She didn't know this person.

Xandra blinked at the stranger sipping soup across the kitchen counter. Long silver strands that shone like the moon escaped from the ponytail over his shoulder and hung slightly over his face. He looked charming, but Xandra still didn't know him. She squared her shoulders and opened her mouth.

The stranger looked up with an excited smile on his face. "Time stopped, isn't it amazing?"

Xandra closed her mouth, speechless. He went back to his soup again. That...was it? The stranger refused to elaborate.

Xandra licked her dry lips and gulped, "Who...are you." It didn't sound like a question.

He looked up again with a thoughtful quirk in his lips. "Oh," he looked surprised. "Did I forget to tell you? Well-" He pushed the bowl aside and leaned over the counter, a golden pocket watch dangling between his fingers.

Xandra leaned back on her chair, eyebrows furrowing.

The stranger continued, "You see, I happen to grant wishes for people like you."

"People like me?"

He giggled with his eyes closed, "Those who managed to move even when time stopped." Opening his golden eyes, he dangled the stop watch over Xandra's confused face. "It's quite interesting, isn't it? A counter-clockwise-esque." He wrinkled his nose, "At least that's what I think those words mean."

Xandra said, "Are there other people like me?"

The stranger hummed thoughtfully before shaking his head, "Not that I know of."

For a moment, none of them spoke, and Xandra found herself staring into the space behind the stranger. He fiddled with his pocket watch for a second before settling his face on his chin and looking directly at her.

An empty laugh burst out of Xandra's mouth but her eyes didn't crinkle. How ridiculous. "You can't be serious."

The stranger seemed surprised, "Oh? What makes you think I'm not?" The grin on his face did not falter. He looked like a clown.

"Time doesn't stop. Life has to move," said Xandra. Lips pressed in a serious line; she crossed her arms.

"Does it?" For the first time, the stranger snatched his golden gaze away from Xandra. "I guess so. But does it really need to right now?"

Something nibbled at Xandra's insides, a question she couldn't help but sputter out, "Don't you have anything else to do? You look like an adult, don't you have work? A job? Responsibilities?" Despite the hostility in her words, the stranger did not flinch nor seem surprised.

He met her eyes again, this time with a seriousness that struck a chord in her mind. "I'm one of the more fortunate people; life doesn't bother me here anymore."

Nothing but an empty "Ah, I see" spilled from Xandra's mouth, disappointed eyes roaming the sturdy blue coat laced with gold, the gold-plated pocket watch, the expensive way his hair glittered under the cottage's warm lights. How fortunate indeed.

"Don't be disappointed," he gave her a calm look. "Being fortunate has its downs. Like say, in making wishes, I often don't make friends. Well...well.." His smile dissipated into a frown, thinking.

He forced a laugh anyway, "I just remembered I haven't granted anyone's wish yet after all." His eyes lit up, "Oh!"

The stranger stood up and rushed to her side, blue coat swishing with all the other golden tools around his waist. To Xandra's surprise, he took her hand in his.

She grimaced, leaning back against her chair. He leaned closer, face now mere inches from hers.

"You see I've always wanted a friend, and since you're now my client, you should tell me your wish!"

His golden eyes glittered through the moonlight filling the kitchen from the tiny window. The silvery pure way his hair glittered took Xandra in awe. For a couple of seconds, she stayed still. Wish-granting people? Has she finally gone insane? She couldn't believe all of this. And yet something about the way he said it, the childlike sunshine in his eyes.

Xandra spoke impulsively, saying her thoughts out loud, much like a child. "Sun...is my name."

The stranger's smile widened, "Does that mean we're friends now?" Xandra nodded, if a bit bashfully. "Then you can call me Miyo."

I wish...to have that childlike sense of yours...once again.

"Come on Sun!" He finally leaned away from her face and secured the pocket watch on his waist. Once again he took her hand, this time dragging her toward the back door, "Since we're friends now, I have tons of things I want to show you!"

Sun tilted her head in question. Miyo stopped and hummed thoughtfully, "Aha! Like the fairies."

Fairies...?

~~~

Miyo gestured wildly at the empty night sky, a wide smile still plastered on his face.

Sun, holding an oil lamp, deadpanned at him. "I don't see anything."

Miyo huffed and lowered his hands, "Of...of course you don't. You have to go through some training first for that." He cleared his throat, walking with arms crossed to the other side of their garden. "Let me be your guide!"

Sun followed quietly, not really sure what he was on about. Fairies? Don't make me laugh.

Miyo took her hand and raised it in the air. Sun frowned in surprise but didn't move.

"Now try picturing the fairies in your mind." He was behind her, and though their heights didn't really differ, Sun couldn't help but feel small.

She didn't try picturing the fairies, mind instead flying elsewhere. She spoke, watching the moon glitter, "Aren't you supposed to ask for my wish?"

Miyo returned back to her side, rubbing the back of his neck, "Well...what we say often isn't what we actually want. So I want to know for myself-after all, I don't mind a challenge."

They stayed quiet like that for a moment, before sitting on a bench overridden by leaves and roots. Sun should really clean these up, though she doesn't quite remember the bench being this much of a mess.

Sun spoke again, bothered by the silence of her companion. "So you say fairies are real? But you said it yourself, what we say often isn't true."

Miyo's mouth formed an 'O' and he sputtered, "Th-that...The fairies are an exception! You must be out of your mind if you don't see them." The corners of his lips quirked into a small teasing smirk. "They're braiding your hair right now," he said sweetly.

Sun blinked, hands shooting up to her hair. To her surprise, the two long strands of hair that hung over her face were now braided and tied to the back of her head. With wide eyes, she gave Miyo a dumbfounded look.

"Wh...what..."

Miyo chuckled, "Told you!" Suddenly his eyes lit up and he dragged the dumbfounded woman by the hand, "There's still more I want to show you!"

He started to slow his pace, hand still clasped around Sun's wrist while she continued to silently drive away the 'fairies.' They walked like that for a moment, and again Sun was bothered. As far as Sun has observed, Miyo was energetic, dragging her away wherever he went. He definitely seemed like someone who would lead the conversation.

She couldn't help but sigh, why does she want to talk with this peculiar creature anyway. Now she has to actually speak-

Something dark caught her eye, stopping her tracks. Miyo stopped beside her. She turned to see a looming house, it didn't look abandoned, and it didn't seem like something straight out of a horror movie. It looked just like any other house. But something about it...wasn't quite right.

"Hey," she started, finding her hands clasped around Miyo. There was something in her heart, dread, maybe? It was heavy, and dark, and-and Miyo, he...he's.

Sun's eyes were wide and she tried to calm her heavy breathing down but to no avail.

"Miyo...Don't you live here?" She turned to look at him, but her heart only beat faster.

"Yes," he chuckled, the shadow in his face going darker and darker.

He wasn't smiling.

Miyo's face was as serious as ever, sunken, even. His bright golden eyes dimmed. The tilt that almost seemed permanently glued to his face was gone. White strands of hair escaped from his ponytail. Has he been pulling at his hair?

He wasn't smiling.

"Miyo...?" Sun called out. Her stomach twisted and turned, behind her, the house with black brick walls and wilted flowers seemed to beckon her closer. Miyo, with his dishevelled hair and dimmed eyes. What happened? What is happening?

She needed to know.

"Let's go in, why don't we?" She tried to put on the best uplifting voice she could muster.

"I...don't think we should do that," Miyo chuckled, pulling at her arm. "I still have more things to show you, right? We should go there now before-"

"I want to see this one." His state was concerning her. What has this house done to him? Something inside Sun blazed. She needed to get in, she had to know the question before knowing the answer.

But cold sweat dripped down Miyo's temple as the nighttime breeze swayed and spun the whittling trees. His eyes couldn't meet hers, and his weak attempts to move Sun from her place were short-lived. Now he just stayed still, looking at the ground. His eyes glistened.

A chord struck within sun. Had she...gone too far? But what could she do to help him? Something was definitely bothering Miyo, and she wants to know what that is.

I wish...I could at least know more about you.

The breeze stopped.

Miyo's shivering stopped.

Sun furrowed her eyebrows and twitched her fingers; they could move. She forced Miyo's hand open and pried hers out, stumbling backwards as his hair started to darken from the roots.

What...is happening...?

Sun's arms stammered, lips quivering.

Miyo's long hair escaped from its ponytail, slinking back to his head until it only brushed his shoulders slightly. It was choppy, and the hair from his left grew longer than his right. Sun gulped, mind reeling at the familiar sight. This can't be happening.

Miyo's skin developed a phantom, doubling and oozing in a clear gel-like substance. She stumbled back, "M...Miyo..."

The skin stepped back, an ultimate replica of him, his hair the only thing separating them both. And his skin, though the same tone, was now colored a sickly gray.

"Miyo?" He started, but his voice was not sweet. His smile was not the same, a hint of something she couldn't quite understand in his face.

"Are you forgetting me again, Xandra?"

At that moment, Xandra wanted to flee. She willed her legs to move, her lungs to breathe, but it seemed she couldn't move at all. Her heart nearly burst at the sight, the thought--

Oh, no she did not forget. She couldn't forget.

"M...Manasseh." Her lips uttered the name, shaky and cold.

Manasseh prowled towards her, reaching a hand out. Xandra did not flinch nor move; she only shook. Her eyes closed at the feeling of his hand caressing her hair, tears finally escaping its corners.

Her eyes darted to Miyo, pure white hair stilled in time, face forever stuck in a pained expression.

"Are you ashamed?" Manasseh continued to caress the crying girl's hair. So painstakingly gentle. Everything that she's ever hated, adored, remembered, she tried so hard to push it away, ignore it. But it was always like this. Always like this.

She couldn't meet Manasseh's eyes, the golden-amber eyes she knew so well. So stricken, so pained. But now the eyes were smiling.

Manasseh's hand dropped from her hair to her chin, forcing her to look directly into his eyes. "Are you afraid of me, Sun?" His voice was soft, childlike, nostalgic. Why was she feeling nostalgic again? Her mind, or what she believed to be her mind, spun and spun, spiraled and ran.

Xandra pushed him, backing away into the house's morbid gates. With one hand, she held her chest, breathing heavily. Or was she breathing at all?

"You made a promise, didn't you? That you won't forget me," It was as if Manasseh had become Miyo entirely, the lethal way his eyes shone was gone. The dark way he pronounced his words, now replaced by the sweet gentleness of the friend she knew and couldn't forget. Forget? Forget? Xandra couldn't be sure of anything anymore.

Nevertheless, Manasseh continued, black hair almost shining a shade crimson when the sunrise's rays hit it, overwhelming Xandra with a shameful bright light. "This version is not him either, or the ones before him."

Stop...

She doesn't know what to do, what to think or feel. She doesn't know what she's doing, has done, thinking and feeling. It was all a jumbled mess to Xandra, and before she knew it, Manasseh had leaned closer to her.

She raised a hand to block herself, but he only pulled it down and whispered, "You can't get it right cause you're starting to forget him, aren't you?"

***

New character unlocked! What do you think? Any theories?