Moments Under the Starlight |Cylou|

●•.★°1st Starry Night

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"I just need to relax..."

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Today had been stressful.

As General Mahamatra, Cyno was used to the stress most of the time, but today topped all the others. Today, the stress and exhaustion he felt was multiplied tenfold.

On days like these, Cyno unconsciously found himself retreating to the desert to relax and clear his mind.

The plains of sand and mute but gorgeous landscapes always comforted his tired soul. Here, he belonged. Here, he was free from scrutiny. Here, he could just be Cyno.

Despite how hard it was to survive out in the desert, how the sun scorched its inhabitants daily, or how much of a bad reputation people of the desert received from those in the city, the large sea of sand would never fail to take the sharp edge off of Cyno's heart.

This vast part of Sumeru that was often referred to as a death trap by audacious Akedemiya scholars, held so many peaceful and beautiful wonders that were blissfully enjoyed by those who dared to look beyond its dusty surface.

And one of those delectable wonders was the beautiful night sky covered by a blanket of shimmering white stars.

The view of the night sky was utterly unparalleled in the desert. Its view in the city and forest were always obstructed, either by some tall intricate building or a canopy of dense trees.

But in the domain of sands, there was absolutely nothing like that, nothing to stop your greedy little eyes from taking in the jaw dropping night sky.

And Cyno, even from a young age, had allowed his scarlet eyes to gaze upon the stars in order to quell any of his worries or stress.

"The General Mahamatra, stargazing" he mused as he made his way up a cliff to his favourite vantage spot, the best place to watch the stars without any distractions.

He, one of the most feared men in all of Sumeru, doing something so...peaceful was a joke in and of itself, it seemed other worldly due the warped perception people had of him.

But, was it so wrong for him to have things he genuinely liked doing?

If he had no hobbies and simply dedicated his whole mind, body and soul to administering justice, Cyno's sure he would've run mad by now.

As his steps drew closer to his destination, he rid his mind of any thought, stargazing with an empty head was always the best way to go about it. A faint smile played on his lips as his soft white hair fluttered gently in the cool night breeze.

His eyes set upon his usual spot. At the edge of a sandy cliff, view of the desert horizon and starry sky meeting harmoniously. The cliff was a distance away from the village, absent of any other living being that could possibly interrupt him.

Then, why was there a figure sat there...?

Cyno faltered. He had never seen anyone else come up here before, especially considering the fact that it was the middle of the night, most people would've been asleep by now.

So why was this person here? All alone for that matter. Were they just like him, in need of a silent escape away from the harshness of the real world?

He scrutinized the figure silently. They seemed to be pretty calm, their shoulders rising and falling softly as they took in steady breaths. They clearly hadn't noticed him yet, seemingly lost in a sea of their own thoughts as the faint sound of their feminine humming could be heard─only if you held your breath hard enough.