil. But the staring. That made sense. Moon was simply difficult to look away from. Unlike Eemil, however, Nico wasn't bothered by the fact Moon was a boy.
A boy was a boy. That changed nothing. Moon was still kind. Still beautiful. Still fascinating.
The celestial descended moments later. Clearly pleased with himself. Nico found himself smiling. For the first time in days. Perhaps weeks. The realization surprised him. The boy sat beside him once more. Closer this time. Not enough to touch.
Just enough to feel his presence. Comfortable. Safe. The afternoon passed quietly. The stranger showed him flowers. Strange insects. Tiny fairies.
Nico listened. The boy spoke very little. Mostly gestures. Expressions. Smiles. Yet somehow communication happened anyway. The sun began setting. Gold spread across the lake. The world softened. Everything glowed. Eventually Nico stood. He should leave. Eemil would be wondering where he had gone. Matias too. The celestial stood as well. For a moment neither moved. The strange reluctance surprised him. They had only just met. Yet leaving felt wrong. The boy suddenly reached out. Nico froze. The celestial carefully removed a leaf caught in his hood. Such a simple gesture. Yet his heart nearly stopped. The boy smiled. Then stepped back. The moment ended. Slowly Nico turned toward the forest. Before disappearing among the trees he glanced back one final time.
The celestial remained beside the lake. Watching. Waiting. When their eyes met again the boy waved. Just once. Nico raised a hand. Almost without thinking. Then continued walking. The entire journey back felt different somehow. Lighter. Warmer. The forest seemed brighter. The sky wider. The world more beautiful.
And for the first time since arriving in Elyria Nico found himself looking forward to tomorrow. He also understood something else. Eemil wasn't exaggerating. Not even a little. The idiot had actually undersold it. Moon really was that beautiful. Far behind him the strange boy remained beside the silver lake. Watching stars slowly appear. Unaware. Entirely unaware. That a quiet boy with blue eyes had just fallen into the beginning of something neither of them would ever forget.And neither would survive unchanged.
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