The sun rose.
Warm light spilled over the quiet field where the party had made camp, golden and soft, cutting through the morning fog like butter.
Birds chirped lazily in the distance.
Someone yawned.
Someone else cursed while stretching.
And Gray…?
He stood by the edge of the hill, sharpening his rapier, staring quietly into the blade, not for its shine, but for the faint reflection staring back at him.
His eyes.
Still the same shape, still the same dull gray.
But now…
There were those spiral patterns faintly etched inside, slow and soft, almost invisible until they caught the light just right.
He stared, almost like the eyes were staring back.
"…Mhm..."
[What's up with that obsession with your own eyes?]
Jasmine asked, just to be ignored by Gray.
[...Fucker.]
"Aghhaaa~" A loud yawn suddenly came from behind.
And that... yawn was also quite familiar to him.
"You up early, princess?" came Ronan's voice, still groggy but already teasing.
