Perspective: Eve
Date: January 19, 2018
Time: 10:20 AM
Location: Sylvaris — Upper Promenade & Market Quarter
The back of my left hand was still burning.
Not with pain—no, not pain at all. It was this warm, tingling, completely ridiculous feeling that sent little shivers buzzing all the way up my arm every time I moved my fingers.
He... he kissed it. He really dropped to 1 knee, right there in the kitchen, and kissed my hand!
Eep!
I squeaked silently in my head, hurriedly clutching the ruffled folds of my ivory dress with my right hand. Just picturing the soft press of his lips against my skin made my ears flare red all over again.
Calm down, Eve! Breathe! B-r-e-a-t-h-e! If you keep blushing like this in broad daylight, people are going to think you have a fever!
I sneaked a tiny, guilty glance up at him through my eyelashes. Kaiser was walking with those loose, unhurried strides of his, hands shoved casually into his black coat pockets, totally relaxed. He didn't look flustered at all. Not even a tiny bit!
H-how can he look so calm after doing something so... so heart-stopping?! It's completely unfair!
The Upper Promenade of Sylvaris was awake and humming with life. Roadside carts roasted spiced sugar chestnuts, carriage wheels clattered over the stones, and guild apprentices in bright cloaks brushed past in steady streams.
I took half a step closer to Kaiser, my shoulder practically gluing itself to his coat sleeve.
Eyes on the stone. Just look at the cobblestones. One, two, three paces ahead... If I don't look at them, nobody will talk to me. Oh no, that fruit vendor looked over here—look away, look away, look away!
Meanwhile, Kaiser didn't look down at all.
When a heavy freight cart rattled by, he just gave the driver a faint, polite nod. When a flower girl called out, he met her eyes with an easy, amused smirk. He looked so comfortable. Like the whole street was just his backyard.
How does he do that?! Doesn't his chest do that awful fluttery squeeze thing whenever someone looks at him?!
I bit my bottom lip, watching him step smoothly around a stack of wooden crates.
"Kaiser?" I asked softly, my voice barely competing with the tavern lutes.
He turned his head slightly toward me, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah?"
"Um..." I fidgeted with the lace edge of my cuff, twisting the fabric into little knots. "Are you... a social person?"
Kaiser let out a dry chuckle through his nose. "A social person? I don't know. You tell me. Do I give that impression?"
"Yes," I answered honestly, nodding. "You never hesitate. You look at people directly, and when you speak, you never seem like you're searching for words. It feels like talking to anyone is easy for you... Even strangers."
He tilted his head, regarding me with a raspy hum. "I talk to you pretty easily, don't I?"
"Well... yes," I murmured, looking down at my boots. "B-but I thought that was just because..."
"Because why?" Kaiser asked, a faint, teasing smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "I don't see you as a stranger, Eve. You're a cute girl that saved my life. How could I ever see you as a stranger, eh?"
My breath didn't just catch—it completely vanished.
A... a c-c-cute girl?!
WAHHHH!
My skull filled with blinding pink static. My face ignited into a full, blazing furnace, heat rushing so fast to my cheeks I thought my ribbon bows might singe. I froze mid-step, my boots skidding 2 inches against the stone, my mouth opening and closing like a stranded goldfish.
D-did he just say that?! Out loud?! In front of the chestnut vendor and the pigeons and everyone?!
W-what am I supposed to say back to that?! 'T-thank you, you're cute too'?! NO! NO NO NO! That sounds completely insane! My soul would shrivel up into a raisin!
"I—um... ah..." I managed to squeak out, my voice sounding like a squashed sparrow before my jaw snapped shut.
Kaiser saw my face and burst into a low, amused laugh. The sound was rich, gravelly, and full of genuine warmth.
"Keep walking, Princess," he chuckled, nudging my shoulder gently with his arm. "We have a long way ahead."
I swallowed hard, forcing my wobbling legs to move forward again. I pulled my pastel-pink hair forward over my shoulders, trying desperately to use the wavy locks as a shield to hide my burning cheeks.
We walked past an open plaza framed by carved stone colonnades. Overhead, festive banners fluttered between wrought-iron lampposts, celebrating the winter solstice market. Seeing everyone chatting, laughing, and bantering so easily made that familiar, dull ache press against my ribs.
I had always been like this.
Even back during my earliest memories, before everything became complicated, speaking to strangers always scared me. Whenever someone unexpected approached me, my throat would seize. My thoughts would tangle into a stuttering mess. I would worry about saying the wrong thing, about my voice sounding too quiet or too foolish, about someone laughing at me or finding me irritating.
In the end, I would always just bow, apologize 3 times for things that weren't my fault, and scurry away to be alone.
I stole another glance at Kaiser. He was looking up at the high stone ramparts of the upper city.
I want to be stronger... My fingers tightened into small fists. I don't want to always hide behind others. I want to be someone who can stand beside him without cowering at shadows.
I gathered my courage, drawing in a small breath.
"Kaiser... how can I be more like you?"
Kaiser stopped.
He didn't just slow down—he paused right beside a low stone railing overlooking the lower merchant gardens. He turned his entire body toward me, leaning back against the parapet and crossing his arms over his chest. His blue eyes settled on me with absolute, unbroken attention.
He didn't laugh. He didn't make a quick joke to brush it off.
He just waited.
Ooh... he's really looking right at me. My fingers twisted the lace of my cuffs into tight little knots. Don't run away, Eve. You asked the question. Just say it... even if it sounds silly.
"Whenever I have to talk to someone new," I began quietly, my voice wavering slightly, "my chest feels so tight. I can't articulate properly. Words get stuck in my mouth, and I get so anxious that I just... freeze up. I don't understand why everyone else can talk so easily, while I feel like I'm doing something wrong just by being there."
I looked down at the cobblestones, unable to hold his gaze.
"Do you think... other people find me weird? Am I just irritating?"
The silence hung between us for 2 heartbeats, filled only by the distant murmur of the marketplace.
Then, Kaiser spoke. His voice was level, calm, and grounded.
"They might find you different," he said honestly. "People who spend their whole lives barking in crowds usually don't understand someone who listens first. But I don't find you weird. Not even close."
I looked up, blinking. "You don't?"
"You're just not used to social games, Eve," he continued, his tone softening into something steady and reassuring. "You grew up quiet. You value sincerity over attention. That doesn't make you weird, and it definitely doesn't make you bad. It just separates you from the pretenders. And in my book, that's what makes you special."
Something tight and heavy behind my ribs gently untied itself. The sting in my eyes softened into quiet relief.
Kaiser uncrossed his arms and pushed off the stone railing, stepping half a pace closer.
"Do you actually want to be able to talk to people?" he asked, his gaze searching mine. "Or do you just think you're supposed to?"
"I do want to," I admitted, looking straight into his eyes. "I want to be able to speak without shaking. I want to order food without feeling like I'm bothering the waitress. I want to... to be confident. But every time I try, the fear is just too much. I don't understand how to stop it."
Kaiser smiled faintly. It was a gentle, encouraging expression.
"First step," he said, raising 1 finger. "Take a deep breath. Right now. In through the nose, out through the mouth."
I followed his lead, drawing in the crisp, cold mountain air until my lungs were full, then letting it out in a long, white plume of mist.
"Good," Kaiser nodded. "Now, listen carefully to what your body is doing. Your heart is beating fast, right? Your senses are sharp. Your stomach feels like it's fluttering."
"Yes..." I whispered.
"You call that anxiety," Kaiser said simply. "Do you know what your body feels when you're excited?"
I paused, thinking. "I... I suppose it feels similar?"
"It's identical," Kaiser stated, his tone firm and matter-of-fact. "The it gives you the same reaction. Elevated heart rate, heightened senses, focused awareness. The only difference is how you see it. You tell yourself, 'I'm terrified.' So your mind prepares to run. If you tell yourself, 'I'm excited to see what this person is like,' you prepare to engage."
I stared at him, my mind turning the concept over like a polished stone.
Anxiety and excitement... are the same thing?
"Can you really just change it like that?" I asked, skeptical.
"You can if you take your time," Kaiser said, ticking them off on his fingers with practiced ease.
"Rule 1: Reframe fear into excitement."
"Rule 2: Always finish your sentence. Never let your voice trail off into a squeak, even if you stumble. Commit to the last word."
"Rule 3: Make statements instead of asking questions. Questions put you on trial; statements are grounded and fun."
"Rule 4: Speak loud and clear enough that people don't have to lean in."
"Rule 5: Treat everyone like an old friend you haven't seen in 2 weeks. Assume they already like you."
The rules flew past like magical arrows, crashing into my head one after another.
R-reframe fear into excitement... finish the syllable... statements, not questions... old friends... five whole rules?!
W-wait, wait, wait! How am I supposed to remember all of that while standing in front of an actual living person?! My brain is going to melt!
I gripped my dress frills, my pink eyes spinning in complete, dazed panic.
"K-Kaiser... wait, please! Can you repeat that?!" I stammered, waving both hands frantically. "It went in one ear and—and just scrambled into a mess!"
Kaiser let out a soft, raspy laugh, reaching out to pat my shoulder with affectionate ease.
"You don't need to memorize the theory, Eve," he smiled. "Sometimes you have to do it to learn it."
Before I could ask what he meant, Kaiser's eyes shifted toward the path ahead.
Walking toward us from the opposite direction was an adventurer couple.
The woman was tall and athletic with golden-blonde hair tied back into a high braid, a broad steel broadsword sheathed across her back, and light leather armor over her shoulders.
Beside her walked a black-haired man with an open leather doublet, a hunting bow slung over his shoulder, and a relaxed, roguish grin. They were playfully bumping shoulders and arguing about something, both of them laughing.
As they drew closer, the morning sun caught the side of the blonde woman's face.
Dangling from her earlobes were a pair of stunning earrings. They were shaped like delicate butterfly wings carved from translucent green emerald, edged with fine silver filigree that glittered with every step she took.
I couldn't help it. I stared.
I had never worn earrings in my life—my earlobes weren't even pierced—but those green butterfly wings looked so ethereal, like captured droplets of forest sunlight.
Kaiser didn't miss my gaze. He glanced down at me, noticing where my eyes were glued, then looked back at the passing couple.
"Pretty, aren't they?" he asked softly.
"They're... they're gorgeous," I whispered honestly. "The silver filigree looks like real veins on a leaf..."
"Good," Kaiser said smoothly. "Watch and learn."
Before my brain could register what was happening, Kaiser took half a step forward, raised his right hand in a relaxed, open gesture, and called out in a warm, respectful tone.
"Excuse me, ma'am? Do you have a quick minute, if I'm not bothering the two of you?"
My heart instantly rocketed into my throat.
NO! WAIT! WHAT IS HE DOING?!
The couple paused. The black-haired archer turned around, his dark brows lifting in mild surprise, while the blonde swordswoman rested a casual hand on the pommel of her sword, looking curious.
"Yeah, what's up, man?" the archer asked, stepping closer with an easygoing grin.
Kaiser stepped into their space with natural, effortless poise. He extended his right hand, giving the archer a crisp, familiar palm-to-palm clasp—dabbing him up as if they had shared drinks at a tavern last night.
"I'm Kaiser," he introduced himself with a charming, gravelly grin. Then, without a single hitch in his voice, he reached back, took my hand, and gently pulled me forward beside him.
"And this is my girlfriend, Eve."
BOOM.
My entire universe turned into blinding white noise.
G-G-GIRLFRIEND?!
EEEEEK!
DID HE JUST—
DID HE ACTUALLY JUST SAY 'MY GIRLFRIEND'?! TO REAL PEOPLE ON THE STREET?!
My soul genuinely tried to detach from my body and float away into the clouds. The heat on my face could have boiled water in 2 seconds flat. My knees wobbled so hard I had to grab Kaiser's heavy sleeve just to keep from tumbling sideways. I stared up at him with wide, horrified, ecstatic eyes, but Kaiser didn't even flinch. He just stood there looking impossibly cool and relaxed.
Breathe! Look human! Don't turn into a pink cotton, Eve!
"She was admiring your earrings as you walked past," Kaiser continued smoothly, nodding toward the blonde swordswoman.
"She's a bit shy about speaking up, but she couldn't take her eyes off that green emerald filigree. Mind telling us where you found them?"
The blonde swordswoman looked at me.
Seeing my completely crimson face and wide, trembling pink eyes, her expression instantly softened from guarded adventurer to bright, delighted amusement.
"Oh!" she beamed, reaching up to touch the sparkling butterfly wing against her neck. "These old things?"
She turned to the black-haired archer, giving his arm a sharp, teasing shove. "Hear that, Pierce? Finally, someone with actual refined taste noticed them! Unlike you, who complained the entire time we were haggling!"
The archer—Pierce—groaned theatrically, rubbing his bruised arm with a laugh. "Hey! That was 3 entire weeks of wyvern bounty money, Jade! You made me live on dry fruits for half a month!"
Kaiser let out a hearty laugh, crossing his arms and shaking his head at Pierce with mock pity.
"Sounds to me like you got off cheap, brother," Kaiser said, his tone dripping with playful camaraderie. "A woman who can cleave a wyvern in half and still look that graceful? 3 weeks of rations is nothing. You should've bought the necklace to match."
Pierce threw his hands up in total surrender, cracking a wide grin. "See?! Even your guy gets it! I'm completely doomed, Jade. I'll be bankrupt before our next contract!"
Jade laughed, a clear, ringing sound that felt so light and welcoming that the heavy knot in my chest loosened.
Then, Jade looked back directly at me.
"I'm Jade, by the way," she said warmly, her blue eyes crinkling at the corners. "And you must be Eve. Don't let this cheapskate fool you—we found them in the Lower Artisan District, near the Silver Bell alleyway. An old dwarven jeweler named Theron makes them by hand. The silver is cold-forged so it never tarnishes, even in the rain."
Every single instinct in my body screamed to bow 4 times, squeak an apology for existing, and stare at my shoes.
M-my throat is closing up! Words won't come out!
Beside me, Kaiser didn't push me. He just stood there, his hand resting warm and steady against my back.
No. Stop it, Eve. Remember what he said.
I'm not terrified. I'm... I'm excited! Treat her like an old friend. Finish the sentence! Commit to the syllable!
I drew in a shaky breath, forcing my trembling fingers to let go of my dress.
"T-they... um..." My voice squeaked on the first sound, and my cheeks burned hotter, but I bit my lip and pushed forward.
"They r-really look like living butterflies, Jade. The... the silver filigree is so light, but it holds the gemstone securely."
Jade's smile grew wider, listening with genuine interest. Seeing her patient eyes gave me a sudden, tiny spark of courage. The tight knot in my throat loosened.
"And... even if Pierce complained about the price," I continued, my voice growing clearer, settling into a steady, soft rhythm, "you're wearing them right now. Every day. S-so that means you really treasure the hunt he went on for you."
The plaza seemed to quiet for a fraction of a second.
Jade's eyes went wide. A soft, genuine blush dusted her sun-tanned cheeks, and a look of pure, affectionate delight washed over her face. She reached over, linking her arm tightly around Pierce's elbow.
"Listen to your girl, Kaiser," Jade said softly, nudging Pierce again, this time with pure affection. "She understands more about romance in 1 sentence than this meathead has in 4 years of adventuring."
Pierce looked down at Jade, his teasing smirk melting into a soft, fond smile. He scratched his temple, looking over at Kaiser with a rueful chuckle. "Alright, alright. She got me. She's completely right. I'm glad you liked them, Eve."
Kaiser looked at me.
His blue eyes were bright with quiet, unmistakable pride. He didn't say a word, but the slight lift of his brows and the tiny smirk on his lips said everything: Look at you.
Kaiser turned back to the couple, extending a hand to Pierce once more. "Appreciate the directions to the Silver Bell alley, Pierce. We'll check out old Theron's shop."
"Anytime, man," Pierce grinned, shaking Kaiser's hand firmly. "Take care on the roads!"
"Good luck with him, Eve!" Jade called out with a bright wave as they turned to leave. "Make sure he buys you a pair before the week is out!"
"I... I will! Thank you, Jade!" I called back, finishing my sentence with a clear, happy lilt.
We stood on the sunlit cobblestones as the adventurer couple melted back into the promenade crowd, their laughter trailing behind them.
I stood completely still on the stones.
I... I did it?
I DID IT! WAHHH, I ACTUALLY DID IT!
I spoke to an actual adventurer woman with a giant broadsword, and my voice didn't die, and she didn't laugh at me! She smiled! She called me Eve!
A bubbling, golden rush of pure triumph fizzed through my chest like sparkling sweet cider. My boots practically skipped across the cobblestones as I whirled around, grabbing Kaiser's coat sleeve with both hands.
"Kaiser! Did you see that?!" I beamed, bouncing on my heels, my pink eyes shining. "I talked to her! I stuttered at first, but then I finished the sentence, and she told me about the shop, and we laughed together!"
Kaiser looked down at me, his blue eyes crinkling with a soft, deeply fond warmth.
"I saw," he said, his gravelly voice dropping into an approving hum. "You stumbled on the first word, caught yourself, pushed through, and made her blush. That's a real victory, Princess. You're a quick learner."
Hearing his praise sent another wave of fluttering butterflies through my stomach. I smiled broadly, basking in the glow of his approval.
...And then, the delayed fuse inside my head finally caught fire.
Wait.
My smile froze. My eyes went wide.
He... he told them...
The triumphant fizz in my veins evaporated into pure, molten embarrassment. My cheeks exploded into a violent scarlet that could have outshined a blood moon. I snatched my hands back from his coat as if it were on fire, taking 2 wobbly steps backward and clamping both palms over my mouth.
"K-K-Kaiser...!" I squeaked, my voice trembling. "W-why... why on earth did you call me your girlfriend?!"
Kaiser didn't even blink. He casually slid his hands back into his pockets and strolled forward, completely unbothered.
"It sounded natural on my tongue," he replied smoothly.
"WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!" I gasped, taking hurried little steps to keep up with his long stride, steam practically puffing from my ears. "You can't just drop words like that on random strangers! They thought we were... that you and I were... a-and that we're...!"
Kaiser let out a low, raspy chuckle that made my pulse jump.
"They looked like a couple, Eve," he said, glancing at me sideways with an infuriatingly charming grin. "If I walked up to them as your 'platonic male acquaintance' asking about jewelry, it would've looked stiff, suspicious, and weird. A boyfriend asking about earrings because his girl liked them? Instant charm. Lowers their guard immediately. It made the whole interaction smooth."
I buried my entire face into my hands, groaning softly behind my fingers.
"I can't believe you said that so casually..." I whimpered, my voice muffled against my palms. "You have no shame at all. None."
"Shame is for weaklings," Kaiser replied, his voice laced with rich humor. "Besides, you're the one who wanted to learn. You got your lesson, didn't you?"
I peeked through the gaps between my fingers.
Kaiser was looking straight ahead again, but the warm, relaxed smile remained on his face. The cold morning wind tousled his messy dark hair, and the winter sun highlighted the sharp, noble angles of his jaw.
He had called me his girlfriend.
Even if it was just a social trick... even if it was just to make the conversation easier... hearing those words roll off his tongue with such effortless ease had made my heart do flips.
I slowly lowered my hands, clutching my dress against my chest.
He really is incredible. A quiet, helpless affection swelled in my throat.
He had listened to my fears without judging me. He hadn't told me to 'just get over it.' He had understood what was happening inside my body, given me simple tools, and held my hand while I took the first step.
Beside him, the loud, chaotic city of Sylvaris didn't feel quite so terrifying anymore.
I took a quiet breath, stepping closer until our sleeves brushed once again.
And as we turned the corner toward the lower medical district, the bustling sounds of the open-air market grew louder ahead.
Suddenly, the cheerful ambient hum of market vendors was shattered by a violent crash.
"YOU DIRTY CHEATS!" a man's furious roar echoed across the square. "That rank 3 subterranean goblin lord bounty was registered to the Sylvaris Guild 2 full days ago! You Requiem scavengers have no right to touch the board!"
Eep!
I jumped slightly, instinctively ducking closer behind Kaiser's shoulder.
Ahead of us, where the wide stone avenue opened into the lower medical district, a thick ring of frightened merchants and passersby had scrambled backward. In the center of the clearing, 2 armed adventurer parties stood locked in a vicious confrontation.
On 1 side stood 4 adventurers wearing the silver badges of the local Sylvaris Guild: a burly frontline fighter clad in dented iron plate armor, a red-haired woman with twin daggers, a shieldbearer bracing a heavy oak buckler, and a slender elven girl in emerald robes with long honey-colored hair.
Facing them were 3 figures wearing the dark-iron insignias of the Requiem Guild, led by a tall, gaunt combat mage clutching an obsidian staff.
"The board is open to anyone with the guts to claim it!" the Requiem mage sneered, his face twisting with spite. "If your party is too slow to reach the guild counter, that's your failure! Out of our way, or we'll clear the street ourselves!"
"Try it, snake!" the burly Sylvaris frontline fighter snarled, stepping forward with his broadsword drawn.
"Phyllon, wait! Don't engage in the middle of town!" the red-haired woman shouted.
It happened in less than 1 second.
The Requiem mage's eyes flashed with a sickly, purplish-green light. He raised his obsidian staff and lashed it forward with vicious force.
"Toxicus Miasma!"
A thick, foul cloud of oily violet smoke burst from the tip of his staff, hissing through the air like an enraged serpent and slamming directly into the vanguard's face and throat.
Phyllon gasped, stumbling back 2 steps. The broadsword slipped from his fingers, clattering loudly against the cobblestones.
He didn't just fall—he collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.
"PHYLLON!" the elven girl screamed.
Phyllon thrashed on the cold stones, curling into a tight ball. His hands clawed desperately at his own neck and abdomen, his skin turning a ghastly, mottled purple. Thick, frothing black blood bubbled out of his mouth and nose, splattering across the cobblestones in violent, choking sputters.
"H-hurts...!" Phyllon wheezed, his voice choked with liquid. "B-burning... my chest... can't... breathe...!"
The entire square froze in horror.
Even the Requiem mage who had cast the spell went ghostly pale, his hands trembling violently as he backed away.
"N-no... wait..." the mage stammered, looking horrified at his own staff. "I—I only meant to cast a basic numbing hex! The mana surged... the incantation inverted! Cancel! Reversio! Cancel!"
He pointed his trembling staff at Phyllon, chanting frantically, but nothing happened. The black blood continued to pour from Phyllon's lips, and dark, spiderweb-like veins were rapidly spreading upward toward his jaw.
"You poisoned him with forbidden cursed magic, you bastard!" the shieldbearer roared, drawing his mace.
The Requiem mage panicked, nearly tripping over his own robes as his 2 companions dragged him backward, terrified of what they had just done.
Beside the dying Phyllon, the elven girl dropped to her knees in the dirt. Her slender hands glowed with a bright emerald light as she pressed them firmly against Phyllon's stomach.
"Purgatio veneni!" she chanted through streaming tears. "Purga et sana!"
The green light washed over his body.
Nothing changed.
In fact, Phyllon arched violently off the ground, a strangled gurgle tearing from his throat as even more black blood spilled from his lips. His pupils dilated into pinpricks, rolling upward.
"Why isn't it working?!" the elf girl sobbed, her honey hair whipping wildly as she frantically pumped mana into his stomach. "Why isn't the detoxification clearing the poison?! Hold on, Phyllon! Please! Purgatio veneni!"
"Tia, he's dying!" the red-haired woman cried out, dropping to her knees beside her. "His pulse is fading!"
My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.
Someone is dying right in front of us...
I looked up at Kaiser.
His expression had completely transformed. The easygoing, teasing smile was gone, replaced by a terrifying, razor-sharp focus. His vibrant blue eyes narrowed, sweeping across the dying man with cold speed.
He was muttering under his breath, his words coming out in sharp, rapid deductions:
1. Cyanotic blue at the throat... the body is starved of oxygen. Frothing blood means the cursed smoke attacked his lungs, not his stomach.
2. The victim's spasms are choking off his windpipe. At best, I'll have 2 minutes before his heart gives out.
3. Standard magical detoxification failed because the elven healer is pushing magic into his belly instead of his lungs, forcing the poison right back up his throat.
Kaiser's gaze snapped away from the dying man, scanning the surrounding square with breathtaking speed.
His eyes lingered 40 paces away on a dwarven mechanical repair workshop—its heavy iron shutters were locked down with a thick brass padlock.
Then his eyes darted 30 paces to the left, locking onto an open-air herbal flower stall with wooden crates overflowing with mountain roots and dried purple blossoms.
He's looking for tools...
The realization hit me with sudden, breathtaking clarity.
Kaiser doesn't have magic. But he's already figured out how to save that man using medicine and mechanics! He's going to do it all by himself...!
A sudden, fierce pang tightened in my chest.
No. I don't want him to carry the entire responsibility alone. I want to help him! I want to save that man too!
Kaiser turned his head, his blue eyes meeting mine. His voice was low, fast, and remarkably steady.
"Eve, can you stand here for a bit?"
Before I could answer, he turned on his heel and sprinted toward the herbal flower stall like a gust of wind.
"I-I'll try..." I whispered softly.
And right at that exact instant, a sudden, blinding throb pulsed behind my temples.
Ow...!
A sharp gasp escaped my lips. I clamped both hands against my head as a burst of dizzying, white-hot light flashed behind my eyelids.
It wasn't a memory of my own life. It wasn't something anyone had ever taught me in the palace.
It was a sudden, crystal-clear flood of pure, unshakeable certainty:
The spell failed because the poison is in his chest! He inhaled that dark smoke straight into his lungs!
If she keeps forcing healing magic into his stomach, the pressure will push all that trapped poison upward and drown his breathing completely!
She has to clear his lungs 1st!
The words burned inside my mind in clean, archaic elvian.
My feet moved before my fear could catch up.
I have to help her! I can't just stand here!
I bunched up my frilly yellow skirts in both hands and dashed straight into the center of the clearing.
"Hey! Back off!" the shieldbearer, Varel, shouted, throwing out an arm to block me. "It's too dangerous!"
"Stay back!" the red-haired rogue, Asyla, yelled, her daggers trembling in her hands. "Who are you?!"
"It doesn't matter who I am!" I shouted back.
My voice didn't waver. There was no stutter, no hesitation, no bashful blush. All the nervous terror that usually choked my throat had vanished beneath the roaring need to keep that man alive.
I dropped to my knees directly beside the weeping elf, the dirt staining the lace of my hem.
"Stop channeling magic into his stomach!" I said, grabbing Tia's glowing wrists with firm, steady hands.
"The poison isn't in his stomach! He breathed that cursed smoke right into his lungs! Every time you push magic into his stomach, you're forcing the bad blood straight up into his throat and drowning him!"
Tia looked at me with wide, tear-filled green eyes, her pointed ears trembling.
"B-but... but Purgatio is the only detox spell taught in the lower academies!" she cried, her voice cracking with despair. "I don't know any other purification formula!"
"I will give you the formula," I said, looking straight into her eyes with total conviction. "Shift your hands to his upper breastbone. Channel your magic directly into his breathing, not his belly. Repeat after me! Exactly as I say it!"
Tia swallowed hard, nodding frantically. She shifted her glowing palms from Phyllon's stomach up to the center of his chest, just beneath his collarbone.
I took a deep breath and recited the archaic incantation:
"Spiritus purga, venenum pulmonis expelle!"
Tia's voice joined mine, desperate and clear:
"Spiritus purga, venenum pulmonis expelle!"
A brilliant, radiant azure light flared from Tia's fingertips, sinking deep into Phyllon's chest plate.
Phyllon's spine arched violently off the cobblestones. His mouth opened in a massive, ragged gasp, and a thick, tar-like clot of black, foul-smelling poison surged out of his throat, splashing onto the stones away from his face.
Tia gasped in terror, stumbling backward on her knees.
"Phyllon! Oh gods, what did I do?! What did I do wrong?!"
"You did it right!" I said quickly, catching her trembling shoulder. "He's coughing up the bad poison! His lungs are clear now!"
Phyllon slumped back onto the stones with a heavy thud.
Wait.
My eyes dropped to his chest.
It wasn't moving.
The black fluid had stopped coming out, but his chest remained completely still. His jaw was slack, his skin pale as ash, and his lips were turning dark blue.
I pressed 2 trembling fingers against the side of his neck.
Nothing.
No steady thump. Only a tiny, frantic flutter beneath my fingertips—like a trapped moth beating its wings against glass.
His heart is shivering!
Panic flared in my chest, but right behind it came an unexplainable flash of practical knowing:
The shock seized his heart! It's fluttering in a trembling seizure instead of pumping blood! If it stays like that, he won't last 2 minutes!
Across the square, Kaiser was frantically grinding dried roots against a flat granite mortar at the flower stall, working with breathtaking speed. But even the best medicine couldn't do anything if his heart wasn't beating to carry it through his blood.
If a clockwork spring gets jammed, you tap it to get it ticking again... and if a trembling heart is stuck in shock, you have to hit it with a spark to snap it back into a rhythm!
I need a shocker!
I jumped to my feet.
"Keep his head tilted back!" I told Asyla and Varel, pointing at Phyllon's neck. "Make sure his throat stays open!"
"Where are you going?!" Asyla yelled after me.
I didn't answer. I was already sprinting toward the dwarven mechanical repair shop across the cobblestones, my frilly skirts rustling against my shins.
My fingers reached into my hair, pulling out 1 of the slender, tempered-steel hairpins holding my white ribbon.
I reached the heavy iron door of the workshop. A thick, 4-tumbler brass padlock secured the iron chain against the latch.
Without a single second of hesitation, my hands moved on pure, terrifying reflex.
I bent the tip of the hairpin at a precise 45-degree angle. I slipped it into the keyway, applying tension with my thumb while lifting the pins with the tip of the steel wire.
Click. Pin 1 set.
Click. Pin 2 set.
Click. Pin 3 set.
Snap!
The cylinder rotated. The heavy padlock sprang open in under 3 seconds.
I pulled the chain loose and shoved the heavy wooden door open, slipping inside.
I am not a thief! Stealing is wrong!
The stubborn resolve rang through my mind with absolute clarity. I reached deep into the pocket of my frilly yellow dress, pulled out 4 shiny copper coins—almost all the allowance I had saved—and slammed them down firmly on the front wooden counter where the owner would see them immediately.
Please let there be wire... please...!
My hands moved on pure, frantic instinct—as if my fingers already knew every drawer and shelf in the dark workshop:
- 1 spool of insulated copper wire from the workbench shelf.
- 2 brass gear-linkages for a lever.
- 1 small dwarven spark-cylinder from the repair rack—the kind miners use for shock-lanterns!
- 2 flat iron plates from the scrap bin.
I didn't have wire clippers, so I bit straight into the copper wire with my teeth, stripping the outer wrapping off with a sharp tug. It tasted like bitter metal and machine grease, but I didn't care. I wound the bare copper tight around the dual terminals of the spark-cylinder, secured the iron plates to the ends, and clicked the brass lever into place.
It needs an electric charge!
I remembered the gentle, crackling static Kaiser had taught me to gather at the tips of my fingers in the kitchen.
Focus, Eve... just a little spark, like he taught you!
Snap!
A bright, crackling blue spark jumped from my index finger directly into the cylinder's intake valve. The small brass cylinder vibrated violently in my hands, emitting a high-pitched, buzzing electric whine.
It's charged! WAHHH, it actually worked!
I shoved my way back out the door, pulled the chain tight, slipped the padlock back into place, and snapped it shut with a firm press.
Then I turned and sprinted back across the square, clutching the improvised shock device against my chest.
I slid on my knees across the dirt, coming to a halt right beside Phyllon's limp body.
"Move back!" I cried.
Tia scrambled backward, staring in shock at the contraption in my hands. "What... what is that iron thing?!"
"Don't touch him with bare metal!" Varel shouted, reaching out to grab my shoulder.
"DON'T TOUCH HIM!" I yelled, slapping his hand away. "Stay back! If you touch the metal, the current will shock your heart too!"
I placed 1 flat iron plate firmly against his upper right chest, just below his collarbone. I pressed the 2nd iron plate against his lower left ribs, right over his heart.
Please work... please wake up!
I took a sharp breath, gripped the brass lever, and squeezed.
"Discharge!"
CRACK!
A sharp, violent blue arc of electricity snapped through the contact plates. Phyllon's entire upper body jolted 3 inches off the ground, his spine snapping straight as the current blasted through his chest.
"PHYLLON!" Tia shrieked, clutching her face.
"Are you trying to execute him?!" Asyla screamed, lunging toward me.
"His heart was stuck in a tremor!" I shouted, breathing hard as my eyes stayed glued to his chest. "The shock jolts it so the muscles remember how to beat together!"
The brass condenser was still buzzing, but his chest remained motionless.
No... please... beat! Come on, beat!
A shadow fell over me.
Kaiser dropped to 1 knee on the opposite side of Phyllon's body.
He didn't yell. He didn't ask a single question. In his large hands, he held a clean white linen cloth dripping with a dense, pungent, violet-and-green paste.
His blue eyes met mine across the dying man's chest.
"Is it beating?" he asked, his voice steady as granite.
"Not yet! It's still shivering!" I answered, my hands trembling against the iron plates. "We need 1 more jolt!"
"Hit him again," Kaiser said, his knuckles tightening around the cloth. "On your mark."
I channeled another spark from my fingers into the condenser. The brass coils whined with power.
Come on, wake up!
I gritted my teeth and slammed the lever down.
"NOW!"
CRACK-ZAP!
A 2nd, louder electrical arc blasted through Phyllon's torso.
In the exact microsecond the current dissipated and Phyllon's chest relaxed, Kaiser leaned forward with terrifying precision. He used his thumb and forefinger to pry Phyllon's slack jaw wide open, clamped the linen cloth directly over his mouth, and squeezed with all the strength in his forearms.
A thick stream of dark violet-and-green juice flooded straight down the man's throat.
"Swallow," Kaiser commanded, his deep voice carrying an undeniable force.
Kaiser stroked the front of Phyllon's throat, forcing the swallowing reflex to engage.
1 second passed.
2 seconds.
The square was dead silent. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Then—
GASP!
Phyllon's eyes flew wide open. His chest heaved upward in a massive, desperate spasm, sucking in a huge lungful of cold air.
He coughed violently—a ragged, wet sound, but clear! No black necrotic sludge. No frothing blood. Just clean, raw, living air!
I dropped the iron plates and pressed my fingers against his neck.
Thump... thump... thump... thump!
A strong, steady, rhythmic pulse thudded firmly beneath my skin.
"His pulse is back!" I cried out, a radiant, tearful smile bursting across my face. "He's breathing! The beat is completely regular!"
Tia dropped her face into her hands and burst into hysterical, sobbing tears of relief.
"Phyllon... oh my God, Phyllon...!" she wept, crawling forward and wrapping both arms around his shoulders.
She quickly raised her hands, weaving a soft, soothing green recovery spell:
"Sanatio lenis..."
The gentle magic washed over his bruised ribs, sealing the tiny vascular tears in his throat and allowing him to sink into a peaceful, stabilizing sleep.
Around us, the silence in the square broke.
A single merchant clapped his hands. Then 2. Then a guard.
And within 3 seconds, the entire street erupted into thunderous, roaring applause!
The 3 Requiem Guild members who had caused the fight stepped forward, their heads hanging in deep humiliation and fear. The combat mage fell to his knees on the cobblestones, bowing his head until his forehead touched the dirt.
"I... I am so sorry," the mage stammered, his voice choked with genuine remorse. "The argument over the bounty was petty... I almost murdered an honorable adventurer. I will surrender my staff and guild badge to the authorities immediately."
Asyla looked down at him with cold disgust, but nodded curtly. "Get out of our sight before I change my mind."
The Requiem members scrambled away in shame.
Just then, a tall, broad-shouldered man wearing the blue longcoat of a senior guild sector supervisor pushed through the crowd, his eyes wide as he inspected Phyllon's steady breathing.
"What happened here?" the supervisor demanded. "Who handled this casualty?"
Tia lifted her tear-streaked face and pointed straight at me and Kaiser.
"They saved him!" Tia exclaimed, her voice ringing across the cobblestones.
"This girl identified some necrotic pulmonary poison when my spells failed! She gave me an ancient High Elven purification incantation, picked open the workshop to build that lightning device, and shocked his heart back to life! And this man brewed an herbal thingy that saved him!"
The supervisor turned toward Kaiser with immense respect. "Sir, what kind of miracle antidote was that?"
Kaiser casually slid his hands into his coat pockets, stepping backward into the edge of the crowd with an indifferent shrug.
"It wasn't a miracle," Kaiser said smoothly, his gravelly voice sounding completely unimpressed.
"The cursed smoke contained serpent bile that eats through the stomach within 3 minutes. I crushed wild Winter Aconite and Silver-root from the flower stall. The sap soothes the burn and neutralizes the venom. The Eve here did all the real work. Without her clearing his lungs and shocking his heart back to life, the medicine wouldn't have done a thing."
The crowd turned their eyes from Kaiser straight toward me.
And before I could even blink, a swarm of adventurers, town guards, and merchants surged forward, completely surrounding me in a tight circle!
W-WAHHHHHH!
"Miss, that was the most incredible thing I've ever seen!" a burly adventurer with a battleaxe shouted, his eyes shining with awe. "You restarted a dead man's heart with scrap iron and gears!"
"Are you an apprentice to a Royal Grandmaster?" a young guard gasped, staring at me as if I were a goddess. "I've never seen anyone move with such terrifying precision!"
"You're like an angel that dropped right out of the sky!" a handsome young swordsman beamed, stepping dangerously close with a warm, flushed smile.
"What's your name, milady? Please, let me buy you a warm drink at the guild tavern!"
"If you ever need rare materials or metal parts, my smithy is at your service for free!" an older dwarven merchant declared proudly.
"To see human hands assemble dwarven galvanic coils in 2 minutes... pure genius!"
"We owe you Phyllon's life," Varel said, bowing deeply to his waist.
"The Sylvaris Guild will never forget this debt, miss."
"You're an absolute miracle worker, such an Angel!" Asyla added, wiping tears from her eyes and grinning warmly at me.
E-eep...!
My cheeks exploded into pure fire.
My heart was racing twice as fast as it had been during the medical emergency!
So many people! So many men staring right at my face! They're all smiling... they're all praising me... what do I do?!
Panic clawed at my throat, but then Kaiser's calm voice from earlier today echoed in my mind:
Look at their forehead. Take a deep breath. Nod gently. Don't run away.
I squeezed my trembling hands together in front of my dress, forced my shoulders to relax, and bowed politely to the crowd.
"Ah... um... th-thank you so much..." I stammered, my voice tiny and sweet, a nervous smile fluttering onto my lips.
"I-I'm just really glad he's breathing... please make sure he drinks plenty of warm broth when he wakes up...!"
The adventurers let out a collective, charmed groan at how adorable my shy reaction was.
"She's so humble!" the swordsman swooned. "An actual angel!"
I forced another polite nod, but suddenly... a cold, heavy weight dropped straight into the pit of my stomach.
Wait.
My eyes darted past the shoulders of the burly adventurers.
15 paces away, outside the circle of the crowd, Kaiser was standing alone.
He was leaning casually against a weathered wooden lamppost, his arms crossed over his chest, his blue eyes watching me in complete silence from the shadows.
Oh no.
My chest squeezed so tight I could barely breathe.
Why is he standing all the way over there in the cold?
He's the person who ran across the market to find those herbs! He mashed the roots against rough stones with his bare hands until his skin turned purple! He saved that man's life just as much as I did... so why is he standing all alone in the dark?!
Why isn't he right here beside me?!
And then, like an icy blade cutting through my ribs, an even more terrifying thought struck me:
...What if I'm doing something horrible to him right now?
I'm standing here in the middle of the street, surrounded by strangers, letting all these men smile at me and praise me... and I'm answering them! I'm giving them attention while he's pushed aside!
A memory from a few nights before flashed through my mind—sharp, confusing, and aching:
Kaiser had collapsed with a fever, and as I sat beside his bed holding his freezing fingers, he had muttered a name in his sleep.
Elfie.
Just hearing that name roll off his lips had made an awful, suffocating weight drop straight onto my heart. It wasn't like a physical wound, but it had hurt so badly—so heavy, cold, and tight, like someone was pressing an iron stone into my ribs. I hadn't even understood what that feeling was! I had just sat there in the dark, feeling so small, lonely, and miserable because I was right beside him, yet his heart was calling for someone else...
And now...
What if Kaiser is standing by that post... feeling that exact same horrible, heavy ache in his chest right now?!
What if he's watching me and thinking I don't care about him?!
What if he thinks I wanted all these strange men to look at me instead of being with him?!
What if I hurt him?! What if he feels distant from me now... what if he hates me?!
W-wahhhh! No, no, no!
"P-please excuse me!" I squeaked, bowing frantically to the crowd. "I have to go! Thank you all, goodbye!"
Before any of the men could say another word, I picked up my skirts, dodged between 2 broad-shouldered mercenaries, and bolted straight across the square toward the lamppost.
I skidded to a halt in front of Kaiser, grabbing his coat sleeve with both trembling hands, my face pale and breathless.
"K-Kaiser...!" I whispered urgently, my pink eyes wide with frantic desperation. "Let's go. Please. Right now!"
Kaiser looked down at me, his eyebrows raising slightly. He glanced over at the crowd of men still waving at me, then looked back at my terrified, flushed expression.
He didn't ask a single question.
He reached down, took my trembling wrist in his firm, warm grip, and gently guided me away from the square, slipping into a quiet, shadowed cobblestone alleyway between 2 tall brick apothecary shops.
The deafening roar of the market faded behind us, replaced by the quiet drip of melting snow from the overhanging eaves.
I leaned back against the cool brick wall of the alleyway, clutching my chest with both hands, my breath coming in ragged, shuddering gasps. My knees felt so weak I could barely stand.
Kaiser stopped right in front of me. He didn't bombard me with questions. Instead, his posture relaxed, his tall frame creating a safe, quiet barrier that shielded me from the bustling street outside.
"Breathe, Eve," he murmured, his gravelly voice dropping into a calm, grounding cadence. "In through your nose, 1... 2... out through your mouth. Just like we practiced earlier. The social interaction is over. You're safe."
I took a shaky, shuddering breath, trying desperately to steady my galloping heart.
Before saying another word, he reached out and gently gathered my small, trembling fingers into his own large palms.
"Your hands," he said softly. "Did the lightning sparks burn your skin?"
I blinked up at him, my breath catching in my throat. "N-no... I... I kept my fingers wrapped in the cloth..."
Kaiser turned my hands over gently, checking my palms and fingertips with a careful scan before letting go.
"Good," he murmured, his blue eyes softening. "Sudden electrical sparks can scorch skin and leave nasty burns if the wire isn't insulated. You were remarkably steady with those iron plates, Eve."
He leaned back slightly against the opposite brick wall, studying my flushed face with unbroken, sincere admiration.
"You did something incredible back there," he said, his deep voice carrying quiet, earnest praise. "Most people—even veteran adventurers with 10 years of combat under their belts—freeze when cursed blood starts spewing across the stones. You saw what was wrong, took charge, gave clear orders to that elven girl, and saved a man's life before anyone else could react. That took real courage."
He smiled faintly, reaching up and gently brushing a stray lock of pink hair from my forehead before tapping it playfully with 1 knuckle.
"You kept your head cool when everyone else lost theirs. You should be proud of yourself, Princess."
AAAAA...
His praise sent a sweet, golden warmth blooming through my chest. His fingers were so warm, his voice so gentle, looking down at me like I had actually done something wonderful.
"Where did you learn how to assemble a shock coil like that?" he asked, his tone curious and completely relaxed. "Dwarven pulse wiring isn't something people just pick up on the street."
My cheeks burned with sudden, agonizing guilt.
"I... I picked the padlock on the dwarven repair shop with my hairpin..." I whimpered, staring down at the tips of my boots.
"B-but I left 4 copper coins on the front counter, Kaiser! I didn't steal anything, I swear! 4 copper coins was more than enough to pay for wire and a scrap spark-cylinder! I even clicked the lock shut when I ran out!"
Kaiser let out a soft, amused snort. "I'm not worried about the 4 copper coins, Eve. You picked a 4-pin dwarven tumbler in seconds flat with a hairpin. That takes master thief-level touch."
"I don't know how I did it..." I whispered, pressing 1 hand against my temple, genuinely bewildered. "My fingers just moved on their own, like I'd opened a thousand locks before..."
"And the elven chant?" Kaiser continued, his gaze piercing yet strangely gentle. "Spiritus purga is an ancient lung-cleansing chant taught to high elven priestesses to clear deadly miasma from sacred groves. A human girl shouldn't even know the words, let alone how to pronounce them."
"I... I had a terrible headache," I stammered, my voice trembling. "Right after you ran off to the flower stall, my head throbbed so hard I saw white light... and then the words just popped into my head, like an old song I'd forgotten. I don't understand how, Kaiser. I really don't."
I looked up at him, biting my lower lip. "What... what were you going to do?"
Kaiser smiled faintly, a remarkably honest warmth softening his rugged features.
"I was going to mash the root paste, sprint back, smash the lock on that same workshop with a paving stone, and twist some wire into a spark coil to shock him myself," he answered smoothly.
"You beat me to the punch by 30 full seconds. If you hadn't cleared his lungs with that chant, my antidote wouldn't have saved him."
He let out a low, quiet chuckle that vibrated softly in the narrow alley.
"You're truly amazing, Eve," he said, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Seems like I can't really predict you after all."
Hearing him call me amazing sent a sweet, dizzying warmth rushing straight to my heart.
...For a few brief seconds.
Because the moment his voice quieted, the dark, tangled spiral in my head started spinning again. Twice as fast. Twice as terrifying.
He's being so kind... so gentle...
B-but... what if he's only saying that to make me feel better?!
What did I just do back there?!
I stood in the middle of all those people, letting all those men smile at me and talk to me, while he was standing by the post in the shadows all by himself!
I gave them attention instead of staying with him!
What if he's hurting inside?! What if he felt that horrible, suffocating ache in his chest—the exact same pain I felt when he muttered that name in his sleep?!
What if he thinks I was ignoring him?! What if he thinks I don't want him by my side?!
What if he feels distant from me now... what if he thinks I'm selfish and horrible, and he never wants to walk with me again?!
My breath hitched. The panic clawed up my throat, squeezing my lungs until my ribs ached.
My smile withered completely. My eyes dropped to the damp cobblestones, my lower lip trembling violently, and hot, stinging tears spilled over my lashes.
Kaiser's smile faded immediately. He pushed off the brick wall, taking a step toward me, his brow furrowing with genuine concern.
"Why do you look so sad?" he asked softly. "I thought you'd be beaming with pride. You just saved someone's life in front of half the district."
"I... I-I..." A tiny, choked whimper escaped my throat.
"Eve?"
A fat, burning tear rolled down my cheek, dripping onto the lace of my collar. The terrifying dam inside my chest broke wide open, and all the frantic, disorganized thoughts came tumbling out in a messy, stuttering sob:
"I... I-I'm s-sorry...!" I wept, clutching the fabric of my frilly skirt until my knuckles turned white. "I'm so, s-so sorry, Kaiser...!"
"Back there... wh-when everyone crowded around me... I... I didn't know what to do...!"
"A-all those people were staring at me, and talking to me, and... and smiling, and calling me an angel, and asking for my name... and I was answering them, and giving them attention... b-but you... you were standing all the way over by the lamppost all by yourself!"
"You were all alone in the cold!"
Kaiser blinked, caught off guard by the sheer intensity in my voice. "Eve, I'm fine standing by a post—"
"N-no, you don't understand!" I sobbed, taking a frantic, trembling step forward until my chest was inches from his coat.
"I... I kept looking over at you, and... and my chest hurt so m-much! I kept thinking... wh-why isn't he here? Why are you standing all the way over there when you're the person who ran across the market for the herbs?! You're the person who mashed them until your hands were purple! You saved his life just as much as I did! You should have b-been standing right there with me...!"
Fresh tears poured down my cheeks in burning streams, my voice breaking into a ragged, desperate squeak:
"A-and then... I-I started thinking... what if I was doing something terrible to you?! Wh-what if you were standing there watching me... feeling that same awful, heavy ache in your chest?!"
"L-like... like the other night, when you collapsed in our room... and you muttered that name in your sleep... that Elfie...!"
Kaiser went completely still, his blue eyes widening slightly.
"Wh-when you said that name... I... I felt this horrible, heavy sting drop right into my chest, Kaiser!" Fresh sobs wracked my shoulders, my fingers digging desperately into my lace apron.
"It was so tight and cold and suffocating, like someone was pressing an iron stone against my heart! I... I didn't even know what it was... I just felt so small and lonely and miserable, because I was right there holding your cold hands, but your heart was calling for someone else...!"
My breath hitched on a ragged, hiccuping sob as I looked up into his deep blue eyes.
"A-and what if you felt that exact same awful, heavy hurt standing by that post?! What if you thought I was ignoring you?! What if you thought I wanted their attention instead of yours?! Wh-what if you feel distant from me now... and you're mad at me, and you don't want to be near me anymore...?!"
The frantic, breathless words hung trembling in the cold alleyway between us.
I was shaking from head to toe, my chest heaving with ragged gasps, clutching my skirts, terrified that he would confirm my worst nightmare—that I had hurt him, that he felt distant, that I had ruined everything.
Kaiser stared down at me.
For a while he was silent. He didn't move. He just looked at my tear-streaked face, my flushed cheeks, my trembling lips, and the sheer, agonizing vulnerability shining in my pink eyes.
And then... a soft, disbelieving breath left his chest.
It wasn't a mocking sound. It was a sound of pure, helpless, bottomless fondness.
"Eve..." he murmured, his deep gravelly voice dropping into the gentlest tone I had ever heard from him. "That heavy, suffocating sting in your chest... that's called jealousy."
I sniffled hard, blinking through a blur of wet eyelashes, staring up at him in dazed confusion.
"J-jealousy...?" I whispered, my voice tiny, lost, and bewildered.
"Yes," Kaiser said, a faint, tender warmth touching the corners of his lips. "That's what that feeling is. And you were standing there panicking... worrying that I was standing by that post feeling jealous, too?"
A tiny whimper escaped my throat, and I nodded faintly, a fresh tear spilling over my cheek.
Before I could say another word, Kaiser stepped forward.
His long arms reached around me, and gently, firmly, he pulled me against his chest in a warm, protective embrace.
Ah...!
A tiny gasp caught in my throat.
He didn't just pat my head. He held me.
1 of his large, warm hands cradled the back of my head, his fingers resting gently against my hair ribbons, while his other arm wrapped securely around my trembling shoulders, pulling me flush against his dark woolen coat.
The scent of winter pine, cold air, and crushed herbal roots enveloped me in an instant. His chest was broad, solid, and wonderfully warm beneath my cheek.
"You're overthinking, Eve," he murmured softly into my hair, his deep voice vibrating right against my ear. "You're overthinking so hard you're scaring yourself over things that aren't even real."
He held me a little closer, his hand stroking down the back of my soft pink hair in a slow, soothing rhythm.
"Why would I ever feel distant from you? How could I ever be upset with you for that?" he said, his tone steady and infinitely patient.
"I wasn't standing by that post feeling hurt or left behind. I wasn't jealous, and I could never hate you."
He paused, a quiet, warm rumble of amusement vibrating in his chest against my cheek.
"I was standing there watching every single one of those fools look at you like an angel... feeling proud that the girl they were all admiring was with me."
Proud that the girl they were all admiring was with him...
Every single drop of fear, guilt, and suffocating worry inside my chest melted away all at once.
A soft, shuddering breath escaped my lips. I didn't pull away. I buried my face deeper into the warm fabric of his coat, my small hands reaching up to clutch his sleeves, letting the steady, powerful rhythm of his heartbeat wash away the lingering cold.
He isn't mad at all.
He doesn't feel distant.
I was just... overthinking. Making up scary nightmares in my own head.
His chest is so warm... his heartbeat is so steady...
For a long, quiet moment, we just stood together in the snowy alleyway, surrounded by the faint drip of melting water.
As the warmth settled deep into my bones, Kaiser gently eased back slightly, letting his hands slide down to my shoulders.
His eyes were crinkled at the corners with that fond, handsome warmth that always made my stomach do flips.
...And that was when my eyes dropped down to his hands.
His other hand was hanging loosely by his side.
His knuckles, his palm, and the tips of his fingers were covered in thick, dark-green and violet stains from the acidic mountain roots. There were tiny, jagged scratches along the heels of his palms from frantically mashing the plants against rough granite stones without any tools.
My heart twitched with an immediate, tender ache.
I reached up with both of my hands. Gently, reverently, I caught his stained right hand, lifting it and cradling it between my small, soft palms.
His skin was rough, calloused, and cool to the touch—just like it had been when we held hands earlier. The sticky herbal residue smelled sharp and medicinal, but I didn't care. I didn't pull away. I just held his hand tighter, tracing the green stains with my thumbs.
"Kaiser..." I whispered, looking up at him through my eyelashes. "Why didn't you take any credit?"
Kaiser glanced down at our joined hands, his expression remaining casual. "I told you. I just crushed a couple of weeds."
"That's not true," I said stubbornly, my voice trembling with earnest emotion.
"You spent your leftover coins at the flower stall. You mashed the roots with your bare hands until your skin turned purple. Without your herbal medicine, his stomach would have burned through from the poison... but when the guild supervisor asked who saved him, you stepped backward into the crowd and let me have all the glory."
"Glory and attention aren't valuable to me, Eve," Kaiser said with a dry, quiet chuckle. "And drawing attention from guild authorities brings unnecessary complications. As long as the man is breathing, the problem is solved."
"No," I said, shaking my head firmly.
I squeezed his rough, stained fingers with all the strength in my hands, holding his gaze with fierce, loving determination.
"Next time you do something amazing... don't hide yourself. Please...?"
Kaiser went quiet, his blue eyes studying my stubborn expression.
"You worked just as hard as I did," I continued softly, my voice filled with gentle warmth. "You saved that man's life just as much as I did. They would have thanked you too. Next time... please be more present. Stand beside me, and accept the gratitude you deserve. Don't just fade away into the dark."
For a long moment, Kaiser didn't answer.
The cold winter wind drifted down the alleyway, rustling his dark hair. In the quiet shadows, his sharp, guarded features seemed to soften completely, peeling away the layers of calculating detachment until only the man underneath remained.
He looked at my hands holding his. Then he looked up into my eyes.
"All right," he murmured, his deep voice carrying a quiet, genuine promise. "Next time I do something... I'll do my best to stay by your side."
A spark of pure, radiant hope flared in my chest.
"Really?" I asked, my voice rising in anticipation.
Kaiser smiled—a real, unfiltered, breathtakingly handsome smile.
"Really."
A bubbly, golden squeal burst from my throat before I could stop myself.
"Yippee!" I beamed, bouncing on my heels, my skirts swishing against my knees.
Kaiser let out another raspy chuckle, looking down at his green-tinted knuckles, then over at my fingers, which were now smudged with green sap and metallic copper dust.
"Well, 'girlfriend,'" he teased, his blue eyes dancing with mirth, "before we march into the clinic looking like dirty chimney sweepers, we'd better wash this mess off."
I blushed furiously at the word girlfriend, but a bright, joyful giggle escaped my lips anyway.
"Yes, please!"
We stepped out of the quiet alleyway and walked together toward the entrance of the medical district. Beside the tall iron archway stood an ancient, beautifully carved stone fountain. Clear, cold mountain spring water cascaded steadily from the mouth of a stone lion into a wide, polished basin.
We stood side by side at the fountain's edge.
The cold water was shockingly crisp, but as we dipped our hands beneath the stream, the dark green stains and metallic gray dust swirled away into the clear basin, leaving our skin clean and refreshed. Kaiser handed me a clean linen handkerchief to dry my fingers, and I handed it back so he could dry his.
I took a deep, steady breath of the crisp winter air.
My hands were clean. My heart was light.
The strange, miraculous skills that had flashed in my mind were still a complete mystery to me... but standing here, watching Kaiser slide his clean hands back into his pockets with that faint, reassuring smile on his face, I didn't feel afraid of the unknown anymore.
I had saved a life today.
And more than that... he was proud of me.
I really can't wait to see who he was visting!
With a happy, quiet skip in my step, I fell into stride beside him, our shoulders gently brushing as we walked up the stone steps and pushed open the heavy wooden doors of the clinic.