Chapter Text
The first thing Jack did was run. He didn’t run far, but just enough to be out of the odd man’s view. He had to catch his breath and calm down from the shock he experienced. Once his breathing was back to normal, he started to walk back to the top.
Who was this man? Was he a trader from another village? No, he couldn't be. There were no other towns for miles. If he was, he must've walked for months. Plus, he had no type of craft on him. If he was to trade something, he would have it with him.
He couldn't have been from the village either. Jack knew every single person there was. It was hard not to when there were less than 20 families occupying the area. And, no one in their right minds would climb the mountain if they lived in the village. That probably says something about Jack himself.
As he finally made it back to the peak, he started to study the man as well as his features.
The man looked to be in his late twenties, yet still had some features from his adolescent years. His hair was long and just brushed his shoulders. The curls were dark and brown, tousled and messy from apparent strenuous activity. His build was chiseled and lean. His muscles were strained from a mass of.... something on his back. Since it slightly blended in with the sky, Jack did not see it before in his shocked state.
However, now it was clear and he stared up in awe. The mass started off a blue, the exact shade of the sky behind him. When looking farther up, the mass turned into a purple blue, finally ending with a navy color leaking into an inky blackness that seemed to go on forever.
If Jack looked close enough, he could see small white dots in the abyss that looked somewhat like sparks. Soon enough, he realized that they were the stars he saw every night and could even find constellations.
Orion, Perseus, the southern cross, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia. Every single constellation he could name was there.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
He pried his eyes away from the spectacular view, looking at the man who had just spoke, the man that made Jack’s heart flutter with three simple words.
With small, quiet steps, Jack approached the stranger. He wasn’t scared, But he would rather be safe than sorry if anything happened. He wasn’t sure whether to stand or sit, finally sitting when the man nodded his head down towards the ground.
The two were still and silent for a few minutes, simply looking at the pale yellow horizon in front of them.
It was strange. While Jack had never seen this man in his entire life, there was still this serene calm between them. It was almost as if two close friends were sitting side by side, their problems nonexistent when the other was near. It comforted Jack, however odd he found the feeling.
Not wanting to break the comforting silence, Jack just stared out to the mountain range to the northwest. He always looked up towards the mountains, wondering what was behind him. He cowered before their immense size; They were the gods of the region which protected them all, but kept them imprisioned as well.
But from that height, Jack saw the mountains from top to bottom and saw just how small they could be when looked at from a different angle.
Again, the stranger spoke unexpectedly.
“What is your name?”
Jack turned, confused by this statement. The man had already said his name, one of the reasons why Jack was so stunned after the encounter with the man.
“You already said my name, Jack, remember?” After thinking about it, he took an extra step and asked, “How do you know my name when we've never met until now?”
There was a moment where his eyes darkened, once the exact blue as the sky behind them, now an almost stormy grey. However, it faded back to its original color in only a few seconds, the man regaining his composure.
“You can see the whole town from here. Look.”
He pointed his hand in the direction of the town and Jack’s breath hitched, never noticing how clear the view of his shabby town was at the top of the mountain.
Phaeton, Belen, Jason. He could see everyone so vividly from there. He could see the woman who always sold her dried goods right in front of the bridge and the stall that was always surrounded by children, trying to get their hands on a carefully crafted corn dolly.
It almost looked beautiful from there. Almost. Jack’s sour memories of actually living there and what happened behind the scenes made it look much less peaceful to him.
He realized that the man never really gave him a clear answer to his question. Sure he could see the town crystal clear, but couldn’t hear any of the familiar voices.
He wanted to bring it up, but as he turned around, he saw a light in the man’s eyes when he peered down to the town and its people. He knew that the light would leave his eyes if Jack kept prodding him with questions.
So he left at that. The two staring down at his hometown. A pair of eyes filled with inspiration and another filled with contempt.
And again that serene silence came over them. Jack knew that he would soon be addicted to the feeling of the wind in his hair and nature and the mysterious man by his side.
He wished it would never end.
He knew that he would have to go back to town and that the man will be gone soon. This day would be the only pleasant shift for years in his monotonous life.
It was as if the man could feel the deep sadness that came from Jack, for he asked a simple question that took Jack's worrying mind off the future.
“So what is your story?”