Desire and passion

Teyat opened his eyes in a stone-walled room, where a bed with white sheets and a white duvet was situated beside a table and a chair. The room had a few cracks in its walls, and he saw the darkness of a book entering into him through a rectangular space.

When he saw the book enter him, he was filled with shock. He quickly lifted his upper body, pulling the duvet off his waist, and panicked, bringing his hands to the center of his chest.

Surprised by what he had just witnessed, Teyat, with eyes wide open in astonishment, stared at his chest, lost in deep thoughts, trying to make sense of it.

"I don't understand... What just happened? That book literally went inside me! It wasn't a dream or a hallucination. What happened?"

Just as he was about to consider summoning the book of darkness to figure out what had happened, he suddenly noticed someone sitting in the chair next to the white bed where he had been sleeping.

The person he saw had no hair, a light beard on his face, and slight wrinkles. He had gray eyes filled with joy, gazing at him.

The elderly man, who appeared to be in his fifties, sat with his legs apart, smiling at Teyat as if he had been longing for something, and it had finally come before him. The chair was positioned opposite the bed, and the man looked at Teyat with a joyful, almost desirous expression.

Seeing the elderly man gazing at him with eyes that seemed to convey an important accomplishment, Teyat suddenly recoiled in fear, leaping backward.

In doing so, he banged his head against the wall.

He quickly raised a hand to his head, rubbing it.

What caused him to jump back in fear wasn't the kind and sweet look on the old man's face but rather his soul's intense fear of this man, urging him to flee.

Teyat's soul was screaming at him to escape, filling him with an overwhelming sense of dread.

Not understanding what was happening, Teyat looked at the man who was still smiling pleasantly at him and stammered.

"W-who are you, sir? Where is this place? And why are you smiling at me as if you've just seen your son?!"

The old man, still gazing at Teyat with eyes as if he had just witnessed a marvel, sighed deeply with joy and suddenly sprang to his feet, rushing toward Teyat with crazy speed.

"Incredible... I can't believe it; I can smell the lineage of his soul in you... Yes, my beloved wants it... wants it so badly..."

As his voice rose with excitement toward the end of his sentence, he suddenly lowered his tone and quieted down.

•

Teyat, paralyzed with fear and bewilderment, stared at the man frantically speaking nonsense and spinning around like a madman.

"Beloved..? What is happening here?"

Just then, the bald old man, who had been acting wildly moments ago, suddenly transformed into a respectful gentleman. As if realizing something, he quickly straightened his legs, placed one hand behind his back, and brought the other to his mouth, clearing his throat twice.

After coughing, the old man bowed low before Teyat, who was still looking at him in shock.

"My apologies for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Alvin. I'm an unimportant old man living in a treehouse, making a living by selling the fruits and vegetables from my garden. I spend my days living in that treehouse. If my unusual behavior frightened you, I sincerely apologize. I did not mean to scare you. It's just that you reminded me of my son, who lives here with me. I'm sorry, sir."

At the beginning of his speech, Alvin's voice was filled with politeness and grace, but toward the end, it was overtaken by sadness and sorrow.

And a few tears.

Even though Teyat was still confused by everything happening, he felt pity for Alvin's miserable state.

"It's alright, sir. I understand... I'm sorry for your loss."

He stood up and approached the bald old man, whose eyes were filled with tears, and helped him sit down in the chair. Then he knelt before the old man.

At that moment, the old man, with tears streaming down his face, grabbed Teyat's hand and hugged him.

But there was something different, something strange about the old man.

As he hugged him, Alvin inhaled Teyat's scent as if he had been deprived of air until now, as if he was savoring the very breath he had been denied.

Instead of sadness, there was a desire, a longing in his voice.

"Thank you, son... Your scent is just like my son's, and…"

After a brief pause, he spoke again.

"It's wonderful."

He said those words with such passion and longing, his voice muffled as he buried his face into Teyat's shoulder, breathing in his scent.

Hearing the old man passionately inhaling his scent, Teyat, instead of feeling surprised, offered a slight smile and rested his head on the old man's shoulder, embracing him.

"Please don't be sad, sir."

But behind that outward smile, his heart was flooded with fear.