He called to the element he knew best.
"Water Magic: Torrent!"
Water erupted from his palm in a spiraling surge, the pressure blasting outward like a cannon shot. The wave smashed into the attacker, flinging him back into a crate of spice sacks. A relic clattered from his hand, sparked once, then went dead.
The street fell silent, but whispers bloomed instantly.
"He used magic."
"Water Magic?"
"Did you see his eyes?"
Rei tapped at Kazuo's shoulder, "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.
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.
"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," He 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. But she was ROYALTY."
Rei added, "What if she sent that attacker? Or told someone who did?"
Kazuo muttered, "Perfect. Just what I needed — a royal 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. I will be hunted down."
A long pause.
Then, more quietly: "I never had the option to leave. Not with these eyes."
Rei looked down.
"You know that 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 old 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. "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 kill me. I reacted before I could think."
Gramps stepped closer, gaze sharp behind his glasses. "Did anyone see your eyes?"
Kazuo nodded slowly. "A few."
A pause.
"Damn it," Gramps muttered. Then louder: "Who do you believe was the attacker?"
Kazuo hesitated. "I think…the crown. 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.
"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! 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."
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," He said, "Tonight."