This story is part of the Wanderer series.
A pale blue landscape, high above the surface world. From this height, the shattered clouds became the land. The mountains, towering sharply upwards. The islands, speckled and numerous. The distant forest below, the ocean, receding steadily like a tide. The sky, a deep dark blue, almost the color of night.
Chiyoko floated above this vista, her simple robes swaying serenely with the wind. She gazed down upon the land, eyes wandering without direction. Her figure was unnaturally shaded, with the castle up above her, between her and the sun.
Suddenly, she felt a presence. A large and overwhelming presence. But… a familiar one.
Eyeing to her right, she saw a man, floating there with her. He was a gray haired man, sharply cut with a precise mustache. His attire matched his hair, only slightly darker. An unbuttoned tuxedo with a vest underneath. A light grey shirt with a gray tie. A short brim fedora with a light ribbon. In his right hand, a worn leather briefcase. He was looking down on the landscape with her right until he spoke, lifting his head to reveal bright hazy eyes.
“Is this how you spend your days?”
Chiyoko dipped her head and closed her eyes, a slight smile emerging. “No. Despite my reputation, I am plenty active with this world.”
She opened her eyes to a narrow yet relaxed slit.
“You would know if you visited more often.”
The man looked forward again. “Are you displeased with your solitude?”
“No.”
Gradually, the currents waving her robes died down, leaving the atmosphere eerily still. After a moment of silence, she took a long breath in.
“Then… What is it you bring?”
“You were flying overhead,” he replied. “I thought it a courtesy to visit.”
Chiyoko glanced over, her face a mixture of surprise and disappointment. “That simple? By simple chance?”
“Must there be any more reason?”
“I have never known you to act by chance,” she returned, whipping her head away and briefly shutting her eyes in a pouting manner. Then, she creeped her gaze back, eyeing him judgingly. “What is that clothing you wear?”
The man made a chuckling sound without a hint of movement or alteration in his expression. “This is what the people of the Republic wear today.”
“I am aware. But… why?”
“I must fit in wherever I go.”
“Only the wealthy of this region wear such clothing,” Chiyoko rebutted. “I would not say you fit in.”
The man did not reply, leaving her to guess the unsaid context.
“Are you possibly pulling strings with the wealthy in this war?” she ventured with great suspicion in her eyes.
“You know it is not my propensity to interfere with the affairs between humankind,” he replied, unbothered.
“There is only one powerful Wanderer in this region.”
“That you know of.”
Chiyoko straightened back her head, lightly furrowing her brows. “A new child?”
The man did not answer.
She turned her gaze without delay, as if she expected the response. Her eyes peered over the land, her irises widening to take in the entire scene. “You have my gratitude, then. I will keep a look out for this Wanderer.”
“Does it concern you?”
“I keep records of the surface world. A new Wanderer would be a worthy inclusion, such as this one at the capital was.”
There was a pause again, though the man showed no hints of thought, his face eternally unchanged for the past few moments. Chiyoko did not fill the silence either, continuing the scan over the island of clouds like a sailor watching the ocean.
“Is such purpose the only reason you exist?”
Blinking, Chiyoko uttered a quiet closed-mouth murmur.
“For what purpose do you remain in this world?”
She abruptly looked over to him, a little taken aback by his calm and direct questioning.
“There will come a point when it is time to move on.”
Chiyoko breathed out a steady and dismissive sigh. “I do not want to hear that from you.”
“Then you needn’t listen.”
Finally, the man slightly lifted his chin, showing signs he was more than a mouthing statue.
“To become an eternal existence with a sole purpose requires unwavering focus. I caution you with tales of existences far longer than yours that lost their purpose. Some become stagnant husks. Others become ravenous.”
“Well…” Chiyoko sighed. “I am first and foremost a human. Not a god. You need not share this concern with me.”
With this, the man became silent again as Chiyoko slightly drooped her eyelids.
“I hold belief that I may be persistent, but not eternal. I will continue forth as long as this vessel can carry me.”
“What will become of your collection?”
“It will become a lost gem,” she replied with a breath out, tilting her head upwards towards the source of shade. “Perhaps for my reincarnate to inherit.”
The man dipped his head under the brim of his hat, uttering another chuckling sound. Then, with a slow step out, strolling on an invisible surface, he began to walk away. Chiyoko looked back down, locking her eyes on the figure.
“Caretaker.”
He stopped, turning his head slightly back to show he was listening. When Chiyoko did not continue, he turned further to face her. She gazed at him silently for a great length, visibly musing. Finally, after some time, her eyes rose subtly higher, convincingly meeting his.
“The doors to my castle are always open for you.”
The man dipped his head in farewell, lightly smiling under his mustache. Turning away again, he continued forth, his figure slowly fading until it was gone.