The commotion was unmistakable. Thousands of people talked and moved throughout the vast market. Despite being busy and crowded, people walked in a standardized and courteous manner, without haste and with a calmness that almost seemed robotic. In this way, the cycle of movement remained orderly, a clear display of noble education and customs that transcended any disorder.
Amid the contrast of nobles and bustling streets, in a dimly lit alley, a boy with long, wavy black hair sat on the ground. He tore off one sleeve of his ragged and somewhat dirty shirt, wrapping it around his right arm and tying a firm knot over a wound. He panted and let out quiet grunts of pain. Then he braced himself against the ground and forced himself to stand. Hearing approaching footsteps, he decided to walk toward the crowd. His appearance made him stand out in that place, so he quickly moved into another alley and passed through the masses. His leg bothered him and made him limp, but he could not stop.
— I have to get back... — said the boy as he grabbed the fabric of his pants and kept walking.
The path through the alleys of that place was steep and narrow, yet clean. That was bad for the boy, because the lack of boxes or other kinds of objects he would normally see in poor areas of the Empire meant he had nowhere to hide.
The path was short, but in his condition, it felt even longer. The boy then leaned against the wall and fell soon after, ending up near the entrance of the alley. He saw nobles passing by less frequently and theorized that he was close to leaving the market. He looked back and saw none of his pursuers anywhere.
His leg throbbed painfully, and blood once again began to seep from the wound on his arm that he had suffered earlier. He placed a hand over the wound, squeezing it, which made him grunt again.
— ...Are you alright? — A curious and gentle voice came from the alley entrance.
The boy turned his eyes toward the entrance, the dim light blurring his sight. He looked down and found small feet hidden in noble slippers. He realized it was a girl. Then he turned his gaze forward again, understanding that it was not something threatening him.
— Dear, don't wander too far! — said Altheria, turning to give attention to some nobles calling for her.
Two guards of the Valemortis family approached Elyandra. The sound of their footsteps alarmed the boy, who tried to stand, but the pain made him collapse again. Noticing this, Elyandra raised a hand toward the two guards, signaling them to wait.
— Lady Elyandra, is there a problem? — asked the guard.
— No, none at all. I simply need to organize my bag — Elyandra replied. — Could you inform my mother to wait a little before we continue?
— Very well. You stay here and watch over her — one of the guards said to his companion before walking away.
Noticing that only one had remained, Elyandra crouched down, placing her bag at the entrance of the alley. She then took out a small notepad while being watched by the guard. Pretending to look inside the bag, she wrote on the pad to give the impression that she was taking notes about her newly acquired magical objects. She placed the pad beside the bag, out of the guard's sight, and pushed it toward the boy.
Seeing that gesture, he reached out and took it. His vision was already nearly failing as he read.
"You seem badly hurt. What happened? Judging by your clothes, I can tell you're not from here. By any chance, are you a bandit or something like that?"
He turned his eyes to the girl and shook his head while watching her discreetly search through her backpack. With a subtle gesture, she pointed at the notepad. Realizing she wanted it back, the boy crawled a little closer to the alley entrance and handed it to her. Now that they were practically side by side, Elyandra looked upward and positioned the notebook in front of her lips, hiding it from the guard.
— It seems you have problems with guards — Elyandra whispered. — I don't see anything strange about you, but I don't believe you're not some kind of bandit, after all... I don't think you would hand over that information so easily.
The boy grew more serious and reached behind his back, drawing a knife. However, taking advantage of being in the guard's blind spot, Elyandra extended one finger toward him, her eyes now fixed on his.
— Don't do that — she whispered. — I guarantee that before you could do anything against me, that guard would reach us, and you would be in quite a troublesome situation.
— ...I'm not a bandit, but I don't think a noble like you would listen to me anyway — said the boy, his blurred vision still trying to make out the girl's face.
— Then how did you end up like this?
The boy sheathed the knife and raised a hand to his ear, moving the hair away from it and revealing a pureblood earring. Upon seeing the earring, Elyandra's eyes widened, and her somewhat methodical expression changed.
— Do you know what this is? Actually, I doubt someone like you would know, but this makes me some kind of object. But forget it. Just go back to your luxurious life and leave me alone.
While they spoke, a certain disturbance was taking place. Some people were bumping into nobles, which caused some confusion. It was a group of rather strange people, wearing clothes that did not resemble those of the shoppers there in the slightest.
— Those rats... — said the boy, even without seeing them.
The guard who was with Elyandra saw Altheria approaching the commotion together with the rest of the guards escorting her.
— What is happening here, gentlemen? — said Altheria, stepping forward and confronting the group.
One of the men, who had seemed hurried at first, stopped. At first he did not notice who was confronting him, but when he saw the crest of House Valemortis, he calmed down immediately.
— ...Lady Valemortis, we apologize for the intrusion.
Altheria still maintained her characteristic smile, her guards escorting her in front of the group.
— Lady Elyandra, come closer to us. Something is happening — said the guard who was with Elyandra, turning to get a better look at what was going on.
— Right away, just a moment! — said Elyandra.
The girl then turned back to the boy, noticing the guard's distraction.
— Very well, for now...
Elyandra fell silent. Her eyes fixed on a man standing beside them. He wore black clothing accompanied by a cloak that covered one arm and a half-mask that concealed his nose and mouth. His gray hair covered part of his gaze, even though it was tied into a bun. He had approached as silently as an ant.
The girl's silence alerted the boy, who turned at that very moment to see what she was seeing. He was immediately met with a kick that knocked him unconscious on the spot.
— I knew you wouldn't get far... And what do we have here? — The man then looked at Elyandra. — A white-haired noble...
The man noticed Elyandra's pureblood earring and her golden eyes.
— A Saint with pure blood?
Elyandra quickly stood, grabbing her bag, and turned toward the guard escorting her, but a hand seized the collar of her dress and dragged her into the alley before she could call for help. The man then lifted her off the ground with only one arm.
— You are quite a find... A pureblood Saint.
Elyandra grabbed the man's hand, forcing herself upward so she could breathe. Her mind was in turmoil; she knew she had no way to fight that man.
— Look... I don't know who you are or what your connection to that boy is... But I would appreciate it if you let me go — said Elyandra with a fearful look.
— You seem calm. That's good...
The man took out a cloth soaked with some kind of liquid. Elyandra's eyes widened as she recognized the danger of it. She immediately turned her face to scream, but the cloth covered her mouth. She smelled something strange while struggling to free herself, but her mind began shutting down along with her vision. The only thing she could still see was the man's face covered by the mask.
After only a few seconds, the guard who had been with Elyandra noticed her disappearance and ran into the alley, but found it empty, with only a bloodstain on the ground.
— Lady Elyandra, but where did she go?! — He quickly turned to Altheria and shouted: — Lady Valemortis!
The cry drew Altheria's attention, and she turned, somewhat frightened.
— Lady Elyandra has vanished!
— What? How?! — the woman asked.
— She was right here just now. I turned to look at the commotion, and when I turned back, she had disappeared.
At that very moment, Altheria went pale, her eyes wide open. She ran into the alley and noticed the blood on the ground, her soul seeming to leave her body. She turned her face toward the crowd, searching for Elyandra, and in a fraction of a second noticed the group she had confronted dispersing. They wore somewhat fearful and concerned expressions, which awakened a strange feeling within Altheria.
— Those men, seize them now! — Altheria said to her guards.
Noticing the woman's shout and the guards approaching, the men sensed danger and began to run. The guards of House Valemortis did not fall behind and pursued them. Meanwhile, Altheria looked back into the alley and noticed on the ground the black ribbon Elyandra wore in her hair, which made her even more desperate, causing tears to well in her eyes.