Meanwhile, the younger boy looks at me with a slightly curious gaze, and we lock eyes. 'Now that I look at him, he's also quite the looker himself.' For a moment, I only stare at him, taking in his features.
He has unruly hair that's as black as the midnight sky, eyes that are grey with a slight purple hue, creating a mesmerising mix of colours that seem to pull everyone in, yet they hide many secrets and depth that even words cannot describe. His body is lean, although he also executes confidence and has a mysterious air around him.
The small beauty mark under his left eye can be seen well, even when he smiles a bit. To be honest, he seems rather easy-going but not too approachable. It's clear that he knows how to keep his distance and stay in his comfort zone while ensuring the other person's comfort as well. Not to mention the marking on his neck. He's a spiritualist.
"Hey there," the young man speaks to me and gives me a small smile. The smile, despite being small, also gives off a gentle-like vibe, but I also find it rather... sly. Shrewd, even.
"Hello." Something tells me that he's not as gentle as he appears to be. Perhaps there's more to him than it seems. But he's interesting. However, I can't trust people eaisly now. Especially not after what happened with Hewie.
The young man looks at me, his expression turning into that of intrigue and something else that lurks underneath that gentle smile.
"I'm Rodel, the chieftain's son." The mysterious guy named Rodel introduces himself, and I nod subtly it acknowledgement of his introduction.
A small smirk creeps onto Rodel's lips as he seems to notice something. "You know, you're really interesting. I've never met anyone quite like you before." Rodel's words make me raise an eyebrow doubtfully.
'I don't know why, but I just felt a shiver run down my spine. How odd. For some reason, he seems nice, but my gut feeling tells me that his kind facade is not real.'
Noticing my suspicious expression, Rodek only chuckles a bit. "Your presence is so weird. I mean, you have this weird aura about yourself. What's even stranger is that I can sense both life and death coming from you. Or should I say around you? Heh, truly interesting!"
'What? What is this delusional guy even rambling about? Life and death? This dude has some serious problems!' I keep my expression calm despite my thoughts, making sure that it doesn't change even when I curse him out and decide that he needs to get some help.
"Thanks." 'Why the hell did I say 'thanks' out of all things?! Have I finally lost it?'
Rodel seems a bit taken aback for a moment before a wide smile spreads across his face, followed by a light laugh. "Hahaha! I knew that you weren't ordinary! No normal person thanks someone for simply stating a fact about them. I like you already."
"Pray tell what may I call you, friend?" I hesitate for a moment before inhaling a bit to answer him. "I advise you to he careful, dear. He's a bit weird," Hewie interrupts me, and I silently agree.
'So she can warn me but not disclose her identity, huh? Truly amusing.'
"Alaire." A simple and straightforward answer without any unnecessary stuff leaves my mouth. For unknown reasons, Rodel smirks, and I catch something behind his gaze, but I can't quite place my finger on what it is.
One thing is for sure, though. It's not something good. Or, at least, that's what my gut feeling is telling me. I better stay alert around this guy.
"Alaire, huh?" Rodel mutters a bit, trying out how my name feels like to say. "Nice to meet! I hope that we'll get along well." Then, he extends his hand to me, and I only nod and grab his hand, shaking it with a firm grip. Although his grip is a bit too tight for my liking... Even a bit hurtful.
"I see that you're already getting acquainted with my son. It's nice to see, lad!" The chieftain chimes into our one-sided conversation. And I offer a nod in response.
Rodel, on the other hand, beams and turns his gaze towards his father. "Indeed! I have a feeling that Alaire and I will be very, very good friends."
"That's good to hear, son!" Ros smiles and agrees with his father's words. I stare at them as I retrieve my hand from his grasp after some struggle and focus on them.
'Is Rodel really his son? Sure, they really do share the same enthusiasm, but no matter how hard I look at them, I can't find any similarities between those two. Their distinctive features are so different!'
While I wonder about that, Rodel shifts his sight back on me again. 'I wonder what Alaire really is. Even though I sometimes get called mysterious, he's the literal meaning of that word. However, I don't like that pesky presence around him. But that only makes it clearer he's not a normal human being.'
Rodel gazes at me, deep in thought. 'How interesting. Let's see what you really are, Alaire. I wonder how long it'll take me to crack you open. I can't wait to see your reaction to that.' And with that, he gives me a somewhat sinister yet amused smile with an unreadable glint in his eyes.