I could only stare. Was this elegance? Beauty? Destruction? My own demise?

  His bronze skin, something that might’ve been kissed by fire itself, carried the warmth of embers that refused to fade.

  He didn’t just stand there, he radiated.

  His entire being, it felt unreal. He was the embodiment of something. Flames? Fire? The sun itself? I can’t tell. He felt like all of them…and then none.

  When his eyes found mine, he smiled—softly, almost amused.

  Amused?

  I hadn’t said a word. Hadn’t done anything. Yet he looked at me like I was exactly what he expected to find.

  I tried to speak, but the air around us was thick—hot, weighty, heavy. My throat locked up. My voice betrayed me.

  Was it him? Was it the heat? The fire around him that moved like it was alive? Was it even fire at all?

  I shake my head out of it all. I don’t know what to say. His entire presence, his entire being. It makes me feel more endangered than safe. No answers. No logic. Just this presence. This... being.

  And I can feel it in my bones—if he wanted to, he wouldn’t just burn me.

  He’d erase me.

  He took another two steps, his arms crossed behind him with a certain delicate pose he had in mind. That mouth of his doesn’t part, but his eyes tell me everything he needed to know.

  “Hm.”

  He gives out a light hum. Assessing me, I can’t tell whether he’s looking directly at me, or through me. His very eyes feel heavy to even look upon. I want to look away, but I can’t. If I do, the heat would very well burn me alive.

  “Well, this is new.” He says lightly, his arms come from behind him. He’s trying to make something of my figure. Something. Anything.

  After being struck for a while, I cleared my throat. Finally being able to speak.

  “W-who…what are you?” I stammered on my words, not even my mind can be clear of what it wants.

  He doesn’t answer right away, instead, he takes his sweet time. His eyes release me from its grip, and he turns.

  “I would like to ask you the same thing as well.”

  For what felt like an eternity, I put my left arm down. There’s no need for a sword, not only because I don’t know the threat he imposes.

  But because I’m not even sure if I could win this.

  I don’t want to pick a fight I know I can’t finish.

  “Y-you. How long have you been down here?”

  I disregard his earlier statement, trying to tiptoe around it. I don’t want to reveal any details about me unless I’m absolutely forced to here.

  The moment I asked him, the smile from his face fell. His expression became a neutral front. He raised his hands, seemingly counting his fingers before giving up.

  “Long enough to know the difference of night and day.” He says, but even his words alone carry a sense of mystery. Like…something deeper.

  My brain couldn’t connect it to anything. If what ever he’s saying is subliminal, then I'm not catching it.

  I take a look around the Open Crystal Cave. There didn’t seem to be any sunlight peering through, nothing that the crystals glowing light could've given him.

  So, what could he have meant by that?

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  “My turn, how did you get here?” He asks me. There’s genuine curiosity and intrigue plastered all over his face now.

  Do I bother lying? No. Can’t chance it. This isn’t where I have to pretend being a ranchmaster. Here? I don’t know what he knows about me.

  But his opening statement…his people? We look anything but the like. I’m human, I can confirm that.

  Could I say the same for him? He looks anything but human. Anything but that.

  “I…I walked deep into the cave. The path of crystals led me here.” My response doesn’t do much to satisfy his curiosity.

  He takes another step closer to me.

  “A rare adventuring spirit, I see.”

  My lips are pressed. I don’t want to make him think otherwise. I would say that my journey so far has been anything but that.

  “Very well, it’s been some time since I’ve seen my own kind…even if you are a little bit different.”

  I look at him. There’s no way I could possibly tell this guy that we are NOT the same? Is he some modified human? How long has he been in this cave?

  It’s clear that there’s no point in correcting him. I don’t want to overstep my boundary and get lit up in flames because I alienate him. Whatever works the best.

  “Ye-yeah…” I go along with him. His smile becomes wider. Almost as if I’m the first person he’s seen in a while.

  His flames become greater gradually, but it isn’t something I couldn’t bare. The heat was still there, thick and uncomfortable.

  But for a good moment.

  The tense atmosphere that was there seemed to be gone now.

  A few moments of silence come between us. I don’t think of anything. I don’t even know what to say or do. For some reason my brain wants to stay here and try to make sense of this being, but I know I can’t.

  I flinch instinctively, he came by my side and I hadn’t even noticed. I could’ve sworn he was just at my side.

  He chucked a bit at my flinch, “Are you lost?”

  I hesitate to answer, and then I remember. I remember what actually brought me down here.

  “…n-no, actually. I think I’m right where I need to be.”

  His face mocks one of surprise, putting a hand over his mouth. I can’t tell if he’s flattered…or he’s more interested in the fact that someone is here all this time.

  But then again, this still doesn’t make sense.

  Shouldn’t have the Oni found him?

  But they never even made it this far, have they?

  They could’ve. It was only a short time to get here. 15 minutes maybe. 20? Anybody could’ve walked here if they continued to mine.

  Did…did I dig deeper into the mines before they have?

  I don’t know, none of this makes sense.

  I look back at him, he seemed to be pacing. Each footstep looked like it would spark against the stone to create fire.

  And then, he speaks.

  “So…if you aren’t lost, and you smell like my people, then tell me.”

  “Who are you, really?”

  I don’t know how to answer that—how to give him the one answer he clearly wants. By the sound of his tone, it’s clear that he’s relying on one answer only.

  If I don’t give him that answer, I’m toast.

  Is there a way where I can maneuver around this? I have to test it at least.

  I play dumb, starting with the basics. “Let’s start with the name. Lucien Rainrunner. Your’s?”

  My voice doesn’t betray me in the slightest, but it’s getting hard to put up this act. Regularly I would have to do it with people that didn’t intimidate me, respected me, and were fearful of me.

  This…this being doesn’t even cross off all three.

  “Ambitious name,” He begins.

  “Not regal. Important. Something that belongs with the stars, and amongst the constellations.”

  He pressed his hand against his chest.

  “Kassamir.”

  I slowly nod. Kassamir. Kah-suh-meer. Simple. Otherworldly name. But then again…I shouldn’t be surprised at this point.

  Rei. Jex. Flugel, and plus many more unique names to come. But this one feels more tame. If only it was that tame compared to his fire.

  “Kassamir,” I reply.

  “Unique. Powerful. Mythical, even.” My chance to return the compliment and flattery didn’t go unnoticed.

  He clasped his hands together, admired by my words.

  “Oh, very powerful I was.” He says. But the former question still lingers around in the air. He still wants to know who exactly I am. And to be honest? I don’t think I can answer that entirely. Not now.

  My eyes sharpen back at him, “Care to tell me why you spend most of your time down here?”

  My question gets ahead of his. He looks at me, and then scoffs.

  Scoffs.

  What could he be scoffing for?