A man came into view, stumbling awkwardly with a wine bottle in his hand. He was drunk, she could tell immediately, but something felt off. "Hic, again. They keep throwing me out," he mumbled in slurred words as he staggered slowly past her.


    Aria felt a queasy sensation stir in her gut. "Shit, I don’t smell any alcohol," she thought, noticing that his cheeks weren’t flushed. Her hand instinctively moved to the knife hidden under her cloak. Another sound made her pause. A firm hand suddenly pressed her against the wall.


    "Well, what do we have here? Not a little princess, I hope," the man laughed, his face cloaked in featureless darkness. It was clear as day that this guy was after her.


    The urge to drive her blade into his flesh surged within her, but she remained calm, her eyes cool and unimpressed. "You’ve got the wrong person. Would you please let me go? I’m on my way to, well, my boyfriend," she murmured, feigning an embarrassed look. Her voice was high-pitched and squeaky. She made a great effort to appear frightened and surprised on the outside. She was a skilled actress.


    His gaze faltered briefly but quickly regained its firmness. "Aria, I know it''s you." The man''s voice cut through the silence of the dark alley. His grip on her arm tightened almost imperceptibly.


    The damp chill of the night seeped through her dark cloak. Her heart began to pound louder. "A little boy’s upset with you for turning him down today. I’m afraid that’s it for you. I know his habits. You’ll probably end up his sex slave. Well, not my problem." His sack of coins clinked as it jangled, a soft, mocking sound that heightened her fear.


    “He’s too strong. What should I do?” she thought desperately, as the shadows of the alley closed in around her. The man’s firm grip and his presence made the chance of escaping seem almost nonexistent.


    The damp, stale air felt suffocating. The man in front of her was tall, perhaps a soldier, and his grip was like an iron band around her arm. She was still just a child, not even twelve years old.


    A desperate smile twisted her lips, and for a moment, she felt trapped in a nightmare. “But I’d rather die. I’ll never be a slave.” Determination flashed in her eyes. She would not give in without a fight. The thought of biting off her tongue crept into her mind, an option she couldn’t shake.


    “Dying from blood loss shouldn’t be too cruel,” she murmured, a shudder passing through her body. The tremor wasn’t just from the cold of the night; it was the gnawing fear of the impending death. Memories of her childhood, of carefree days, flared up.


    She stood on a jagged cliff, the cold wind tearing at her black hair and whipping it into her face. In her memory, the image of her brother, Tapsel, and her dog’s death burned before her eyes. A scream of horror had forced its way from her throat as he, with a devilish smile in his eyes, snapped the neck of the loyal animal. The rage and grief had dug into her heart like a slicing knife.


    She had sought help from her father, but the coldness of his reaction struck her like a blow. The death of the dog seemed to leave him unmoved; irritated, he waved his hand as if swatting away a bothersome fly. No hint of compassion, no words of comfort—just the unbearable emptiness that surrounded him.


    The cliff beneath her feet felt unstable, and her thoughts spun in chaos. In that moment, she didn’t want to live anymore, but the thirst for revenge flared inside her, hot and wild. These two emotions clashed within her, a storm that almost tore her apart. No matter how it would end, she would reach her goal.


    After what felt like an eternity, her decision was made, as firm as the rock beneath her. “Revenge.”


    "It seems like it wasn’t meant to be," she whispered, tears born from hatred and despair flowing down her cheeks, leaving wet traces on her clothes. Her hard facade cracked for the first time in a long while.


    "Cheer up, princess. I''m almost starting to feel sorry for you. Don’t cry now," he taunted.


    But like a wild torrent, the tears kept coming, soaking her clothes, as the feeling of helplessness grew within her. "I have to kill them. For Tapsel." Her eyes sparkled with such cold fury that even the man in front of her raised an eyebrow in surprise.


    "Good grief, get lost. You’re unbearable," he grumbled suddenly. The grip on her shoulder loosened, and then he abruptly let her go, as if he had touched something filthy.


    Aria stared at him in disbelief, her thoughts spinning. "You could at least give me a tip," he added playfully, swinging the wine bottle as if it were the most natural thing in the world.


    "Why?" she asked, caught off guard. The words came out more instinctively than thoughtfully. Her chest rose and fell quickly, the tension not yet fully gone.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    He waved the bottle again, a sarcastic smile curling his lips. "No, not that. Why are you letting me go?" She couldn’t hide the unease in her voice. Suspicion gnawed at her, but also confusion over his unexpected behavior.


    “What should I say…” He scratched behind his ear, as if searching for an excuse that would seem believable even to himself. “You just look… creepy. Gives you nightmares.” His laugh sounded forced, almost nervous.


    She knew immediately that he was lying. His eyes darted away from hers, his movements restless. But she chose not to press further. The man had his reasons—reasons he clearly wasn’t willing to share with her. So she let it go. A chance was a chance, and she wasn’t in a position to turn it down.


    “Thank you,” she said softly, her voice trembling with both tension and relief. “I’ll repay you sometime.”


    He raised an eyebrow theatrically, as if her gratitude were a performance. “I’d prefer a small donation.” Then he suddenly laughed, an empty, almost desperate laugh.


    “Oh!” he exclaimed, smacking his forehead as if a crucial detail had just occurred to him. “If I come back without you, they’ll execute me.”


    Aria froze, her heart skipped a beat. “What?” she whispered.


    “Yeah, worse than that,” he continued, nervously tugging at his hair. “They’ll execute Lena too. Damn! What am I supposed to do now?” His voice was filled with real desperation now, his loose facade crumbling completely. His hands trembled as he tried to grasp the situation.


    Aria watched him silently. Suddenly, she understood. This wasn’t about pity or mercy. The man had his own problem, one that in a way mirrored hers. He, too, was bound by chains.


    “Why am I even worrying about it? If Lena finds out I’ve betrayed you, she’ll kill me.” He smiled sadly, as if he had finally accepted his fate. The exhaustion weighed heavily on his face, as though every bit of hope he had ever held had been swept away in an instant.


    “At least I don’t have to save money anymore,” he muttered darkly, his tone sarcastic. “I can drink away everything today.” But Aria could feel the deep sadness hidden in his words, even as he tried to mask it with cynicism.


    “Do you mean... Lena of Lineburg?” she asked hesitantly.


    His brows furrowed at the mention of her name. “Oh, you know my wife?” His smile twisted into a bitter grimace, something that scarcely resembled humanity.


    Aria nodded slowly, her voice heavy with memories. “Yes... She was the only one who was kind to me.” Her words came quietly, almost whispered, as if they were too painful to say aloud. “I used to sit outside her room and talk to her. She was the only one who got angry when... when Tapsel was killed. She was...”


    He suddenly grabbed her hard by the shoulders, his fingers digging deep into her coat. “Why do you keep saying ''was''?” His voice trembled with a suspicion he was too afraid to voice.


    Aria didn’t look away from his gaze. She only lowered her head slightly, tears welling up in her eyes. “They killed her. She was poisoned. It all happened in secret.”


    For a moment, it felt as though the world around her stood still. The man before her, who had seemed so bitter and resigned just moments ago, went deathly pale. “Ah...” A sickly smile twisted his face. “I see... That’s why, that’s why I couldn’t see her...”


    Then, an insane laughter erupted from him. A laugh that had nothing to do with joy but with utter despair. “Now my chains are gone,” he said between laughs. “I’ve longed for this day so badly... but not like this. Not like this...”


    Aria reached for his hand, her fingers trembling slightly. “Um, Mister Vrael.”


    He looked up, and the maddened laughter that had echoed through the alleys just moments before died away. In the darkness of his eyes burned something cold, almost unpredictable. But also a clarity she hadn’t expected.


    “She told me...” Her voice was fragile, but she continued. “If I ever ran into you, I should tell you something.” She swallowed hard before she went on. “Live as you wish. Do what you want, and move forward.”


    The words seemed to momentarily freeze the world. He fell silent, and in his clear blue eyes flickered a cold but focused hatred.


    ?You want to take revenge on your family?“ He chuckled softly, but it wasn''t a joyful laugh. “No, it doesn’t matter.” He stood still, but his words suddenly became sharp, precise. “Do you want to become my student? I’ll accompany you wherever you want. I’ll teach you everything I know.”


    Aria stared into his eyes, fascinated and yet uncertain. They were as clear as the sky, yet within them lay depths. He was a man in his forties, with unruly black hair streaked with some white strands.


    His short, rough beard framed a face marked by the traces of a hard life. Yet his build was solid, the muscles under his worn doublet revealing the strength of a soldier.


    But it wasn''t his muscles or his experience that led her to her answer. It was his eyes. There was no greed, no mockery, only determination. No hatred to distort everything, but a quiet resolve.


    Aria slowly sank to one knee and placed her clenched fist in the open palm before her chest. “I accept your offer,” she said, her voice quiet but firm. “Please, teach me, Master.”


    The alleyways were silent. Only the distant sounds of the city and the whispering wind accompanied her words.


    Vrael nodded gravely, the weight of the situation momentarily visible in his gaze. “So be it,” he said with a hint of solemnity, before grinning and adding, “We should drink to that.”


    Aria shook her head, dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events. “Drunkard,” she muttered softly, looking away.


    "Where are we actually going?" he asked, as if they were on a leisurely stroll.


    "We''re going to Lenos," she answered, still a bit thrown off by his behavior.


    "Not a bad choice," he replied with a thoughtful nod. "Our pursuers will probably expect us to head toward Lindell. And we will definitely be followed. You know the three roads to Lenos, right? You''re planning to take the middle one, aren''t you?"


    Aria blinked, completely stunned. Her chin nearly dropped. "How do you...?"


    "You''re too easy to read," he explained, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "If you were alone, I''d give you maybe half a day before they''d find you. They don''t need more than that to catch you. If that."


    Her cheeks burned with offended pride, and her voice was slightly irritated as she asked, "So, what do we do?"


    "Isn''t that obvious?" His eyes gleamed with challenge. "We go through the forest."