After days imrsed in investigations, shadows, torture and all the madness hidden beneath the surface of Azalith Academy, Kael decided he deserved a breather. A day without blood. No forbidden magic. No need to walk around with tense shoulders, waiting for sothing - or soone - to erge from the darkness.
The town surrounding the academy... in fact, Azalith itself, was a sight to behold. Known for its renowned magical trade and its almost enchanting cultural diversity, it was a living joy in the heart of the continent. And yet Kael would never have the luxury of exploring it. To be fair, he hardly knew it. He had only been there the first day he arrived, when they were welcod into Adalric's imposing mansion - together with Irelia, of course.
Since then, it had been all training, blood and secrets.
The next morning, with the determination of soone about to commit a petty cri against their own routine, Kael dressed surprisingly simply. A dark linen shirt, comfortable pants and worn boots - like an ordinary citizen, lost among so many. The gray hood covered his scarlet eyes, and for a rare occasion, he carried no visible weapon.
Perhaps for the first ti... he didn't want to be a warrior.
Little did he know that he was being watched. In fact, not just watched - but accompanied with the sa intensity as a real escort mission. And who was watching him? Well... it was the sa people as always.
They always were.
Possessive? Maybe. Protective? Certainly. But above all... attached to him in a way that none of them will fully admit. At least, not at the sa ti.
"He's gone." Alia closed the grimoire of incantations with a resounding clang, her amber eyes narrowing with attention. She watched through the window of the girls' dormitory, from where she had a privileged view of the back courtyard.
"He never goes out alone... Sothing's strange." She stord off with the energy of one forming.
Or perhaps... interesting.
A mischievous smile appeared on her lips as she descended the stairs, already mapping out the plan in her mind.
"Ti to assemble the team."
Less than an hour later, Irelia was standing in front of Sylphie's bedroom door, tapping her knuckles as impatiently as ever. Her long black hair was tied up in an elegant bun, but her gaze showed the sa determined fire of soone who had already decided what to do - and no one was going to stop her.
When Sylphie answered the door, with her platinum hair still a little ssy and sleepy eyes, Irelia unceremoniously pushed the door open. "Get ready. Hurry up. Kael's out."
Sylphie blinked, confused, frowning.
"He left? What do you an? Where did he go?"
"I don't know. But Alia's already waiting. And we're going after him."
"We? But..."
"Do you want to stay here or do you want to see what he's up to on his own, for the first ti since he arrived?"
Sylphie hesitated. For a brief mont, her instinct told her to let it go, go back to bed or to her studies... but then the image of Kael ca to mind. His serious gaze, his husky, distant voice, and the way that, even without realizing it, he stirred sothing inside her.
Her heart leapt.
"...Give five minutes."
Kael, for his part, was enchanted by Azalith.
The main market was like a living painting - an explosion of cores, sounds and slls that almost demanded their own will. The air was infused with the sweet scent of candied fruit, rare spices and magical perfu freshly poured from handmade jars. The polished stone streets glowed under the light of floating lanterns, while the stalls vied for attention with enchanted signs that danced in the air like fireworks.
Silver-haired elves negotiated ancient projects with calculated precision. Laughing dwarves demonstrated smoky contraptions that gave off colorful sparks and slled of caral or charcoal. Even coins floated montarily between hands in subtle magic tricks every day.
Kael had lost himself for a long ti in front of a particularly captivating scene: an old wizard with a turquoise beard was teaching the children how to mold small flas into the shape of animals. Fire dragons danced amid laughter, while a little girl created a flaming cat that lounged in the air.
Kael shared from the side, leaning against a wooden column carved with protective runes.
"That's all mana should do sotis..." he said with a light sigh. "Give joy. Not pain."
But, as expected... that peace wouldn't last.
"KAEL!"
He heard the voice before he even turned around.
Alia.
She appeared like a hurricane among the people, her long white hair fluttering behind her like a celestial tail, her eyes shining with restless energy. She wore casual clothes, but nothing about her managed to look really normal - not even when she tried.
"You wouldn't sneak out without calling us, would you? That would be... treason!"
Kael arched an eyebrow, visibly defeated by the sudden interruption.
"Not that I've contracted a tour with you..." he muttered dryly, but the corner of his mouth betrayed a certain amusent.
He barely had ti to react before another shadow appeared beside him.
Irélia.
With her long golden hair tied up in a ticulously made braid, she walked with elegance - as if she were parading through a gala ballroom rather than a crowded market. The light, understated dress she wore danced with the wind, and the look she threw Kael was the usual one: a complex mix between defiance and sothing softer, which she pretended not to feel.
"If you're going to walk around like a civilian, you'd better have decent company." She crossed her arms. "You never know what might happen to soone like you. Especially soone with a reputation for attracting trouble."
Kael let out a long sigh, but the final blow was yet to co.
Sylphie appeared last, shyly, almost hiding among the city's natural camouflage spells. She wore a light blue-grey dress, with subtle silver details on the sleeves, which swayed with her hesitant steps. Her silver hair fell like a shimring veil, and her green eyes turned away every ti Kael tried to look directly at her.
She stopped a few paces from him, her hands delicately intertwined behind her back.
"I'm sorry..." she said, in an almost childish whisper. "I... thought it would be fun to co too. Together."
Kael ran a hand over his face, his shoulders slumping in quiet resignation.
"I just wanted to buy a book. Maybe have so tea..." But it was too late. He was surrounded. And deep down... he knew he didn't care.
So, together, they started walking.
The fair occupied an entire square, a pulsating expanse of aromas, colors and children - more than fifty stalls arranged in a circle, each representing a distinct corner of the known kingdoms. From the hot spices of the Crimson Desert to the icy sweets of the northern lands, everything seed to invite the senses to a dance of discovery.
Alia was the first to act, pulling Kael with youthful passion towards a stall shrouded in aromatic smoke. A burly dwarf was roasting skewers of smoked griffin at over enchanted coals that gave off purple sparks. The sll was strong, wild, with a hint of burning pepper.
"You have to try this!" she said, already biting into her own skewer with gusto, eyes shining.
Kael hesitated, staring at the at as if it was going to growl back at him... but eventually accepted. And to his surprise, it tasted delicious - juicy, with a complex smokiness reminiscent of magic wood and a slight sweetness.
anwhile, Irelia watched the frenzy with an air of slight disdain, like soone watching a feature show. Always elegant, she preferred sothing more... sophisticated. She led the group to a small, discreet-looking tavern with blue velvet awnings and soft music played by floating instrunts.
"They serve real magical wines here. None of those sweet fairground drinks," she said, and ordered a glass of Lotus Blood, a dark, viscous wine (although it contained no alcohol) that shimred in the light. As she drank it, her body seed to glow slightly, becoming almost translucent for a few seconds.
Kael arched an eyebrow. "You're literally evaporating."
Irelia smiled with superiority. "It's the ethereal charm. You wouldn't understand."
Sylphie, anwhile, lost herself among the stalls of magical sweets, her eyes shining like a child's at a festival. She chose a tower of enchanted cookies, which floated around her like little golden satellites, each one changing shape according to the emotion of the beholder.
She took one carefully, offering it to Kael with a shy smile.
"This one changes flavor according to what you're feeling."
Kael took a bite. The cookie tasted like... curiosity.
Between bites, he tasted a little of everything - the exotic wine, the floating sweets, the spicy dishes - trying to pretend he didn't notice how, at every step, the three entered into a kind of silent competition for his attention.
Alia laughed loudly and made jokes all the ti, purposely bumping into him with "accidental" elbows.
Irelia kept her posture impeccable, but was always by his side, correcting the way he held his glass or comnting on how his outfit could be more elegant.
Sylphie, even in her shyness, approached in a delicate way, offering a handkerchief to wipe her fingers or pointing out stores with fine eyes.
And Kael... well, he just tried not to blush.
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