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The night sky was littered with so much stars and meteor showers that Zarc knew that he had to be dreaming.
Because he lived in a metropolitan city where the stars were all covered up with the heavy smog and the city lights have all dimmed the stars of their shines but the stars were absolutely stunning atop the meadow he had found himself in.
Zarc had fallen asleep in his room, a one-bedroom studio where he lived alone with hundreds of others who shared his building, so he had absolutely no idea where he was and why he was even here.
He rose from his seat on the grassy field and walked forward, watching the stars and enjoying the breezing wind. It felt nice and peaceful, a good change of scenery he never knew he needed until he was finally faced with one.
There was a boy standing in the middle of the meadow, he had his hands open like he was trying to catch the meteor showers and Zarc felt his heart sting. He didn’t know why, but he knew that he absolutely had to confront the boy he saw and he found his feet taking him to the boy’s place and his hand gripped firmly at the boy’s shoulder.
Heterochromatic gaze of blazing red and brilliant green caught him with surprise and confusion, gasping a little as he took in Zarc’s feature. But then he saw the tears on Zarc’s face and the boy showed him a frown that screamed concern.
“Are you okay? Why are you crying?”
Because I’m just too happy to see you. Zarc couldn’t possibly say that to a boy he just met. The boy looked utterly young, but he exuded such a calm and optimistic aura that seemed to tell Zarc that he was such an older soul than Zarc ever was. But then he also had wide eyes that reflected pure innocence and Zarc felt…
“You’re… a human, aren’t you?” The boy asked, voice but a mere whisper as if he was afraid that Zarc might break if he spoke any louder. Curious hand tried to reach Zarc’s cheek and he let the other touch him. The boy grasped his face with a comforting smile and Zarc’s tears didn’t stop falling at all.
“I…” Zarc began, confused as to why he was crying like this. “I don’t know what’s going on with me…” He let out a sob. It was a really odd thing that he felt so much relief and happiness that he couldn’t stop crying from seeing a stranger, and yet it felt too right and it made him too happy so Zarc just let his tears fall.
The boy looked at him, beautiful wide eyes that spoke a thousand reassurances with no words found Zarc’s own gold and the boy smiled.
“I think you are awaited, child…” His smile was lonely, but it was there and Zarc was happy to see him smile. They were locked in silence, basking with each other’s presence and Zarc knew that the boy wasn’t lying when he said that he was awaited.
For how long? Zarc didn’t know, and judging from the confusion underlying in the beautiful gaze, the boy didn’t know the answer to that question either. Zarc didn’t know that he had waited for something—someone for so long and it seemed that his tears were telling him finally in waves. He was complete now, finally. He didn’t have to wait anymore now, finally.
The beautiful stranger took his hand away from Zarc’s face, eyes softening towards him and he looked towards the stars. “Only time and stars exist here,” he said as another star fell across the sky. “I have always been alone, waiting. I didn’t know for what, because the stars refused to answer me. But it seems that it’s you that I’m waiting for.” His words were so full of conviction and relief and Zarc could feel it washing through him in waves. This lonely being was waiting for him, and he had unknowingly waited for this boy as well. But…
Why?
Why were they waiting for each other? Why didn’t they know that they were waiting for each other? Why did Zarc feel as if he was complete and yet he was not?
Touch me again, Zarc’s thought echoed loudly within his skull. I don’t want to lose you.
The boy turned towards him once more, eyes wide with confusion and surprise as Zarc felt something within his mind rouse. It felt wonderful, and sad, and lonely, and happy, and relieved, and sad, and lonely, and it yearned.
Tears flowed once more from Zarc’s eyes, but he couldn’t stop smiling. The feeling flowed within his heart and he could see the boy’s confusion as tears began to fall of his eyes too. Zarc opened up his arms, beckoning the boy to come closer and complete him once more. The boy then touched his cheeks with delicate hands, again as if he weren’t careful Zarc would broke into pieces. We were made for each other, weren’t we? It was a question, but Zarc wasn’t sure if it was his thoughts.
It felt too old, too wise, laden with experiences that weren’t his own and feelings that were far too complicated for him to name. The boy gazed into his eyes, trying to make sense of everything that was Zarc, and he collapsed to his awaiting arms.
Their bodies fitted one another, the small boy in his arms and his arms around the small boy. Zarc saw his own face staring at him with big eyes and desperate whisper of I want to have a family.
It was a wish he had made upon the stars at night when he was still living in an orphanage. He had wanted a family; one who would protect him and love him with everything they were. And he had wanted to love this family in return, completing each other in a way that never made sense in human terms. Forever and always, he had wished upon the stars, a family that loves me forever and always; a family that is unchanging and loyal to a fault
Then he pressed his forehead to his smaller boy in his arms. He saw a flood of stars, shining and converging before two figures—gazers, his mind supplied—that was smaller than he was. He emerged from the light, huge and majestic and beautiful and regal and…
‘And so the time wishes for a Heavenly Dragon to be born,’ one gazer said, crimson eyes admiring his figure. ‘And the stars had granted its wish, the youngest and yet the first to be born. Loving, unchanging, and loyal to a fault. You are to meet the destined child first before the others.’ another gazer with blue eyes said, his gaze was warm and loving.
‘You are to wait alone in a place where nothing but time and stars exist. None can ever tread in your realm before the destined child is here to take you away.’ the gazers’ eyes looked sad as he saw them both with fearful eyes that spoke a thousand worries.
But… what if the destined child never comes to take me away? Zarc’s thoughts echoed out, but the gazers seemed to hear it just fine. ‘Then you will not be allowed to leave. Worry not, our precious one…’ The crimson-eyed gazer reached out his hand to touch him and Zarc had lowered himself to the touch. ‘The child will come, though even I cannot answer how long you will have to wait,’ and the gazers disappeared.
The boy shivered and Zarc could see snippets of pictures, of the boy alone with nothing but the stars above him. Eventually there were grass, then there were winds, and then there were darkness and lightning. The boy had waited.
“I…” Zarc wanted to apologize. He had made the boy wait for so long and it honestly hurt. “I… I’m--!”
“Don’t.”
The grass rustled with the wind and the boy was looking at him straight on his eyes. His gaze never wavered, never yielded, and Zarc felt sheer elation from how the other’s determination flowed straight into him. They kept their silence, content to bask in each other’s presence.
And then the grassy field rumbled, flowers bloomed in unison as it created a path into a forest that weren’t there before. The wind stopped before it turned into a chilly breeze that only blew to one direction of the north. The darkness loomed, getting darker and darker as it led to a place completely obscured by thick shadow.
“There are others,” the boy said with a smile. “There are others who had been waiting for you too…” And Zarc didn’t feel the need to doubt him.
Zarc had his eyes towards the forest, where he saw an ominous red glow that caught his attention amidst the denseness. The human then let go of the boy and held his small hand on his own, trying to tug him into the forest’s direction. The boy stopped him with a smile.
“Why walk when you can ride a dragon?” And then he transformed to the most beautiful creature Zarc had ever laid eyes on.
Red, green, black, white, crystal blue, the dragon had no wings but it was by no means any less than majestic than what Zarc had seen in the books. The boy—dragon had glowed in happiness and anticipation as Zarc had tried to take him away.
Zarc reached out with his hand, just like the gazer he had seen in the memories shown and the dragon lowered himself to Zarc’s touch. The human then pulled the dragon’s snout to his own cheek and he saw.
He was sitting underneath a humongous tree, leaning on this very dragon he had wished from the stars, as he laughed at another dragon with the clearest wings that reminded him of the blue sky. There was another dragon with purple flowers and red glow that snorted at the blue one as he nipped another dragon with metallic fangs and the darkest of scales and Zarc felt content.
Family.
The stars had showed him his family.
His eyes went over to the dragon’s own, and the other rumbled in happiness. It seems like a very warm flight. He said with hopeful tone, and Zarc echoed the thoughts back.
It seems like a very warm family, indeed.