1 It’s All Strange

A cool breeze swept through the air, picking up dry fallen leaves and brushing through clusters of forest-green trees as it did. The evening sky was painted in all different shades of pink, purple, and orange... anyone would be fascinated by the sight.

It was calm.

There was not a single cry from a child or the bark of a dog in the empty park; only the occasional rustle of the wind was heard. The lamp posts that lined the curving cobblestone paths of the little grassland in the middle of the great, towering city began to turn on one-by-one, decorating the fading sky.

Strange it was, for there not to be a single soul present in the usually noisy, public area.

Well, at least there were no humans, to be exact.

In the middle of the remote park stood a lone being. With pale skin, a head of black locks, and an attractive height, anyone would say that this man was just like any other.

But he wasn't a human, nor was he a monster or devil. Instead, this man was an immortal, a celestial being that descended from the world beyond.

However, he did have some noticeable strange factors about him that set him apart from the mortals of this modern-day realm. Rather than the usual shirt and pants, he wore long, layered, silk robes the color of the shining moon, the fabric decorated with dark swirls.

A thin, silver hair crown ran across his forehead, standing out on his long black hair that pooled down to his waist. At his waist hung a jade pendant rimmed with gold from the side of his cloth belt, and other than that, he didn't seem to have any other valuables on him.

He didn't hold a sword nor staff, and he didn't have any magical tools. If one were to walk by, they would have thought he was another fool who was into cosplay.

This immortal's name was Lune.

For Lune, finding himself back on foreign lands was strange indeed. It was much of a struggle for him to figure out his surroundings, especially when they constantly change over time.

But it wasn't too much of a bother, for he could simply sense his way around by grasping on to the qi of surrounding buildings and objects to create an image in his mind. Of course, just because one lacks the use of eyes, doesn't mean that one lacks sight.

He could see quite well, perhaps better, even with the black cloth that stretched over where his eyes are supposed to be.

Lune wrinkled his nose and lifted his chin towards the direction of where a huge, glass building towered into the sky.

"Peculiar...," he mumbled, detecting numerous amounts of varying spiritual energy from within the skyscraper before him. Just how many humans could be in one place at one time?

With a step forward, his eye-catching robes and belt gave way to a simple white coat and black pants, something more 'human'.

As far as he could feel, there were no demons, no ghosts, no beasts hiding around that required his immediate attention, so he relaxed, feeling that he was off to a good start.

Lune smiled and continued down the path without a sound, starting the first day of his time in this mortal realm.

.

.

On the top floor of the largest technology industry's headquarters stood a renowned figure in the middle of his office, contemplating the documents to his latest grand project that was to be released within the next month.

Channing Yue stood before his smartboard with a pen in one hand and an open folder in the other, mumbling to himself. He had his sleeves to his shirt rolled up, his collar with unbuttoned, and his dark hair was askew... the whole office was a mess, including himself.

An uncertain knock sounded on the door before it creaked open, and a young man with dyed-gray hair in a black suit stepped in. June He's expression was full of concern as he closed the door softly and turned to face his long-time friend and employer.

"Young master, don't you think you should stop for the day and go home?" he asked, desperate to keep his boss from working overtime again. He grimaced at the scattered papers and books on the desk and floor. He hurried to pick them up and added, "It's already past seven."

Channing looked up at his assistant as if he'd only noticed his presence then and glanced out the window to see the darkening sky, lights illuminating from the city below them. He scratched his head and shrugged.

To June's dismay, he said, "I still have a few more documents to go through, today. If you want, you can head back first."

The assistant sighed and shook his head, defeated. But just as he turned to leave the room, he suddenly remembered a significant factor that his young master would definitely not turn away from.

He whirled back around, a cunning smile on his lips. "Young Master, Bree hasn't seen you in three days...," he hinted slyly.

And just as he predicted, Channing looked up at him with new interest at the mention of his beloved shepherd dog, instantly dropping his pen. "You're right," he noted, completely unaware of June's little scheme.

He pursed his lips and darted his brown eyes about the room at the mess as he powered off his smartboard. He placed down his papers and grabbed his jacket and cellphone. "I'll fix up the mess tomorrow, then," he muttered as he shoved his arms through the sleeves of his jacket.

He nodded at June and asked, "Did you call the driver?"

June gave a silent cheer of triumph as he locked the door behind them. "Yes, the driver's on the way. He'll be here in about ten minutes," he announced, glancing down at his watch.

The two of them made their way past the offices into the president's lift as Channing scrolled through his cellphone. Of course, despite being young and being one of the richest people in the country, he still had lots of work to get done.

Many people would say that he was a workaholic, and that wasn't wrong. But it was also true that Channing didn't have too much of a social life outside of work, which contributed to the result of him being cooped up in his office nearly all the time.

Though he had some friends, many have failed to get him out for an outing. The only places he'd ever appeared was at home, at headquarters, or other places that work affairs took him to.

June stole a glance at his cellphone's agenda as they reached the bottom floor and stepped out of the lift. Tomorrow was Saturday, a day where everyone should relax and take things a little easier, but why did he feel like he was forgetting something important?

Channing nodded at his employees as they greeted him in surprise the moment he stepped into the main lobby. It was rare for them to see him leave work at such an early time, and they quickly straightened up their postures as he walked by them, quietly hoping that he would give them small praise of sorts.

The president's mind was still revolved around their newest product that was yet to be released when he suddenly heard a drop of curse words coming from his assistant's mouth.

He flashed him a look of confusion and disapproval, making June stiffen up with fear, a cold sweat breaking across his neck. "What is it?" he asked sternly.

June nervously averted his eyes, genuinely scared and hoping that his boss wouldn't get mad. "I- I forgot to tell you about an- an event you have to attend tomorrow," he stammered.

Channing only stared at him for a quick second before he sighed turned away. "Tomorrow when?" he asked, frustrated.

"Tomorrow afternoon at one o'clock. It's the grand opening of a new hotel chain that you sponsored for," he answered quickly.

Indeed, Channing did remember doing something of the sorts quite a while back, and even he'd almost forgotten about it. He shook his head and took a breath, finding no use in being angry. "Okay, then I'll change up tomorrow's arrangements," he remarked. "Is there anything else you forgot?"

June pointed anxiously back up the building. "Er...I left the invitation on my desk," he admitted.

Channing glanced up at the ceiling as if he could see through the tens of floors above them to June's office, the corners of his mouth twitching with irritation. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants and headed for the door. "You best hurry," he warned.

June wasted no time and bolted away back towards the elevators, leaving the president alone to fend for himself. Channing chewed on the inside of his cheek as he stepped out the front doors, finding himself getting lost in his own thoughts again.

"I can come back in the morning before going to the event," he muttered under his breath as he continued walking. "Then I can-"

He felt himself slam right into another person and trip over their feet, sending both of them crashing to the floor in a tangle of limbs.

Channing groaned and rolled onto his back in a daze, his right elbow throbbing insufferably. Could this get any worse? It was a good thing there weren't many people around to see this embarrassing incident during this time of day...

He sat up in irritation to see their legs entangled on the ground. He hissed and clutched his arm to his side, ready to start ranting at whoever it was that crashed into him in the middle of the street.

He scowled and whirled his head to face the idiot beside him. "Can't you see-"

He froze upon seeing the man that sat across from him, his mouth hanging slightly open.

The man in front of him had the heel of his palm pressed against his eye, his eyebrows were furrowed and expression disturbed. If Channing hadn't noticed earlier, he would've thought that this man was a woman, seeing that his hair was so long and skin so delicate.

Before he knew it, he was captivated. He caught himself staring at his exposed collarbone and slender hands that reached up to brush aside his lengthy dark bangs without shame.

He quickly turned to look away when suddenly, the thin blindfold that Channing had thought was a part of his hair came loose. If it weren't for the hand that pressed against his left eye, then it would've dropped to the ground and revealed his entire face.

But that didn't stop Channing from seeing just a part of his bewitching traits.

He felt his blood stop cold as he caught sight of his right eye. It was oddly still and unmoving as if it were dead. It had no spark that indicated any sign of life, and instead, it was simply dull and gray with seemingly no pupil.

Channing felt panic and guilt as he realized what just happened.

Was he seriously just about to rave after knocking over someone who was blind?