"My past wasn't easy either," Darel said, his eyes lost in the distance.
The fire beside them flickered gently, painting his face in shades of gold and shadow.
"I was always the outcast of the town… even though my family was rich, respected. When I was born, everything changed. They wanted a daughter, but instead they got me… a boy with a strange mark on his face."
He touched his cheek unconsciously, tracing the spot where the mark had once been darker.
"They called me disgusting. Hideous. My own parents covered my face when guests came. I thought… maybe if I stayed quiet, they'd love me someday."
Levin remained silent, watching him. The room felt heavier with every word.
"The other kids used to hit me. They said I was cursed. I believed them."
He clenched his fist. "Until one day… I met her."
It was a bright afternoon. He had been beaten again, his lips bleeding, his pride shattered. While wandering through the market street, he bumped into a girl.
"Ah— I'm sorry," he muttered shyly, too ashamed to lift his head.
The girl smiled. "Your face… is beautiful."
Darel froze. No one had ever said that before. Not once.
"What… what are you talking about?" he snapped, more from confusion than anger.
"Are you embarrassed?" she giggled softly.
He didn't answer. He couldn't.
The girl took his hand and led him toward the forest's edge, where sunlight fell like ribbons through the leaves.
"This place is beautiful, isn't it?" she said.
"Who… who are you?" he asked.
She lowered her head. "I… don't have a name."
Darel blinked, surprised. "Then… I'll give you one. How about Elira?"
The girl smiled shyly. "Elira… I like that."
"What are those markings on your arms?" she asked after a moment.
"They're… a curse," Darel whispered.
"Not to me," Elira said. "I can see inside people. And your heart… isn't cursed."
But before he could reply, her eyes widened in fear.
"They're coming! The townspeople—they followed us! Darel, run!"
"What about you?"
"I'll go another way… but we'll meet again. I promise."
And then she was gone, like a whisper carried by the wind.
Darel looked at Levin, a faint sadness lingering in his eyes. "That's my past. That's who I was."
Silence fell between them—until that voice echoed again.
"Yes… yes, Levin. There are many like you. You'll meet them… soon."
Levin froze. His left eye began to burn. A faint red light flickered under his eyelid.
Darel stepped back in shock. "You… you have a curse too, don't you?"
"Yes," Levin whispered. Then he opened his left eye. Flames burst inside the iris, dancing like living fire.
"W-What is this?!" he shouted, clutching his face. "Get out of me!"
"Levin, stop!" Darel grabbed his arm. "You're hurting yourself!"
"You don't see it?! It's inside my eye—something's alive in there!"
"No," said Darel quietly. "I see nothing. Just your eye… trembling."
Levin's breathing grew uneven. Sweat rolled down his face.
"So I'm the only one… who can see it?"
The firelight dimmed. For a moment, all was silent—except for the faint whisper that came from the darkness:
"You're never alone, Levin. I'll always be watching…"
And his eye glowed again.