Joel was lost in his thoughts, wondering where he would spend the night, when a hand rested on his shoulder.
He turned around and saw a beautiful woman with silver hair, dressed in yellow and black, with five rings on her left hand.
"Do you have a place to stay?" she asked.
Joel shook his head.
"No, I don't."
The woman pointed toward an inn and motioned for him to follow.
Joel nodded and obeyed, intrigued.
He entered the inn and rented a room. However, his clothes smelled so bad that the innkeeper advised him to get new ones.
Then, suddenly, the woman spoke in his mind:
I may know a solution to what you are looking for.
Joel quickly stepped outside, but he didn't see her.
As he turned back to enter the inn, he bumped into someone and almost fell to the ground.
"You are the madam who helped me earlier," Joel said.
Her presence was very different from others, so he had recognized her immediately.
She covered her nose slightly.
"You need to take a bath," she said.
Joel didn't argue.
He washed himself and changed his clothes, though he still wore black.
After that, the two of them walked together, heading deeper into the forest.
There were no sounds apart from the wind and the trees.
"I know your curse… that immense power you have. I can feel it."
Suddenly, Joel's eyes began to sting. He opened them, even though he knew she was beside him.
At that moment, the woman opened her eyes. They were completely white.
Her gaze moved across his entire body.
A few minutes passed.
Joel didn't notice anything unusual.
"How can you look into my eyes and not be affected?" he asked.
The woman smiled.
"My name is Eliane. And you?"
"I'm Joel," he replied.
Eliane smiled again.
"I'm blind, Joel."
Joel's eyes widened.
"You're blind? But you move so perfectly…"
Eliane burst out laughing.
"Ah, Joel… you still have a lot to learn."
She smiled, her blind eyes seeming to see beyond reality.
"My world is different," she said.
"It is a world of sensations—textures, sounds, and smells. Colors… I imagine them, but I feel them through the emotions of others."
She paused, as if listening to something Joel couldn't hear.
"But you, Joel… you have a rich inner world of colors, don't you? One you hide from others, afraid of being judged or rejected."
Joel was taken aback.
How could she know that?
"Who are you, Eliane?" he asked, his voice trembling.
She stepped closer.
A dark aura seemed to spread from her, making the atmosphere heavy and gloomy.
Eliane leaned closer and whispered in his ear:
"I'm someone who has learned to see beyond appearances."