From Your Shining Eyes

It's a new day.

She doesn't notice it, but it was a new day. She was still cowering in the corners of her mind, morality wrapping her up in fine silk and whispering how terrible she was. She would plea for forgiveness, sullen tears falling down her face but nothing but the roof of the iron box she hid inside heard it. That, and the spectre of smoke who remained silent for most of it.

Euglith quietly slinked out of the dumpster bin Leah was hiding in. The sun barely shone above the alleyway they were in, shielded behind the taller building. Her two dotted red eyes stared at the dirty steel box of garbage that the hero was in.

It's been a while since the false hero had crawled into that smelly container. The answer Euglith received was to hide from the patrolling men who would soon be after him but it's been hours. There were no footsteps, no odd sounds, no person looking for the hero. Maybe Azra wanted to be extra sure?

She would always get the wrong idea, and Azra Faudwick always seemed to know what to do next. Should she just stay? No, Azra Faudwick was crying. Crying people are in need of help. Although… it was sort of the first time she had seen her hero cry like this. Hopeless… No, he was just tired. Tired people need to be taken care of– Euglith thought.

Azra Faudwick had trained himself to not rely on food and drinks to survive in the world, to survive on the battlefield. Euglith had seen him fight continuously for days, and still come back with that brilliant smile of his. Still, he would be happier when there was food, drinks and company to welcome him back.

Food… Food! How long has it been since he last ate? Five days? Six?! No wonder he's unhappy and crying! She has to find him food! And then that smile will come back, and he'll be happy again!

The smoke produced from Euglith's entire being thickened, clouding the air even further from excitement. Most of her ideas were usually shot down, being too impractical or too downright violent to be viable but this was definitely the right call! She'd usually stay silent, follow like a good child but there was no one to order her. She has to follow herself.

She believes that this is right this time. No more fooling around, she thought to herself. She was going to help!

The alleyway was slowly being overwhelmed by a mist of dust. Gradually, they inched closer to the exit of the narrow path, almost crawling into the light. The streets were not crowded, people did occasionally pass by. A pair of dotted red eyes peered at them, studying them for several seconds before a person took notice of the abnormal situation.

The pedestrian looked at her, as the smoke looked at him. For the man, it was difficult to even see through three feet ahead of him. It was still morning, some alleyways are supposed to look creepy and out of the way but they don't produce an impossibly thick fog.

Then, there was a loud single footstep, loud enough to be considered a stomp of some sort. As if someone had landed on the dirty concrete from several meters high. The dots in the mist disappeared, a mist that was visibly lessening by each pitter-patter he heard.

The pedestrian took a step back, bumping into another person who was standing right behind him.

"Argh– oh, uh, sorry about–"

"No, no, don't worries! I'm actually the managers next door. Ventilation problems!"

The shaken man blinked his eyes twice, darting his vision up and down the man whom he just bumped into. This supposed 'manager' had a stretched smile over his light face, neck-length hair dyed into a weird cherry pink, the base of his hair returning to its natural black at the center of his head. His strange white coat with red patterns, with black everything else. His shirt, his pants and boots as well.

If he really was the manager of either store next to that alleyway, then the pedestrian would've for sure noticed his damn right weird appearance and gesture.

"Y-yeah…" The pedestrian nodded hastily without thought. "You should really fix that, y-you know!"

"Of course! Yes!" The strange man clasped his gloved hands together, his eyes squinting. "Employees… erm, yes! Employees make problems happen! I'll take cares of it, okay?"

"Uh…" He was unsure of how to react properly until a sudden chill brushed his hoodie and nape. He shivered before tensing up. Was it genuine cold or the feeling of something creeping up behind him. His stiff neck moved to look before the posing manager placed a hand over his shoulder.

"I tell you." The pink-haired man leaned forward. "It is fine. Go on with your days. You want alive, yes?"

The sun disappeared. No, the sun was in front of him now, split into two beady orbs, two irises, two eyes that were staring deep into his. It burned his sockets, the feeling of his very brain melting and curdling into mush.

The strange man smiled.

"Walk away with your life."

The darkness that surrounded them dispersed. The sun has now returned to the sky and the pedestrian almost choked on his own spit when the poser manager moved him aside gently.

No words were exchanged after that. Only the dreadful silence as the pedestrian watched the pink-haired man enter the alleyway. He blinked several more times before clutching his heart and finally taking in the air he should have. His heart felt like it was going to lunge out of his chest.

The sight of other people, other pedestrians, who were watching him almost die from… whatever that was. They quickly turned their heads away before walking the other direction with their phones.

Ultimately, the pedestrian ran the other direction as well, his face flustered from a mixture of fear and shame.

In the alleyway, the man who excused himself as a manager waded through the fading fog. He shielded his face, waving off any smoke that would come near his nose and mouth as his clothing was scuffed with patches of dust. Everywhere inside the alleyway was patched with dust and smoke prints.

It was like the aftermath of a fire, but only the residual smoke staining everywhere.

Although, it wasn't impossible to see through it and the pink-haired man could see that there was no one to be found.

"Hm~..." A low hum. "Where did that thing go? Wondering, wondering."

He leaned his hand over the soot covered dumpster, a rather loud clamp before followed by repeated finger tapping. Then, he heard something shift within the steel box, plastic rustling.

He turned his head before pulling up the lid. He smiled.

"Well, well, well!" He exclaimed. "I found you!"