Phoenix

Chapter 12

His crimson eyes are unmistakable below the dimmed elucidation of the moonlight. In fact, they are the only feature that was visible in great detail beneath the dark and heavy cloak of midnight. His stern eyes bore into mine as I may no attempt to move.

"Who exactly are you?" I whisper, not entirely sure if who I am talking is even a human. Perhaps my lack of sleep is affecting my sanity, what else could he be. A demon? I must be delusional.

"What are you doing here?" he answers, his voice low and fruity. He takes a step closer to me, revealing his figure under the immense radiance of the moon. Now, I can see for certain that he is the man from the bridge. Though, I can't ignore the nagging feeling of a demon in my presence as shadows, cast from the moonlight, dance on his body, accentuating his muscular build and leaving traces of ominousity on his chiseled face.

Not knowing what to reply, I turn and sit down on the wooden bench in front of the pond, it's water glistening brilliantly from the moonlights gaze. "I could not sleep, and this garden seemed calm and peaceful" I answer softly, starting at the white water lilies resting on the water's steady surface. "And you?" I ask.

"Sleep is a privilege. One that I do not have," he responds a few moments later, his deep voice igniting a foreign emotion in the core of my gut, making my heart rate accelerate.

I peer over my shoulder to look at him, and my breath hitches in my throat at the sight. Truly, how is one allowed to be this beautiful? His brawny arms, bulging with muscle, cross over his broad and robust chest as he stares back at me intensely. "A privilege?" I inquire.

His already lowered brows furrow slightly, and his chiseled jaw clenches. "How can one sleep if his people cannot sleep? The empire has substantial troubles day and night that need to be dealt with. Of course, the citizen's pains are my unrest."

Confusion pours into me as I ponder his words. Who exactly is he? "I see. You are very dedicated to your country... a general or government official, perhaps?" I implore, still persisting his identity.

His lips pull into a tilted smirk as amusement dances in his crimson eyes. I watch as he slowly walks over to the bench, smoothly sitting down next to me. Tiny butterflies have once again surfaced in my stomach, their miniature wings fluttering rapidly as my heart rate speeds up.

He shakes his head, and stares at the water lilies full of purity and innocence. Despite setting his gaze on something so beautiful, his sharp eyes and intense expression do not falter into a softer demeanor. "What about you? What is the cause behind your unrest?" He asks in return, completely ignoring my question.

I almost scoff. "My reasons are not as noble as yours," I simply reply, not knowing how to explain my anxieties.

"Enlighten me." His gaze shifts towards me, but I look away.

"Death," I state bluntly.

"Death?"

I glance at him. His face still holds no emotion. "Yes... during the night, when my mind is free to wander, it becomes anxious with the knowledge that someday, all that I am, will no longer exist... ever. Everything that I am thinking right now, I will no longer be able to do. All my knowledge will disappear, and my mind will be blank... gone. I will no longer be a person, I will no longer exist. Everything that I've ever known is no longer." I realize I am rambling so I move on.

"I suppose it is not death itself that I fear; it is the death of my mind, the thing that makes me who I am," I let out a heavy sigh, knowing that he does not understand my fears. No one does because they've all long excepted the fate that is death.

"You do not fear the death of your body, but the death of your essence and mind. So, your desire is not to remain a human for eternity but a... god?" I hear him question beside me. I search for the judgmental tone in his words, but I find none, not even a dash. I cannot tell what he is thinking.