Dark Mirror and Twisted Truth

Yuji

SELENE

I sat on a broken tree trunk. The rough wood pressed against my skin. A cold wind slipped through the gaps in the leaves and crept beneath my thin sleepwear. I shivered but did not move. The forest was quiet. Not empty, but calm. The silence felt gentle. It did not hurt me. It did not ask anything from me. Out here, I could breathe.

A rustling sound broke the stillness.

It came from the leaves beside me.

My eyes snapped open. My heart pounded. I froze and stared into the shadows.

“Hello?” I called softly.

The leaves shook again. Louder this time. I reached for a broken branch and held it in front of me. My hands trembled.

A figure stepped out of the darkness.

It was a man. His clothes were torn. Dirt clung to him. His chest rose and fell quickly, like he had been running. His eyes were wide with panic. I looked at him clearly through the small light from the moon, and I saw his beautiful, mesmerizing brown eyes—deep and warm. His gaze lingered on me just long enough to make my breath catch, his lashes casting soft shadows against his skin. My eyes drifted to his lips, slightly parted as if he was about to speak, and I found myself wondering what his voice would sound like—whether it would be as calm and steady as the rest of him seemed. T

I get back to reality when he raised his hands.

“Hey. Don’t point that at me. I’m not a threat.” His voice was strained but not harsh.

I slowly lowered the branch.

“Are you lost?” I asked.

He paused, then looked at me more carefully.

“It’s dangerous for a girl like you to be alone at night,” he said. His voice was lower now. Softer.

I couldn’t explain why I kept looking at him, only that something about him felt impossible to ignore.

I tightened my grip on the branch. “Who are you?” I whispered.

He hesitated.

“Yuji,” he said. “Yuji Masato.” The name felt familiar.

The Masato family was known in town. Wealthy. Powerful. Untouchable.

But the man standing before me did not look untouchable.

And for the first time in a long while, I did not feel completely alone.