CHAPTER 3
975 Words
Chapter 3: The Man of Smoke and Stars
Jenny Reyes couldn’t stop thinking about the man made of smoke and gold.
No matter how many times she told herself it wasn’t real — that it had to be a dream or a hallucination — the evidence sat quietly on her wooden table: the golden lamp.
It didn’t glow anymore. It looked completely harmless. Ordinary.
But Jenny knew better.
She sighed, her hands trembling slightly as she reached for the lamp. “You’re nothing but trouble, aren’t you?”
It was already late in the afternoon. After losing her job that morning, she spent the whole day searching for a new one. No luck. Every shop she visited said the same thing — we’re not hiring.
By evening, her wallet was almost empty. She barely had enough to buy rice and noodles.
Her stomach growled. “Great,” she muttered. “I’m broke and talking to a lamp.”
She placed the lamp back on the table and sat on her bed. Outside, the city lights blinked like distant stars. It should’ve been peaceful, but there was something heavy in the air — a silence that felt alive.
Then she heard it.
A soft whisper.
“Jenny…”
Her heart jumped.
That voice again. Deep, calm, familiar.
Jenny turned around. The lamp glowed faintly. Smoke began to seep out, curling through the air like a living shadow.
Within seconds, the room filled with golden mist. And then — he appeared.
Azrael.
He stood by the window, his long dark robe flowing as if the air itself obeyed him. His golden eyes reflected the city lights outside, like molten stars trapped within his gaze.
Jenny’s mouth went dry. “You again…”
He turned toward her, expression unreadable. “Did you call for me?”
“No,” she stammered. “You just—appeared.”
Azrael frowned slightly. “Strange. The lamp only awakens when summoned.”
“Well, maybe it’s broken,” she said, crossing her arms. “Or maybe you just enjoy scaring me.”
A faint smirk curved his lips. “You mortals and your fear. I’ve lived thousands of years, yet none of you change.”
Jenny rolled her eyes. “Oh, forgive us for being shocked when magical smoke-men show up in our rooms.”
Azrael’s smile widened slightly. “You have spirit. I expected tears and trembling.”
“Oh, I did that part last night,” Jenny replied, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “Now I’m just too tired to scream again.”
He tilted his head, studying her. “You’ve known much pain, haven’t you?”
Jenny froze. His tone had softened, almost… human.
“What do you care?” she asked quietly.
Azrael’s gaze darkened. “Because pain is what binds me to this world. It’s what created me… and what keeps me imprisoned.”
Jenny blinked, confused. “Imprisoned? You mean in the lamp?”
“Yes.” He stepped closer, the light around him dimming. “A thousand years ago, I defied the gods. I fell in love with a mortal woman. And for that, I was cursed—to serve every human who finds this lamp, granting their wishes until the end of time.”
Jenny’s heart skipped. “You were in love?”
“I was,” he said quietly, his voice low and heavy with memory. “She wished for immortality… and it destroyed her. Since then, I have seen kingdoms rise and fall, watched the stars die and be reborn, but never have I been free.”
Jenny didn’t know what to say.
She had expected arrogance from him — but not sorrow.
For a moment, silence filled the room again. Only the rain outside could be heard, tapping gently against the glass.
Then Azrael looked up at her, a faint glimmer of curiosity in his eyes. “You still do not believe in me, do you?”
Jenny hesitated. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
He extended his hand. “Then believe what you can see.”
Before she could move, he waved his hand toward the ceiling. The entire room lit up with tiny golden sparks—like stars blooming into existence. They floated around her, glowing softly, wrapping the room in shimmering light.
Jenny gasped, spinning slowly as the lights danced in the air.
“It’s… beautiful,” she whispered.
Azrael smiled faintly. “The night sky from my world. Before it was lost.”
Jenny turned to him. “Why show me this?”
His gaze softened. “Because I wanted to see you smile.”
Her heart fluttered. For a moment, she forgot that he was something not quite human.
The golden stars slowly faded, leaving the room dim and quiet again. Jenny felt a strange warmth in her chest — a mix of wonder, confusion, and something she couldn’t name.
But before she could speak, Azrael’s form began to flicker. His glow dimmed, his body dissolving back into smoke.
“Wait,” she said, stepping forward. “Are you leaving again?”
“I must,” he replied. “The lamp calls me back. But remember, Jenny Reyes…” His voice grew faint as his image faded. “…the line between blessing and curse is thinner than you think.”
Then, he was gone.
Jenny stood in the middle of her room, the silence deafening. Her heart still raced from the magic, but her thoughts tangled with confusion.
Who was this man of smoke and stars?
And why did his eyes feel so painfully human?
She looked down at the lamp, now dim and cold once more.
“I don’t know what you are, Azrael,” she whispered. “But I think my bad luck just got a lot more complicated.”
- Writer
