As was his custom, Uriel settled behind the counter with his steaming cup of coffee and his book.
"How to Conquer the Duke of the North" awaited him on the page where he'd left off the night before, and his eyes scanned the lines with the eagerness of one who finds refuge in others' words. The story had reached an exciting point. The protagonist, Lady Rosalind, had just discovered that the Duke of the North was not a simple noble, but an ancient dragon in disguise who had lost his memory. The plot twist was absurd, ridiculous, and utterly wonderful. Uriel smiled inwardly as he devoured the chapter.
The tinkling of the bell snapped him out of his literary trance. His first customer of the day had arrived.
A young woman entered, dragging her feet. It was Sid, who was in her mid-twenties, with chestnut hair tied back in a practical ponytail and dark circles that betrayed a sleepless night. She wore the uniform of the Fire Guardians, though her cloak was worn and her armor showed signs of recent battles. She dropped onto the stool closest to the counter with a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders.
"Good morning, Jin-woo."
"Good morning, Sid," Uriel replied, closing his book with a careful gesture. "Looks like you had quite a long night."
Sid nodded, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "Long isn't the right word. We had a nightmare creature incursion in the eastern sector last night. We fought until dawn." She yawned, not bothering to cover her mouth. "Sometimes I wonder why I didn't pursue something quieter. Like baking, for example."
Uriel shook his head, a knowing smile on his lips. "That's exactly why I became a master and opened my own place in Bastion. To keep away from those mindless beasts. A baker's life is much more peaceful than a warrior's."
Sid looked at him with an expression that mixed curiosity and skepticism. "Hey, Jin-woo, have you ever killed a creature much stronger than you?"
The question caught him off guard. Uriel was silent for a moment, his fingers drumming on the counter as he considered the answer. Of course he had killed many things. Things far more powerful than himself. He had fought ancestral abominations, survived the clash of two unholy creatures, faced a fallen god, and emerged victorious from battles that would make the most legendary heroes pale. But he couldn't say that.
"Once," he said finally, his tone carefully neutral. "When I was still a Sleeper, I had to kill an Awakened monster with a branch."
Sid blinked, bewildered. Her mouth opened slightly, and for a moment she seemed unsure whether to laugh or take him seriously. "A branch? Is that a joke?"
Uriel shrugged, his expression completely serious. "It was a very sturdy branch. I kept it in its honor, and even had a portrait made of it." He paused, his eyes gleaming with contained amusement. "Want to see it?"
Sid raised a hand in a gesture of surrender. "No, no, that's okay. I believe you." But her tone suggested otherwise.
"Such a pity," Uriel continued, as if he hadn't noticed her disbelief. "I also remember the time I was falling from a very high place and landed on a nightmare creature. A Sleeping beast. I crushed it completely." He paused dramatically. "I got covered in disgusting stuff. Couldn't eat meat for a while."
Sid looked at him with an expression that oscillated between fascination and horror. "And how did you survive that?"
"The fall or not eating meat?"
"Both."
Uriel laughed softly. "Well, after all that, I challenged my second nightmare, survived, and now I live happily in this establishment." He spread his arms in a gesture that encompassed the entire café. "Life has strange ways of taking you where you need to be."
Sid shook her head, but a smile had formed on her lips. "You're a strange guy, Jin-woo."
"I know. It's part of my charm."
Uriel turned and began preparing Sid's order. His hands moved with the precision of an artist, measuring coffee beans, heating milk, selecting the freshest pastries from the display case. In minutes, he had assembled a bag filled with various coffees and delicious pastries, each packaged with the care of someone who understands that food is more than sustenance—it's comfort, memory, love.
"Here," he said, sliding the bag across the counter. "On the house. Consider it a gift for your service to the city."
Sid opened her mouth to protest, but Uriel interrupted her with a wave of his hand.
"And if you want to hear another story," he added, his smile widening slightly, "you're always welcome."
Sid looked at him for a moment, her eyes scanning his face as if searching for something. Finally, she nodded, taking the bag with a grateful gesture. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Jin-woo."
And with that, she left.
Uriel laughed inwardly as he watched Sid disappear through the door. It was fun telling his strange stories to his customers and seeing their bewildered faces. Sid's expression had been particularly rewarding: that perfect mix of disbelief and curiosity that always made him smile. Maybe my next story will be the one about the bones in Godgrave. Or the one about the city without doors. Or the giant serpent. He had so many options to choose from, like a child in a candy store.
The bell chimed again, and this time several citizens of Bastion entered. They were his regular customers: the old man who always ordered a latte and a muffin, the young couple who shared a strawberry cake, the merchant who needed his daily dose of caffeine before opening his shop. Uriel greeted them with a professional smile and began attending to them, his hands moving in a well-rehearsed choreography.
The morning passed between orders and smiles. Uriel prepared coffee, heated milk, decorated pastries, and rang up customers with the efficiency of someone who has turned routine into art. Money accumulated in the cash register, a metallic clinking that was music to his ears.
When the sun reached its zenith, Uriel realized the establishment was empty. Taking advantage of the moment of tranquility, he decided to take a break. He selected several pastries from the display case—a slice of cheesecake, a chocolate croissant, a portion of carrot cake—and stepped outside, settling at one of the tables under the shade of the storefront. The wind was soft and cool, carrying the scent of wildflowers growing in the nearby clearing. Uriel leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for a moment as he savored the first bite of the cheesecake. The texture was perfect, creamy and smooth, with a hint of lemon that balanced the sweetness. He had spent months perfecting that recipe, and every hour of experimentation had been worth it.
After eating, he resumed his reading. "How to Conquer the Duke of the North" awaited him with its pages full of ridiculous plot twists and absurd dialogue. Lady Rosalind had just discovered that the duke had an evil twin brother conspiring to steal his throne. It was a plot so predictable it was irresistible.
He spent an hour like this, immersed in the romantic misadventures of fictional nobility, until his next customers arrived and pulled him from his literary reverie, much to his regret.
The afternoon passed in a whirlwind of activity: entire families seeking refreshment after a walk, young couples on clandestine dates, lonely souls seeking comfort in a cup of hot coffee. Uriel attended to everyone with the same patient smile, his hands never stopping, his mind always present in the moment. There was no time to think about the past or worry about the future. Only the constant rhythm of work, the satisfaction of serving others, the simple joy of a life well lived.
The sun began to descend on the horizon when the last customer left. Uriel stood at the threshold of his shop, watching as the golden hues transformed into oranges and purples. The city of Bastion lit up with the first night lights, a spectacle that always filled him with profound peace.
"One more day," he murmured, stretching his arms above his head. "One more."
He returned inside and began the closing routine: cleaning the counter, washing the cups and plates, storing the unsold pastries, counting the money in the register.
He was about to turn off the lights when the doorbell chimed again.
Uriel looked up, and his heart gave a small leap.
Cassia was there, wrapped in her blue cloak like the night, her blue blindfold hiding her sightless eyes. A calm smile adorned her lips, and her presence filled the establishment with a tranquility that wasn't entirely natural.
"Good evening, Jin-woo," she said, her voice soft and melodious. "I hope I'm not too late."
Honestly, Uriel had completely forgotten that Cassia would come. The day had been so busy that the translation of the diary had taken a backseat, buried under layers of coffee, pastries, and trivial conversations.
"Don't worry," he replied, recovering quickly. "I thought you'd come earlier, but I understand you had a busy day."
Cassia nodded, gliding toward the counter with the grace of a dancer. "The citadel was particularly busy today." She paused, and her smile turned slightly ironic. "But that's not why I'm here. Do you have something to eat? The day has been long and I haven't had time for dinner."
Uriel nodded, turning to prepare a cup of tea and select several sweets from the display case. As he worked, he couldn't help wondering what Cassia knew about the truth of Ariel's tomb. But he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind.
"Here," he said, placing the steaming cup and a plate with pastries in front of her. "Jasmine tea and an assortment of sweets. House specialty."
Cassia took the cup in both hands, inhaling the aroma with an expression of pleasure. "Thank you. It smells wonderful."
Uriel sat on the other side of the counter, pulling out the diary Cassia had given him the night before. "Can I start now?"
"Of course."
Uriel cleared his throat and opened the diary. The ancient symbols gleamed under the lamplight, and he began to read aloud:
"To whoever is reading this, let me tell you two things. First: never invest your money in cryptocurrency, that shit never works. And second: a list of the best porn actresses personally recommended by the Lord of Darkness... Number one, Masturbashadows..."
The silence that followed was so profound you could hear the crackling of the lamps.
Uriel felt cold sweat begin to run down his back. He looked at Cassia, who was completely frozen in place, her teacup halfway to her lips, her face petrified in an expression of disbelief that would make any sculptor pale. Her skin, normally pale and serene, had taken on a slightly rosy tint that suggested that even through her blindfold, she could feel the intensity of his own words.
"That's what it says!" Uriel exclaimed, raising his hands in a gesture of innocence. "I'm not making this up!"
Cassia slowly turned her head toward him, and although the blindfold covered her eyes, Uriel could feel her gaze piercing through him, penetrating his defenses with the precision of a surgical needle. There was skepticism in that gaze. And also a hint of poorly concealed amusement.
"Porn actresses?" she repeated, her voice so flat it could have been mistaken for a table. "Masturbashadows?"
"It's a personal diary," Uriel explained, his tone rising an octave in his defense. "People write strange things in their diaries. I don't judge!"
"Of course you don't."
Uriel felt his reputation crumbling around him. He had survived battles against ancestral abominations, had deceived destiny itself and fought against strange things. He had formed an organization in the shadows. And now, all of that was being destroyed by the words of a simple diary.
Cassia sighed deeply, and for a moment, Uriel thought he saw a smile tremble on her lips before she suppressed it. She murmured something unintelligible, something that sounded suspiciously like "this idiot" or perhaps "these idiots," though it was hard to tell.
"Continue," she said finally, her tone carefully neutral. "But please, omitting any... compromising lists."
Uriel nodded quickly, relieved that there had been no further questions. "Of course. Absolutely! Immediately!"
He cleared his throat again and continued reading, this time more carefully, selecting the parts that didn't involve personal finances or questionable tastes in adult entertainment.