artifice || offgun

iii.

The seeping light from the blazing sun guided Off to the old ruins; though shielded by the leaves of trees, it still illuminated a path. Unknowingly, he crossed the shallow stream, the coldness of the water to his skin did not wake him from his trance; as if he was being pulled by an enchanting string coming from the wrecked structure. With the deafening beats of his heart, he then stood by the entrance, mind in a daze as to how he came to the secluded area.

Generally, Off was not fond on this kind of structures, often judging the eyes of others for appreciating something broken and call it beautiful. He deemed its remnants as trash as it just scatters on every path. But this time, he had forgotten those thoughts. He was captivated; allured by a statue of an angel in front of him. He adored the every curve of the cracked marble and even though its wings were halfway broken, he still finds it fascinating. With a light touch of his fingers, he traced the fine lines of the statue, its body were covered with mosses and vines of wild leaves had crawled around it.

He stared at it longer than he thought as the eyes of the angel seems to be drawing him in. It was evident that the statue was carved from long ago but it felt surreal how lively it is to him now, as if it was talking to him through its gaze.

'Help me,' the voice from earlier whispered against his ears again, making him snap from his reverie. He immediately withdrew his hand from the statue and looked around, partially confused on how he ended up on that place.

Off scoffed when he noticed the dampness of his pants, annoyed even though it was only drenched up to his ankles. "Something is going on here," He mumbled to himself before clicking his tongue, feeling the eerie silence of the place. As if he came to a different part of the forest; chirping of the birds were gone, as well as the occasional gust of the wind.

He stood quietly as he eyes the old structure, noticing how big the pillars were as well as how it came to disintegrate through the time. 'Was it a temple?' He thought, knowing that the structure was completely different from the castle he had seen from movies. "This could be a nice tourist spot though," He mumbles to himself before walking past the statue, striding across the tall grass to explore the ruins.

Off knew that the place could earn money, knowing that there were people who would enjoy to visit historical sites. As mentioned, he was not fond of exploring such area as he knows there's nothing to see. No excitement, just plain ruins. But what can he do? Since he's already there, might as well look around and perhaps, report it to a tourism agency.

"Would I be paid for that?" He mumbled thoughtlessly as he walks up the stairs, quite sure he won't push through with the reporting as it will be a hassle on his part. "Ah, shit!" He shouted which bothered the serenity. He stopped on his way and with his fist curled into a ball, he was pissed when he felt that someone is watching him again. This time, he is quite sure that there really is someone, not just a creeping feeling.

Off looked around once again, his knuckles turning white as he deeply digs his nails on his palm, his blood boiling with anger. "Reveal yourself if you don't want me to kill you!" He growled into the tranquility, only to be answered with silence. "Fuck it," He hissed under his breath as he finally went inside the wrecked structure.

Honestly, he has been frustrated for the past few days. From his seclusion, to the indifference of the villagers, to Tay's ridiculous outburst, to his repetitive dreams and now, the aggravating feeling of watchful eyes on him. Nothing has been going well for him ever since he set foot on this village.

"Ah. Just like what I thought," Off mumbled to himself again when he was welcomed with nothing but scattered fragments of the structures as well as wild grasses spurted from the gaps of broken floor. Nothing special, as he always believed.

Off scanned the area with a frown on his forehead, observing if there would be something fascinating that would justify the warmth he had felt when he first set his eyes on the structure. He wanted to believe that he didn't feel that way just to feel disappointed; and when his eyes darted upwards, he had seen a shadow which immediately disappeared on the second floor of the ruins.

Although he was quite hesitant to know what it was, his feet automatically went to follow it. Off set the rising fear on the corner of his heart, believing that the mysterious shadow wasn't a thing he should be wary of. He felt excitement, undeniably. Perhaps this was what brought him to this ruins. Something that would give him the thrilling sensation of unknown.

The way towards the second floor was risky, given that the structure's durability was affected by the time. Its stairs were crumbling, a part of it already turned into ashes but Off still chased for that euphoric sensation; recklessly running towards the collapsing path.

Off reached the second floor unscathed, lucky enough that the stairs was still intact after his run. He turned his gaze around and his heart skipped a beat when he saw someone peeking behind a huge pillar, immediately hiding again.

The place was bright enough as the ceiling of the structure was partially broken, making it possible for the blazing rays to light the area. Off squinted his eyes as he slowly walks closer towards the figure, getting a clearer look of that person.

His heart was loud against his chest, cold beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he felt nervous on this unplanned encounter. Is he scared? He believed he is not for he knows that all he is feeling was excitement.

"Who are you?" Off asked when he paused in a suitable amount of distance, irises fixed on the pillar in which someone was hiding.

He heard a light shuffle but no one came out, probably hesitant on the sudden presence of an intruder. "I won't hurt you," Off coos softly and a thin frown formed on his forehead again, quite unsure on his words as well. Perhaps its was his way to make his possible prey feel safe around him.

There was a long silence before someone spoke with a soft voice, almost a whisper, "I'm Gun," and the owner of the voice came out behind the pillar, body slightly trembling from fear. His gaze was darted on the floor, afraid to meet the eyes of the stranger.

"Gun?" Off repeated as he stares on theman wearing a huge white T-shirt, the hem of it resting on the other's thighs. 'The one from the legend?'