"Where did that come from?" she asked as they stepped out of the stall "I have always had it on me, Melvin would put three different bags of coin in all my robes incase I needed them, and this is the first time it came useful" Ezra explained and Hazel sighed "life of a rich young master" she muttered "you are his little thief, you have access to his wealth" Ezra said "oh no, he has other girls" Hazel muttered again as she turned her focus from him and Ezra paused, he smiled meaningful and pulled her into his arms "sir Ezra you are wasting time" she said dully "are you jealous" he asked with the same smile"oh why would I be, it isn't bad to gift pears to clowns sometimes" she said and he looked at her in confusion "what's that?" he asked "you, sir Ezra, gifted a pear to one of your girls the last time you were here" she said but his confusion didn't ease until after a few minutes, he suddenly burst out laughing and she frowned, "I didn't gift anyone a pear, the duke bought some pears on my last visit here and he gave some to me, I didn't like them so I dropped them on the counter beside me all I know is that the pears suddenly disappeared and now I unexpectedly became the one who gifted the pears" Ezra explained and Hazel's brows furrowed "you don't have to be jealous" he said "I am not, let go of me, you have wasted a lot of time " she said "we would continue later then" he muttered and she frowned at him.
In the frosty streets of Guttric City, Gabriel's anxiety simmered like a pot about to boil over, for four years, he and Hazel had shared a tradition - witnessing the first snowfall together but since her since her abduction the previous night by that enigmatic cold figure, he hadn't seen her, his mind raced with haunting questions: Was she still alive? Had the cold figure silenced her forever?, as he sat frozen in front of Hazel's home, a figure emerged from the shadows, like a ghostly apparition, It was the man from Verga City, the divine master, his eyes blazing with a deep sadness. "Why do you pretend to care for her, when your actions will only lead to her downfall?" The master's words cut through Gabriel like a dagger, Gabriel's eyes widened in shock, he understood the question immediately, his words caught in his throat. "You...how did you...I didn't...", the man's gaze pierced through him, his voice heavy with sorrow. "Your betrayal will unleash a bloodbath, innocent lives will be lost. I wish I could warn her, but your masters have left no stone unturned, can you not see the danger you pose to her and many others?", Gabriel's excuses spilled out like a desperate plea "I'm trapped, my sister and the girl I love are hostages, I'm forced to comply" the master's eyes flashed with anger. "So you choose to sacrifice thousands rather than tell her the truth?" His voice was laced with disgust "If I could, I would be the first to strike you down." with that, he vanished into thin air, leaving Gabriel shaken and terrorized,
as he turned tail
In the Luther City, the two finally arrived at the deserted central district, the eerie silence was palpable, and every house was sealed, as if frozen in time, suddenly, a young man leapt from a tree, his eyes shining with excitement. "Sir Ezra! I thought you'd never come..." He halted mid-sentence, his gaze fixed on Hazel with a mix of astonishment and curiosity "It's true! You've brought a girl! I thought the folks were spreading rumors!" he cried and stretched his hands towards Hazel, Ezra swiftly intervened, his tone firm "She's my fiancée, you have no right to touch her. We're here to inspect the houses." he said coldly, David's face fell, but he nodded and withdrew his hand "Nice to meet you, miss. I'm David, in charge of this sector, where we lost over a hundred people." Hazel nodded in acknowledgement, her eyes scanning the surroundings, Ezra's possessiveness didn't escape her notice, but she chose to ignore it, David led them to the houses, where Hazel was met with a gruesome sight: bloodstained floors, decaying corpses, and strange symbols painted in blood on the roofs, the air was heavy with the weight of death, yet eerily, there was no stench, Hazel's questions swirled, but she bit her tongue, waiting for the tour to end and David to leave. Hours passed before they finally finished, and David bid them farewell, leaving Hazel and Ezra alone to ponder the sinister mysteries surrounding them. "everything seems confusing" Hazel muttered, her cold gaze on the body of a little child at the door step of a house and Ezra calmly turned her away, pulling her into his embrace, "everything you see here is the same in every other city, these are part of the preparation for their ritual, no amount of cleaning can wipe the blood stains and no amount of decaying would make the corpse smell" Ezra explained and her hand clenched into a fist while he rubbed her back soothingly to relieve her anger, she heaved a long sigh "what shape are they trying to form exactly?" she asked "would you like to see a few more cities or you want me to tell you?" he questioned and she went silent "let's see a few more cities" she said "put the shape this part made in your mind so you would get the others" he said and she nodded and after a while she held his hand "let's go" she muttered and in the next minute they appeared in an alley, he led her outside and the wild bustling of the place came in sight.