They sat on a rock at the center of the lake, bathed in moonlight that softened the contours of their face. Their bare feet rested in the icy water, blending seamlessly with the stillness of the night. In their slender, delicate fingers hovered a tiny crystal orb, as though suspended in the air, barely grazing their hands. Their gaze was fixed on the glow within the sphere, utterly absorbed, as if the world beyond it didn’t exist.

Aphelios noticed them at once. As he approached the lake’s edge to wash away the strain of his grueling training, he froze, his instincts sharpening at the sight of the figure in the middle of the water. Their ethereal glow, pale and reminiscent of moonlight, assured him they couldn’t be Solari. But certainty eluded him. His hand moved instinctively to the hilt of his blade, and he crept closer, the vial of Noctum poison pressing against his thigh - a quiet but constant reminder of his readiness.

The stranger, however, didn’t even look at him. With a barely perceptible gesture, they motioned for him to stop at the lake’s edge, a silent acknowledgment of his presence. Then, with deliberate grace, they raised the crystal orb. It ascended effortlessly into the night sky and dissolved into the darkness above.

Aphelios stood motionless, transfixed. The figure in the moonlight seemed like something out of a dream—unreal, untouchable. In that instant, the world around him faded into nothingness. There was only him, the stranger, and the full moon casting its light over the water.

But the enchantment broke as quickly as it had descended. When the glowing orb vanished into the heavens, the stranger turned their head toward him, tilting it slightly as their gaze settled on him. A faint, enigmatic smile played on their lips, gentle yet distant. But their eyes were filled with sorrow — a deep, quiet melancholy that mirrored the ache in Aphelios’ own.

"What are you doing here?" Aphelios voice is barely audible even in the queit atmoshpere of night.