*knock... knock... knock... knock...*
The footsteps echoed in the dark corridor, their sound reverberating on the walls of cold stone. Each step seemed to carry the weight of a lifetime of suffering and disillusionment. The figure slowly advancing gradually emerged from the darkness, revealing a woman of youthful appearance. Her once jet-black hair now gray.
Her deep black eyes seemed to have lost any spark of life. They stared into the void ahead, as if nothing mattered anymore, as if she had given up all hope long ago. Her translucent skin accentuated this ghostly impression, giving her an ethereal and melancholic beauty.
Her face showed nothing. No joy, no sorrow, no anger. Just an acceptance of her fate, whatever it may be. This total absence of emotion paradoxically gave her a certain mysterious and captivating charm. Like a marble statue to which a genius sculptor had breathed a hint of life.
Her steps led her to the end of the long corridor dimly lit by a few flickering torches. She emerged into a vast circular room, its walls rising endlessly towards an invisible ceiling, like an infinite tower immersed in darkness.
There, sitting nonchalantly on the edge of an arched window, was a man of singular appearance. Despite his undeniably masculine features, a grace and almost feminine delicacy emanated from his whole being. Clad entirely in immaculate white, from his boots to his fitted doublet, he blended into the opalescent brightness of a crimson moon.
His alabaster skin seemed to reflect the bloody rays of the moon, enveloping his silhouette in a crimson halo both beautiful and unsettling. Like a demonic prince straight from the depths of hell, his unreal beauty and haughty demeanor commanded respect and a certain fear.
But above all, it was his face that captivated and unsettled. No emotion showed on his chiseled features, frozen in a mask of icy perfection. His eyes were closed, yet he seemed to be gazing at a point on the horizon, beyond the limits of the tower.
Following his gaze, the woman discerned in the distance the towering silhouette of a unique tree, its top disappearing into the dark skies. Never had she beheld such a colossal vegetal giant, rising like an infinite column defying the laws of nature.
The man in white, without even deigning to turn his head towards the newcomer, addressed her with a voice as sharp as a blade of ice.
"What do you want, inferior being?"
The woman flinched imperceptibly, as if struck by the contemptuous tone. But she quickly regained her composure and replied in a tone devoid of emotion.
"I have a name."
A thin smile, amused and cruel at the same time, stretched the man's pale lips, contrasting with his expressionless face.
"Names hold little importance in my presence."
He slowly opened his eyelids, revealing irises as blue as the infinity of this world. His intense gaze fell upon the woman, piercing her to the depths of her soul.
"I may have spared your life, but is that a reason to come and disturb me? What do you seek to accomplish?"
The woman met his gaze without flinching, a glint of defiance briefly shining in her dark eyes.
"I did not come to beg for help or pity. I seek... answers. A meaning to all of this."
The man burst into a joyless laugh that echoed mournfully between the tower walls. Then, becoming serious again, he rose with feline grace and approached his interlocutor slowly.
"What is your name?"
"Yuki," replied the woman.
"Answers? My poor child, there are only endless questions in this cruel and absurd universe. But very well... Since you have come this far, I consent to listen to you. Speak, lay out your wretched existence before me, and we shall see if I deign to take any interest in it."
The woman took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, gathering her scattered and painful memories. Then, in a monotonous voice, she asked,
"Who are you? Where do you come from?" she asked firmly. Then, tilting her head slightly to the side, she added with curiosity, "But what intrigues me even more is why me among all of them?"
The man recalled his arrival on this planet, his mission to cultivate the divine tree. He remembered his encounter with this singular woman who, unlike the other beings he considered inferior, had shown no fear in front of him and his subordinate. That was precisely why he had spared her life: she piqued his interest.
It had now been two months since the tree had been absorbing the vitality of this planet. According to his calculations, he had another month before completing the process. He cast a pensive glance towards the woman, then turned back to where he had been sitting earlier. The woman followed him, hoping to get answers to her questions.
He settled comfortably, his gaze turned towards the sky, lost in thought. After a moment of silence, he murmured,
"Where should I begin?"
The woman approached slowly and sat beside him, patiently waiting for him to continue. The man took a deep breath, as if about to reveal a long-held secret.
He paused, observing the woman's reaction. She listened attentively.
"The reason why I chose you, out of all the others," he continued, locking his gaze with hers, "is because you did not fear even when your kind were being killed before your eyes."
"I am a traveler from a distant land," he began in a cold, emotionless voice. "My people sent me here to cultivate the tree you see in the distance."
The woman nodded slowly, absorbing these revelations. She now understood that she was facing a being of power and wisdom that surpassed her understanding. Yet, instead of fear, it was a growing fascination that seized her.