He called to the element he knew best.
"Water Magic: Torrent!"
Water surged from the gutters in a spiraling wave, crashing forward with violent force.
The attacker barely had time to brace before the blast flung him into a crate of spice sacks. A relic clattered from his hand, sparked, and died.
The street fell silent.
Steam hissed up from the drenched stone as Kazuo lowered his blade.
Whispers bloomed instantly.
"He used magic.""Water Magic?""Did you see his eyes?"
Rei appeared at his side.
"We need to go. Now."
Kazuo didn't argue. He sheathed his sword, yanked his hood low, and vanished into the thick of the crowd.
The summoned water slid back into the gutters, leaving no trace.
But the city — old, cruel, and always watching — seemed to twitch, as if it had seen something it couldn't unsee.
They didn't speak until they reached the lower terrace — a jagged street carved between collapsed towers and forgotten archways, where moss crept up rusted walls and everything smelled faintly of damp stone.
Rei finally broke the silence.
"Okay," he exhaled. "That guy was either a mugger with government hobbies… or someone officially wants you dead."
Kazuo didn't answer.
"You're bleeding," Rei added. "Just saying."
"I noticed."
"And you used Torrent. In public."
Kazuo stopped walking.
The alley around them was quiet. Laundry lines swayed overhead. Somewhere behind a wall, a water pipe hissed like a warning.
"I didn't have a choice," Kazuo muttered.
Rei nodded slowly. "Yeah, but people saw. That means that girl from the carriage... she truly saw you."
Kazuo glanced at him, tense. "And?"
"I don't know, man. She seemed... noble. Real noble. Maybe even from House Cedric."
Kazuo's eyes narrowed.
Rei added, "What if she sent that attacker? Or told someone who did?"
Kazuo muttered, "Perfect. Just what I needed — a noble girl with a front-row seat."
"I'm just saying maybe she really did see—"
"Damn it, Rei," Kazuo snapped. "What now? Flee the city? You think I haven't thought of that?"
Rei backed off, hands raised. "I'm just talking."
Kazuo's voice was bitter now. "Leaving Yurelda without permission means they track you. Every registered gate is laced with magic seals. The system knows what enters and what leaves. Unauthorized exits get you flagged. Hunted. Maybe killed."
A long pause.
Then, more quietly: "I never had the option to leave. Not with these eyes."
Rei looked down.
"I just wanted something simple," Kazuo said, his voice quieter now. "A little peace. A job. Maybe a cat."
Rei nudged his shoulder lightly. "Well… you've got the cat. We're working on the rest."
Kazuo let out a hollow laugh — more breath than sound.
He stood. "Come on. Let's find Gramps."
They took the back routes — old drainage channels that slithered beneath the textile quarter.
Rats watched them pass, their eyes like wet coins. The walls were smeared with old chalk glyphs: street spells, prayers, half-erased warnings.
By the time they reached the rusted steel door, dusk had fallen.
Kazuo knocked once, twice, pause, then once more.
The door opened fast.
"You ran," Gramps said flatly.
"I was attacked," Kazuo said as he stepped inside.
Gramps turned from his workbench, eyes narrowing. "What?"
Rei closed the door behind them. "We didn't have a choice. It happened fast."
Kazuo pulled off his gloves — still damp. "Someone tried to brand me. Underground type. I reacted before I could think."
Gramps stepped closer, gaze sharp behind his glasses. "Did anyone see your magic?"
Kazuo nodded slowly. "A few. And the guards felt it. The pressure."
A pause.
"Shit," Gramps muttered. Then louder: "Who was it?"
Kazuo hesitated. "I think… House Cedric. There was an emblem. A sword impaling a silver crescent moon on the hilt."
Gramps went still.
Then: "God damn it, boy."
He turned away, pacing. The cluttered room seemed to shrink around them.
"That's not some alley brawler. That's the Crown. If they've seen you — really seen you — we're past hiding."
Kazuo dropped onto a stool, rubbing his temples. "I'll wear an eyepatch. It's fine."
"Yeah, brilliant plan," Gramps muttered, already heading toward a drawer. "Because nothing says I'm suspicious like obviously hiding something."
He jabbed a finger toward him.
"They have seen your eyes! One noble green, the other marked for chains. If they sent someone, they already know you're more than a rumor."
"So what do I do now, Gramps? Wait to be dragged away?"
Gramps didn't answer immediately.
He just stared at the window — as if expecting someone to come through it.
Then he sighed.
"...Wait."
Gramps stepped to the far drawer, hesitated, then opened it slowly and returned with a folded cloth — old, worn, held carefully in both hands.
He set it on the table between them.
"I've kept this since the day I found you."
Kazuo frowned. "What is it?"
Gramps unfolded the cloth.
Inside lay a silver medallion. Dull. Etched with a strange symbol Kazuo didn't recognize. Simple — but unmistakably old.
Rei leaned forward. "You've had that all this time?"
Gramps nodded without looking up. "Wrapped around you. In the cradle. There was nothing else."
Kazuo picked it up, turning it between his fingers. "Why now?"
Gramps looked at him, eyes heavy with something Kazuo couldn't quite name.
"Because I thought maybe, in the end… it wasn't important. Maybe you'd never need it."
He exhaled slowly.
"I always knew this day would come. I just hoped it wouldn't be so soon."
Kazuo's brows furrowed.
Gramps's voice was firm.
"You need to leave," Gramps said. "Tonight."