REM Quest: Glimpse

It was a clear night when he came upon a most queer sight.

Much as could have stayed in Strife and left in the early morn, Irae's involvement in the delivery request had him on the edge. Even amongst his own race, he felt unsafe, and that was without knowing the reason behind their hooded eyes and rough demeanour. Along with him clearly looking like someone of regal descent, he could very well be victim to larceny. Thieves, as he had been warned so a long time ago, seldom ever considered their victims. So he had listened to his better judgment and left Strife as soon as he was able.

He travelled days by foot, passing by what was once the beach town of Breath. There wasn't anything left, as the news had indeed claimed. It was as if someone had struck an eraser against it and left nothing behind, even the townspeople. A few people had been milling around the site, but he hardly paid any of them attention and quickly left the place.

Irae continued walking close by the coastline, having never seen the sea his whole life. The waves lazily sloshing against the shore was the only sound for miles. The gentle wind picked up, tugging playfully at his hair and wings. It felt peaceful, like his soul was being calmed into a respite. He stood on a high dune that was as close to the sea as it could, looking out towards the thin fog that was beginning to settle far out from the coast. It did not reach the skies, so he could clearly see the moon and stars.

A tiny rumbling averted his attention, belatedly realizing that it was his own stomach making the noise.

"... Guess I really am hungry." He spoke to himself.

The winged man found a rocky outcrop he could sit on without the fear of sand getting into his pants. And so he sat, exhaling loudly and took out a loaf of berry bread from his rucksack. He tore a large piece from it, thanked the Gods for the food and began to eat it.

As he ate, he continued to look about his surroundings. Neither a man nor Terror in sight, as far as his storm grey eyes could see. Just as he lowered his field of vision, he spied something... or someone, standing by the shoreline and facing the sea.

A man...? He squinted and leaned forward to get a closer look. It was a boy, or perhaps a young girl, dressed in loose, dark clothes. He couldn't tell much, and figured that he might as well think it a boy.  Curious he was however, that he kept his gaze on the figure, hoping to figure out more things. It was then that he noticed how he seemed to softly fade in and out with what light came down from the heavens. Upon a closer look, he could even see the waves through his translucent body.

A spectre! Irae was slightly alarmed, but it was in vain as the phantom remained unmoving. He kept staring out at a single point beyond the foggy horizon, one that soon became a curiosity to Irae once the initial alarm had ebbed.

I wonder what he's looking at. Irae thought, following the boy's eyes. The farther out into the sea, the more the waters were shrouded in fog. It seemed to be hiding something, an island perhaps from what he could barely see. But he didn't know what it was. Perhaps it held some sort of importance to the boy, then again he wouldn't know.

Irae soon returned to his dinner, eating the rest in silence. He finished it with a large gulp from his waterskin and put it away. When he looked at the boy, he was still there, still in the same spot, staring at that single point.

He didn't understand what was so curious about what lay behind the fog, but there wasn't much that he could do for the spectre or to investigate something he didn't have any proper knowledge about.

Irae cast the boy one last look, and left wordlessly into the night.