TW: Fluff?

Title: ~Casting Shadows~

The sun beat down on Sjin. The architect turned farmer held his arm above his head to shield his eyes. Even though the sun was angling low in its descent to night, it was still clear and bright. Sjin wiped the sweat from his brow as his gaze swept over the farm.

The rays of sun were hitting the buildings at just the right angle to make him think flames were starting to spread across the wood. He blinked and the mirage was gone, but the image remained in his head. Sjin turned to view the landscape opposite his farm. His eyes came to rest on the tall mountain and the totem formation that dotted the top. The sight gave him shivers. Something about the black and purple bricks left him feeling uneasy, like someone was looking back at him.

Guided by the need to work, Sjin turned from the mountain and headed towards the shade of his bee grove. He found comfort in the trees that blocked out the bright sun. The farmer glanced around at the leaves to see if any new varieties had been pollinated. Something dashed between the trees as he looked across the opposite end of the path.

"Hello?" he called out. "Is anyone there?"

No response came, so Sjin followed after the movement. He looked around the glade opening up behind his farmhouse. The nearby river, which normally looked cool and refreshing, now shone with the sun's reflection. The light made Sjin cover his eyes. He turned to regain his sight and gasped.

Minty was standing in front of him. She was playing idly with a purple flower as she gazed over his farm.

"Minty, I didn't see you there!" Sjin said. "I didn't know you were coming to visit."

She turned to him and smiled. "Well it has been a while. So this is the farm? Show it to me?"

"I don't know if right now is a good idea. The sun's setting," he replied.

"Nonsense. There's still plenty of light," Minty said.

She was right. Sjin saw that that the molten orange tint had spread across the entire sky. Night was on the cusp of taking over, but it felt like it would never come. Sjin took Minty's hand as she led him around the warehouse.

"You've been very busy, Sjin," she said admiring the structures.

"Yeah. It's a lot of work," he mumbled. Her voice sounded so soothing.

"Don't you get lonely out here?" asked Minty.

Sjin shook his head. "I get plenty of visitors. Lalna. Rythian even."

"Oh?" she asked, interested at hearing the mage's name. "But that doesn't sound like too many people."

"There must be others around I just haven't met yet," Sjin said.

The two were at the edge of the front of the farm. Dusk was finally starting to fall. Sjin's gaze was once again drawn up to the totems, which were blending into the inky darkness of night. If he looked closely, he could almost see movement. He never even felt Minty's hand leave his own.

"Some joker stole my scarecrow …"

Sjin trailed off as he looked back to Minty. The blonde was nowhere in sight. What he did see was the rigid body and hard, purple face of the scarecrow back in the middle of the wheat field. Sjin turned around, but couldn't see Minty anywhere. The sky had a purple hue to it that Sjin had never seen before. He once again felt someone watching him.

He blinked, uncontrollably slow. Sjin found himself going in slow motion. When his eyes opened the scarecrow was gone and he was alone in the field. Sjin's eyelids became heavy and he blinked again. He felt, before he saw, the cruel face etched into obsidian standing in front of him. The scarecrow's own eyes held no detail, but bore into Sjin. The straw filled arms twitched at its side.

Sjin jolted awake. Moonlight streamed in from the window. Minty sat up next to him and stroked his head.

"Shh, shh. It's alright," she said. "Was it a bad dream?"

"Nightmare," he rasped, catching his breath.

Minty continued to soothe him. Sjin relaxed and lay back on the bed. He glanced out both windows to reassure himself everything was alright. The night sky was a familiar, dark blue. Sjin breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't see the scarecrow standing in the doorway.

***

Sjin woke again, covered in sweat. Bright morning sun greeted him this time. He looked around frantically, but found himself alone.

'It was a dream,' he thought.

Pulling the covers away, Sjin walked over to the window. The farm was fine and nothing looked out of place. The cool morning breeze cleared his head of the dream's fever. He sighed as the images faded from his memory.

"Just a dream," he said to himself.

Sjin turned from the window, ignoring the familiar nagging feeling he was being watched.