A stronger wind came; his clothes levitated in one direction, flapping and waving.
He shivered.
He might not have realized that as he walked higher and higher on that hill, he grew more accustomed to the temperature there, and not just to the weather, but to preferring it over what he had before. Though, even now, he would probably deny it if someone were to ask him that. After all, his entire philosophy revolved around denial. The moment that changed would also change the entire foundation.
He couldn't risk that.
There was too much he had built on that fragile platform; even the smallest wind could make the whole thing collapse. However, what he didn't know was that he was walking on the path where the wind blew the strongest. And unlike when he was in the storm, this wind didn't push him backward, but away from the road.
Though, he didn't let that happen. Even with the cold wind weighing him down, he persevered. Until he reached the top of the hill, he refused to stop moving.
While he was busy holding the cup in his hand, a bunch of pink petals fell from the trees.
A sight he had never seen.
Watching as the petals flowed ahead, painting the road and the atmosphere in an even more colorful tone than before, his heart began to melt.
Once the wind was gone, the entire path before him was covered in pinkness. He could barely even see where he was stepping, trying to kick some petals from the way. Only the difference between the softness of the grassy land and the stiffness of the road guided him to know where he needed to go.
As he was struggling his way through the pink petals, every time he passed a few of those trees, he looked up to the crown, even slowing down as he stopped. Then, after standing there for some time, he picked the pace back up and continued walking.
Before he could have looked up at their foliage again, he reached the last tree.
Well, almost the last one.
When he got there, two birds flew out.
One was white like some before it, but the other… that one was different.
Unlike the others, this one was much smaller, and its color was unusually yellow. Like lemon—no, brighter than that.
The sun.
That bird was so bright that its volume was almost on the same level as the massive golden cloud in the sky. It made the man squint as it disappeared behind the hill.
The path was now almost horizontal, only tilting a few degrees.
Before he made another step, the warmth embraced him.
The sunlight. It peeked through that cloud, illuminating the entire hill orange. The wind was completely gone; only small breezes scraped the man's skin. It was cool, nothing like the cold wind he felt before. This one was pleasant, just like the temperature of the sun on his skin.
Was the sun always like this? Not burning me?
Must be what he was thinking as he was watching his hand, slowly rotating it. Though, even with him accepting that sensation embracing him, his eyes couldn't.
They throbbed.
He tried to close them, but instead of that, he slightly gazed below the sun. Not quite at the ground, but the scenery before him.
Birds' singing echoed, sending a warm feeling up his body.
Though, when he looked up, he saw none.