The last Stargazer

A field of flowers gently blew against the wind on a small cliff. A cloaked figure slowly made his way towards a lone tree at the apex of the cliff. As he arrived at the base of the tree, the figure sat down and looked across the seemingly endless ocean. The night sky was cloudless, the countless stars reflected on the water’s surface. Another figure, shrouded in shadows, approached the cloaked man from behind.

“They are all gone. I have confirmed that the last human has left,” the shadowy figure spoke, but the sound seemingly projected out of him.

“Well, that is good to know,” the cloaked man replied as he continued to watch the ocean. “I hope that my guidance was successful when he reawakens.”

The shadowy figure moved up beside the cloaked man, joining him in overlooking the ocean, but said nothing. The cloaked man looked up at the star-filled sky before he turned his head to look at the shadowy figure.

“I wonder,” the cloaked man pondered. “Is the sky that we gaze at now the same as when we first met?”

“What difference does it make?” the shadowy figure responded. “I do not understand the need for an attachment to the shape or colour of the sky.”

“Ah right, I had forgotten. It had been a long time since we had a conversation like this.”

The shadowy figure did not respond, instead he continued to watch the ocean with the cloaked man.

“Indeed,” the shadowy figure spoke after a long pause. “There is still much I do not understand. Your world and theirs’, I still have much to ask.”

“You are right, there is still much for me to teach you. Far more than I would have time for,” the cloaked figure responded with a saddened expression. “For that, I am sorry.”

The cloaked figure slowly stood up and turned towards the shadowy figure.

“Perhaps a future may come where you will understand your path as I do now. However,” the cloaked man noticed himself slowly fading. “With my purpose fulfilled, it appears my time in this world also comes to an end,” the cloaked man’s expression changed back to a slight smile. “Ah, but you need not worry. Even without a guide the Dream will always continue.”

“Then what about you?” the shadowy figure asked. “How can you simply accept the end of your existence?”

The shadowy figure turned to the cloaked man and realized that most of his body had already faded.

“If we were allowed to dream like the humans do, I would hope that someday in the future I could explore the endless stars of the skies. But alas, all born of the dream must return to the dream,” the cloaked man paused briefly. “Ah, but if the dream does end up fading completely. I hope that we can meet like this once more," the cloaked man chuckled. "I believe humans call this feeling ‘friendship’."

“Another subject that I simply do not understand. Emotions, ambitions, desires. It is just not logical."

“Well, I can only hope you will make sense of it someday. My understanding of humanity is still far from complete, but as far as I understand it; you were the greatest friend I could have met.”

As he finished his sentence, the cloaked man had already faded from sight. The shadowy figure walked over to where the cloaked man was and sat down before looking back up at the stars again.