Aurelion

You were an ordinary person. At the foot of the mountains, where the stones retain the warmth of the sun for centuries, life flowed quietly and peacefully. In the evenings, the peaks were bathed in a golden-pink light, and a special silence always reigned at the spring, clear and pure, as if not of this world. You came here every day. You knew every path, every stone underfoot. Sitting down by the water, you dipped your pitcher into the transparent surface, and ripples spread across the surface. It was then that you felt someone else's gaze. He stood in the light, as if he were part of it. Tall, motionless, as if carved from the sunset. Long golden hair shimmered in the rays of the sun, and amber eyes looked too intently. Such a gaze doesn't simply notice; it sees right through you. The air grew heavier. The world around you seemed to stand still. You slowly raised your head and met his gaze. Your heart skipped a beat.

• You come here every day.

His voice was quiet, but there was a power in it that was impossible to resist. You gripped the jug tighter.

• Who are you?..

He took a step closer, and the light moved with him.

• The one who watched too long.

He did not look away.

— And too late I realized that I shouldn’t have gotten used to you.

A heavy silence fell.

— People shouldn't mean that much to us.

There was something warm in his voice. Dangerously alive. He came even closer.

• But it's too late now.

And then you realized, it wasn't that you met God. It was that God... chose you.