As they strolled along the main street, Vitra trailed behind Nayek, her earlier timidity resurfacing. She tugged on his clothes, "Did you put this new design in your robe? It looks great", her voice filled with excitement. "Anyway, where should we go now?" Nayek pondered, gazing up at the starry night sky. Just as he began to respond, "Um, I was thinking we should—"
A loud, barbaric voice boomed through the air, shattering the tranquility. "NAYEK! What are you doing here?!"
The sudden roar caught Nayek off guard, and he realized he had yet to sense the source of the voice. His mind racing, he thought worriedly, "Again?! This is the second time I've failed to sense someone. Are my senses becoming numb?" A flicker of concern danced across his face as he wondered if he was losing his edge.
With caution, Nayek turned his head to face the voice, his glare scanning the surroundings. The crowd around them had also turned, seemingly startled by the loud voice. Some people covered their ears, wincing at the sudden noise, while others looked around, confused. Nayek's confusion deepened as he struggled to comprehend the scene unfolding before him. However, his perplexity dissipated as he spotted a stout, bearded, bald man approaching from a distance. The man's distance from them explained why Nayek hadn't sensed him earlier.
A wide smile spread across Nayek's face as he exclaimed, "BAUN!! What are you doing here?!" The source of the loud was none other than, Baun, the inn-master and a good friend Nayek had made since arriving in Nakra two weeks ago. Baun's rugged appearance contradicted his kind heart, and Nayek had grown fond of the man's boisterous laughter and warm hospitality.
As Baun recognized Nayek, he trotted down the road, a wide smile spreading across his face, creasing his bearded cheeks. However, by the time he reached Nayek, he appeared exhausted, his breathing unstable, and his stout frame swaying slightly. "He-Hey, Nayek, taking a walk, huh?" Baun panted, struggling to maintain his balance, his hands resting on his hips.
Although Baun seemed spent, his eyes sparkled with curiosity as he fixed his gaze on the little blond girl standing beside Nayek. Vitra, sensing Baun's intense stare, instinctively hid behind Nayek, fearful of the striking look.
Her slender frame trembled slightly, and her bright silver-grey eyes peeked out from behind Nayek's robe. Nayek quickly grasped Baun's intentions and, with a gentle smile, introduced his new acquaintance.
"You don't have to worry, Vitra; this is my friend Baun," Nayek reassured her. "He owns an inn nearby not that far away, and I was thinking of heading there. Baun's a kind soul, and you'll be safe with him." Nayek turned to Baun and continued, "Baun, this is Vitra, a girl I met by chance – an event of fate, I suppose." Baun raised an eyebrow, eyeing Vitra with a mix of curiosity and skepticism. After scrutinizing her from head to toe, he burst into hysterical laughter.
"The events of fate, huh? Well, that means our meeting is also fate, then," Baun chuckled, wiping tears from his eyes. Extending his hand for a handshake, Baun's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Hello, young Vitra. I'm Baun, the inn-master and Nayek's friend. It's a pleasure to meet you, despite the unusual circumstances."
Vitra's wariness slowly ebbed away as Baun's warm smile and Nayek's reassuring presence enveloped her. The gentle way Baun's eyes crinkled at the corners, the comforting pressure of Nayek's hand on her shoulder, all combined to ease her tension.
She hesitantly extended her hand, her fingers trembling slightly as she shook Baun's. The gentle pressure of his grasp steadied her nerves, and she took a deep breath, letting her words spill out in a soft, hesitant rush.
"H-hi," she stammered, her eyes darting up to meet Baun's. "I'm Vitra… Nayek saved me from some scary people today." A faint blush crept up her cheeks as she smiled shyly. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Baun." Her voice still wavered, but a spark of gratitude and curiosity flickered to life within her eyes.
As she spoke, her gaze drifted to Nayek, and a small, unspoken thank you seemed to pass between them. Baun, noticing the exchange, smiled knowingly, his expression warm with understanding.
As Nayek watched the encounter between Baun and Vitra, a faint, warm smile flickered across his face, illuminating his features with a sense of genuine delight. The joyous atmosphere was palpable, and for a brief moment, the cares of the world seemed to melt away. However, his joy was short-lived, and without warning, his expression turned serious, his smile vanishing like a fleeting whisper.
He stepped back, his eyes scanning the surroundings with a growing sense of unease, as if he had caught a whiff of something ominous lurking just beneath the surface.
The flickering torches that lined the street seemed to cast eerie shadows on the ground, making the darkness appear to twist and writhe like a living entity.
The gentle breeze rustling the leaves of the nearby trees seemed to take on a menacing tone, and the night air grew thick with an almost palpable sense of foreboding.
"Is it just me, or did the wind change direction?" he thought to himself, his gaze darting from one corner of the street to the other, searching for some hidden sign or portent. The air seemed to vibrate with an almost imperceptible hum, like the quiet buzzing of a harp string, and Nayek's senses went on high alert, his instincts screaming at him to be vigilant.
A shiver ran down his spine as he sensed an ominous presence lurking nearby, " I can sense someone but cannot pinpoint his location. Is he dangerous? Maybe, maybe not. He seems pretty strong. I cannot afford to waste time, or else the safety of Baun and Vitra will be at risk".
His jaw clenched, and a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead, carving a tiny path through the dust and dirt accumulated on his skin. His heart pounded in his chest, a slow, heavy drumbeat that seemed to echo through the stillness.
Nayek's eyes glazed over, and his mind began to spiral into a vortex of frantic thinking.
"Think, think, think, think, think, think, think, think, think, think, think, think, think, think, THINK!" he mentally chanted, the word echoing in his mind like a mantra.
Baun, ever the perceptive observer, was the only one who noticed the sudden change in Nayek's demeanor. His eyes, warm and wise, locked onto Nayek's face, and with a booming voice that seemed to shake the very foundations of the street, he asked, "Is Something The Matter, Young Man?" The loud query jolted Nayek out of his reverie, and he snapped back to attention, his eyes refocusing on the present moment with a newfound sense of urgency.
Nayek's piercing gaze locked onto Baun. "Baun, may I ask you a favor? Could you take Vitra to the inn with you? I have some pressing matters to attend to." As he spoke, his eyes darted to the petite figure clinging to his coat sleeve. "Vitra, please follow Baun and wait for me at the inn," he requested, a hint of tension in his voice.
Vitra, bewildered by the unfolding events, nonetheless trusted her savior's words and nodded silently, her eyes unwavering.
Baun, too, didn't fully grasp the situation, but his instincts, honed from years of experience, urged him to comply to Nayek's request. "Understood," he said with a chuckle, attempting to lighten the mood. "Now You Owe Me
One, Hahaha!"
As Baun's laughter faded away, Nayek felt a sense of relief wash over him. He cracked a small smile and nodded his head in gratitude, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. With Vitra's safety finally confirmed, Nayek's mind turned to the
mysterious danger lurking in the shadows. "Now, let's see… who in their right mind would try something this reckless in the middle of the main road—"
*THUD* Just then, a loud thud interrupted Nayek's train of thoughts, making him stumble slightly. A stranger had bumped into his shoulder.
"Excuse me~," the stranger apologized in a sugary sweet tone, his voice dripping with courtesy. However, his actions contradicting his words, as he failed to pause or even acknowledge Nayek's presence. Instead, he continued on his way, his leisurely pace a total contrast to the sudden, unsettling impact of their collision.
The stranger's attire only added to the mystery. A long, musky brown cloak enveloped him, hiding his face and features from view. All Nayek could discern was the stranger's stature, which was eerily similar to his own.
*Dhak* Nayek was shocked, so much so that he could hear his heartbeats beating irregularly. NO, shocked would be the wrong word to describe his feelings; in fact, HE WAS SCARED. Nayek, who was confident in himself and his power, had very rarely felt that heavy feeling that had erupted in his heart.
"N-No way, right? There's no way someone got so close to me and was able to push me without me noticing. Right? Yes, I must be sick today. T-that headache in the
morning, and t-there was also that incident with Vitra. Haha…ha," he began thinking in denial, laughing at himself self-deprecatingly in his mind.
"No… Let's face it. These feelings in my heart, it's the same I felt at that time." He said as he reclaimed his composure.
This entire monologue that happened in his mind realm was over in just a tenth of a millisecond. So, in the eyes of others, there was zero to no difference.
*Dhak* At urgent, he looked back trying to take a single glance at the figure wearing the long, musky brown cloak.
But…
— To be continued