Dan stood by the open window in his apartment, observing the people below. They all seemed identical to him, like ants scattering from a disturbed anthill, yet simultaneously distinct – with different faces, hairstyles, clothes. Different goals and dreams. Each had a reason. Their own life. Men, women, the elderly, children – he saw them all, studied each one, but none stirred within him those inexplicable feelings he'd been trying to understand for two weeks. To no avail. He clutched tightly in his cold hand a magical artifact of the modern world – the latest model of a popular smartphone. The screen was unlocked, displaying an open chat with a new contact: Seline. It had taken ten arduous days of searching the internet for those ten digits forming her phone number.
Who would have thought finding numbers would be harder than sealing a Rift? This modern "magic" proved difficult even for the Lord of Darkness himself. But Rin had been right… He had the number. Now he just had to assemble letters into words.
Dan tore his gaze from the cityscape, shifting it to the clock hanging on the living room wall.
“6:57 PM… Hope it’s not too late…” Dan thought, redirecting his focus to the glowing smartphone screen.
To: Seline
Draft: Want to take a walk? Dan.
"Take a walk." A simple phrase. His finger hovered over the keyboard. “Just ‘take a walk’? Is that… enough? Not too forward? Won’t it scare her off?” The absurdity of the situation pressed down on him: the Lord of Darkness, afraid of frightening a mortal with a text. He exhaled a stream of air, unaware he’d been holding his breath. His finger touched the screen.
To: Seline
Sent: Want to take a walk? Dan.
“My Lord…” Rin’s voice, coming from behind Dan where he watched the phone screen, sounded slightly weary. “Shouldn’t you have greeted her first?”
“Huh?”Dan’s black eyes widened so much they seemed ready to pop out. “Riiin! Couldn’t you have said that earlier?! I spent three days agonizing over what to write!”
“Well, at least you introduced yourself…” the Guardian of Darkness whispered with friendly mockery.
Bewilderment gripped the Lord for a moment: “What is happening to me… how could I forget a simple greeting…” He collected himself and exhaled again.
“Fine. What’s done is done…” Dan sighed, tossing the phone onto the sofa.
He turned to Rin, ready to begin the conversation that was the reason for his summoning.
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
A vibration came from the sofa. Short. Sharp. A new notification.
Dan practically teleported to the source of the sound. It was louder to him now than any battle. Louder than clashing blades. A vibration that caused a barely perceptible tremor in the unshakeable Lord. Nothing in his entire existence had ever provoked even a semblance of the anxiety that followed this vibration. Even the Creator himself seemed trivial in comparison at that moment.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Well? What is it?!” Rin asked, unable to hide his curiosity as he watched his flustered Master. “Well, well… she’s not just ‘interesting’ to him…” the Guardian thought in parallel.
Dan’s face was stone. No emotion. But there was something… Relief?
“It’s the bank…” Dan said quietly, a mix of relief and annoyance in his voice. He tossed the phone aside again. The Lord turned back to Rin, ready to address the important matter.
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
Another vibration made Dan snatch the modern artifact in an instant.
From Seline: Want.
A faint smile flickered involuntarily across Dan’s stony face.
“What did she say?” Rin stepped closer to Dan, trying to read the message on the screen.
“She agreed,” Dan said quietly. His attention was entirely consumed by the chat. His fingers were already typing the next message.
To: Seline
Sent: ok. Tonight.
“My Lord…” Rin drawled, shaking his head. “‘Tonight’ is… flexible. You could have at least specified a time… My Lord, you are hopeless…”
Dan’s eye twitched. That unfamiliar feeling of agitation washed over him again. In four thousand years, nothing had ever elicited anything like this within the Lord. Struggling to regain control over his thoughts and body, Dan tried to analyze his state.
“She… what is it about her… or about me… that causes this ridiculous feeling? It’s as if I’m marching to battle the Creator again… though that was far simpler back then… What is this shaking? As if the Lord of Stone is shaking the earth… even then, standing firm would be easier… What is she?”
Rin watched his Master’s intensely focused eyes, seeming to gaze inward, and waited obediently.
Dan shook his head, as if trying to dislodge all thoughts and leave only the essence. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
“Then I’ll go now. Arrive early… wait for her to come out,” Dan said to the empty space before him, answering Rin’s implied reproach.
Gathering his thoughts, he turned back to Rin: “Your presence near a human… is it safe?”
Rin looked at Dan with understanding. He knew this was crucial. Especially now, when it wasn't just any human, but Seline.
“Absolutely. Unlike you, I don’t radiate energy. My presence near a human is completely harmless. Don’t worry about it.”
“And me? We’ll be together tonight, close… How long can I be near her without threatening her health?”
“An hour… maybe two…” Rin said regretfully. “Even with your power sealed, you emit magical energy potent enough to harm an ordinary mortal…”
“I know. That’s why I’m asking.” Dan averted his gaze. He didn’t understand what fueled his anxiety: the fear of harming her, or the fear that this might be their last meeting?
“My Lord…” Rin’s voice held concern. “I will be with her until she…”
“...dies. I know, Rin, and I value that. Now, return.”
Rin bowed his head. He was tormented by worry for Dan. With all his soul, he wished for his Master to find the peace and solace the Lord of Darkness had glimpsed in humanity. He wished with all his heart for his Lord to attain what he had rebelled against the Will for. And yet, he understood the impossibility: human life was fleeting, destined to end, while the eternity Dan was condemned to would be filled with the pain of a broken heart. There was no right choice. Rin wanted Dan to know love, but he also didn't want it.
Dissolving into the void, Rin’s bright emerald eyes vanished within the Darkness. The black figure of the knight bled into the air like an ink drop in water, leaving only words spoken by the now-bodiless warrior hanging in the room:
“Whatever you decide – it will be right.”
“Decide… decide what?” Dan asked the emptiness.
Rin was gone. Silence returned. Dan sealed the Darkness within. He stood in the middle of the living room, now bathed in the warm evening rays of the sun sinking below the horizon. The Darkness was gone. Only its master remained.
Dan took another deep breath, and his thoughts echoed aloud in the empty apartment:
*“What would my brothers say if they saw me like this…”*