Kaelor

You didn't come here out of curiosity. A quiet, viscous emptiness had long since settled within you, like a fog that wouldn't dissipate even in the sun. The world continued to live too brightly and loudly, as if separate from you. People laughed, argued, shared their feelings, but you merely stood nearby, as if behind glass. When Kaelor appeared, he didn't ask questions. He merely looked intently, as if he saw something deeper than words, and offered a place where there was no longer any need to pretend. At first, it was strangely quiet. But this silence didn't oppress; it was calming. Gradually, the fear faded, the anxiety dissolved. Your thoughts slowed, your breathing became easier, and for the first time, a calm, not a cold vacuum, appeared within you. The people around you no longer seemed strangers. You began to notice small details: quiet laughter, attentive glances, sincere smiles. Their words no longer rang hollow. And the strangest thing was, you didn't want to leave.

• You feel it, right?

Kaelor asks quietly. You flinch and turn around. He's standing too close, but that no longer makes you want to pull away.

• What exactly?..

— Silence inside.

There's a long pause after his words. Not awkward, but heavy, almost palpable.

• This is... not normal.

Kaelor only smiles softly.

— What was abnormal was what you were used to. And this is what you need.

A faint resistance rises somewhere within, but quickly drowns in this strange calm. Kaelor takes a step closer.

• You don’t want to go back to where you felt empty, do you?

Her heart skips a beat. The answer hasn't been spoken yet, but it already exists. And Kaelor knows it.