The Singing Sun

Spiral Thirteen - Mun 6

Glorious was the gleam of the sun during my long yet anticipated journey to the mirror. The yellowish-white shines came to rest upon my skin, soothing me with their ever-calming touch. A symphony of dazzles companied my every step.

Though, in my joyous mood and delight, a strange sense of exhaustion was subtly creeping its way onto my mind.

Strange. I paid little attention to it, however, deciding that the strenuously lengthy walk after a frightening sequence of events was what was causing it. The hasty march continued.

After some time, the mirror once more came to view. With glowing excitement the steps were hurried. Like last time, a figure stood beside the grand entrance. From the distance I stood away, I could make out the silhouette to be cloaked in the usual, hearer outfit. It certainly wasn't Pyio this time; the form stood too big and tall. I supposed it was Marcius.

"Marcius!"

I shouted out. Raising my left arm, I waved toward the white silhouette of the person.

"Marcius! It's me, Mu-"

Whoops

I swiftly corrected my speech.

"Faln! It's me, Faln!"

The figure, noticing me, fixed its head toward my direction.

However, as the distance between me and the person grew shorter and shorter, I saw that the man wasn't quite Marcius. He was aged, yet not to the point where he's hair had fully whitened-out like Marcius's.

Who stood beside the entrance of the mirror was rather a man around my height, with a much more hunched posture. His faced was revealed to be laced with many wrinkles and scars. Yet the most eye-catching detail was his large, what I assumed to be, burn mark; stretching diagonally from his left eye down to his lower part of his right chin.

When I approached close enough to see the man face-to-face, he chuckled and greeted me.

"Looking for Marcius, are you?"

Embarrassed, I stumbled around with my words.

"Oh, I-, I didn't- I thought you were Marcius. Sorry about that."

He smiled upon hearing this. Some odd, awkward strangeness sprouted from the corner of my mind.

"I'm sorry to say that he's off with Pyio to take care of some errands. I doubt he'll be back any time soon-"

He took a moment to gaze into my eyes. An expression of astonishment and surprise rushed to his face as his eyes widened with disbelief. Shuttering, he inched closer in my direction.

"....Mun...?"

The surprised and astonished look leapt from the man's face to mine. He knew me?

"...You know me?"

Spurts of short-paced laughter escaped from the man's mouth.

"Evis. I'm Evis! You, you really don't remember me?"

I scanned furiously within my memories for the slightly hint as to where or if I had ever heard that name before.

In a sudden jolt of the mind, I recalled Pyio speaking of that name on my first visit here; someone who she said was the third hearer at this mirror. Yet, I couldn't scrounge up any information about how he could know me.

Evis went on, now in a curious tone.

"Nothing? Mun, you don't remember me? From the mansion? Or, or from the Zenith?"

My eyes flashed open as wide as it could get upon hearing this. He knew me. This man, Evis, knew me. I stumbled out in confusion.

"You...? Were you one of the servants? Or one of the hearers at the Zenith?"

Evis let out a huff of air, nuanced as a half-laughter, half-sigh.

"No, no. Well, maybe the hearer part is right. So you don't remember. I do suppose I was closer with Rial; you did barely get a chance to meet me officially."

Rial.

I shouted out, demanding an answer.

"You know Rial? How?"

Evis cocked his head to the left.

"It's an... odd relationship."

Suddenly, he snapped his head back into place, as if he out of the blues recalled something important.

"Wait, wait! Is, Is Rial still alive?"

What?

"Is she? Are you with Rial?"

Nodding, I replied.

"Yeah."

Evis stepped back, gazed up to the sky, then turned his vision back to me.

"...I'm sure you got some questions for me."

Nodded.

"I do too. Come inside."

Evis stepped into the mirror. I followed.