Juhtmed and Lian wove through the crowd, pressing closer to the source of the commotion. The plaza, once a space of slow-moving merchants and idle chatter, now pulsed with tension.
At the center of the gathered onlookers, a red-faced merchant waved his arms furiously, his voice cutting through the noise. "Thief! That wretched girl stole from me!"
Opposite him stood a figure draped in a dark robe, her hood pulled low over her face. She remained silent, shoulders tense, as if deciding whether to argue or flee.
Lian watched with disinterest. "This sort of thing happens all the time."
Before Juhtmed could respond, the girl made her choice. She turned sharply and bolted, vanishing into the nearest alley before anyone could stop her.
Juhtmed barely caught a glimpse of her face beneath the hood—just a flicker of her eyes, wide with something that wasn't quite fear. Then she was gone.
He exhaled, already making up his mind. "Pay the merchant for whatever she stole," he told Lian.
Lian raised a brow. "Seriously?"
But Juhtmed was already moving, pushing through the crowd, chasing after the girl as she disappeared into the maze of Castelnero's backstreets.
Juhtmed sprinted through the narrow alleys, his boots pounding against the uneven cobblestone as he pursued the girl. "Stop!" he called out. "I don't want to hurt you!"
She didn't stop.
Instead, she quickened her pace, weaving through the twisting paths with practiced ease. Juhtmed grit his teeth—she was fast, faster than he expected. But this didn't stop him.
Then, suddenly, she turned a corner and came to an dead halt. A stone wall loomed before her, the alleyway ending in an abrupt dead end.
Juhtmed arrived just a moment later, catching his breath as he leaned against the wall. He smirked. "You run fast for your size."
The girl spun around sharply. "What do you want?" she snapped. "Why are you chasing me?"
Juhtmed hesitated for a moment, thinking of how to phrase it. He exhaled and ran a hand through his hair. "First off, I don't want to hurt you. And second, my maid paid the merchant for what you stole, so you don't have to worry about that anymore."
She narrowed her eyes. "Why would you do that for a stranger you don't even know?"
Juhtmed frowned, trying to find the right words. How do I even explain this? No, now wasn't the time to overthink. He sighed. "Your eyes..."
Her expression darkened instantly, her voice dripping with irritation. "Oh, great. You're one of those freaks who collect eyes, aren't you?"
Juhtmed reeled back, visibly startled. "What?! No!"
She folded her arms, clearly unimpressed. "I knew it. You're just another noble with some disgusting obsession—"
"Stop with the fetish accusations!" Juhtmed cut in, rubbing his temple in frustration. "What I meant was… those crimson eyes. They're a feature of people call verevihm i wanted to know if you know something."
The girl's irritated expression shifted to confusion. "Verevihm?" she repeated, tilting her head. "Never heard of it."
Juhtmed sighed, feeling the disappointment settle in. "I thought you might have answers about them… but I guess not." He shook his head. "Well, it's fine."
The girl studied him for a long moment, then huffed. "You chased me all this way for that?"
Juhtmed crossed his arms. "I have my reasons."
Her body was still tense, like a cornered animal assessing its chances of escape. "I don't know what you're expecting from me," she muttered. "Even if I was this… 'verevihm' thing, what does it matter to you?"
Juhtmed look at her carefully, noting the way she spoke—wary, defensive, but not entirely dismissive. "Because... to keep it short, is something tied to me," he admitted. "And seeing your eyes…I got carried away and run after you, i didn't mean this to afraid you."
The girl's frown deepened. Her fingers twitched, as if debating whether to do. Instead, she let out a sharp breath and pulled her hood lower and reveal a large scar on her left eyes and silver hair. "I don't about the verevihm," she said. "I don't know anything about it. You said they were a group of people like a family." at she look down.
Juhtmed see the sadness in her face. "Its what we told me." He took a small step to her, keeping his hands visible. "I even heard they were great warriors."
She look at him. "Really...and you're saying there a chance im one of them."
"Im sure of this.."
The sounds of the bustling market echo through the alleyway.
Finally, she raise her head in direction of juhtmed. "Iv'e never know what it mean to have a family im an orphan i steal for a living." She look down. "One day i got enslaved by a noble and got one—." As she pose her hand on her eyes, "Of my eyes get taken i success to escape and got on a ship and arrive on this island..."
Juhtmed pose his hand on here. "I can't fully say that i know how you felt but i understand the pain to have nothing on your side."
She looks at him and hugs him, shedding a few tears.
She took a few steps back before pausing. "Sorry… i shouldn't have done that," she said.
He just look at her "Its fine, he wish i had a shoulder to lean on it"
That moment of vulnerability hung between them, fragile and unspoken. She wiped her eyes quickly, as if embarrassed by the display of emotion. "I don't usually… trust people," she muttered. "Especially nobles."
Juhtmed gave her a small, knowing smirk. "Understandable. Most of them are insufferable."
That earned him a faint chuckle, but the guarded look in her eyes remained. She studied him again, this time with less suspicion and more curiosity.
"If what you're saying is true," she said carefully, "and I really am connected to this Verevihm… what do I do with that? It's not like I can just walk up to someone and say, 'Hey, am I part of your lost warrior clan?'"
Juhtmed exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "I don't have all the answers. But im trying to find out more… but with this only information i don't have any start."
It was clear she wasn't used to accepting help, let alone someone who just been chasing her through the streets just a moments ago. But there was something in Juhtmed's words, in his expression—different from the noble she know.
"What i mean, i don't have any lead to start and its not something i prioritize, like i told you earlier when i see your eyes i just got carried away and just run after you, i thought i could have gained some answers but it wasn't the case."
"So what will you do?"
"I'll maybe try to find clue later but my interest is currently not in search of truth."
"And Where your interest is then?" She ask. "I'll join the new academy tomorrow."
"An academy i didn't know they were one on this island."
"I should go my she must be looking for me" As he walk out of the alley, she followed him, as he walking he turned his back to her, "You don't have to follow me" she look down and said with a bit of embarrassment "I have nowhere to go and didn't you said we were a family..."
"Alright," he said. "I let you follow me, i'll see what i will do with you later i guess."
She whispered "Veyla..."
"huh...what did you say?"
"Veyla its my name."
"Juhtmed"