The young man who had caught Yuli's attention was named Ren. He was the same age as her and helped his father at their small spice stall in the market. He was a quiet boy, but with kind eyes and skilled hands that selected each product with great care.
Ren's childhood had been shaped by tragedy. Five years ago, during an attack that shook the very same market he now worked in, everything changed, for him, and for many others. On that fateful day, Silas, Kaela's fiancé, lost his life in the chaos.
Ren remembered it clearly, how, as a small child, he had run through the smoke and confusion to find his mother trapped beneath a fallen beam. Without thinking, and with strength that seemed greater than himself, he managed to pull her free. Since then, his mother never returned to the market, her spirit wounded by the memory.
Despite the fear and loss, Ren chose to stay by his father's side, learning to stay calm and strong amid the storm. Each day, as he sold spices, he remembered that tragedy, but he also held onto a quiet hope that the future still had light to offer.
Maybe, like Yuli, Ren was looking for more in the market than just sales and customers. Maybe he, too, was searching for a reason to keep going.
It was midday the following weekend when the girls walked through the market paths toward the spice stall. A small table was neatly arranged with glass jars and cloth bags that gave off rich, intoxicating scents. There was Ren, carefully placing labels with quick, confident movements.
They all knew him now: the spice-seller's son, kind, quiet, and always with busy hands.
"Ren!" Lua greeted with a smile. "Do you have fresh cinnamon?"
"Whole or freshly ground?" he replied, lifting his eyes.
His gaze met Yuli's once again, just for an instant. A fleeting second. But it was enough to make her chest flutter. She felt her heart knock softly against her ribs, like a butterfly caught inside, trying to escape.
"How's your father?" Nira asked while inspecting some bay leaves.
"Tired as always, but doing well," Ren replied naturally. Then, as if a sudden memory passed through him, he looked past the group, hope barely hidden in his voice. "Hey… Kaela didn't come today either?"
The girls exchanged glances and smiled. Kaela used to accompany them before Yuli arrived, back when Silas still worked in that same market. It had been a time of laughter, of shared secrets whispered between fruit stands.
"No," said Sol. "She's still busy back home. But she sends her regards. Says you were her 'market partner in crime.'"
Ren looked down slightly, smiling, nostalgic, but serene.
"Silas used to teach Dad and me how to make special spice mixes in his spare time. He let me taste everything. I miss him," he said quietly. Then he looked up at Yuli, as if seeking something steady among the memories. "It's nice to see you all here again. But without him… everything feels different."
Yuli dared to smile at him, a small but sincere gesture.
"We understand," she said. "It's clear you cared for him deeply."
"He was like a brother to me. We all loved him," Ren replied, his voice touched with sadness but no bitterness.
The conversation soon lightened. The girls joked about spices they didn't know how to use. Ren, a little more at ease now, patiently explained the difference between black cumin and regular cumin, though Sol insisted they smelled exactly the same.
The exchange flowed like a soft current. There were no awkward silences, only natural pauses between smiles. Yuli spoke little, but she watched. She listened to how Ren named each ingredient, as if every word held a story.
After making their purchases, the group said their goodbyes with a few more jokes and started the walk back to the village. The others chatted animatedly, commenting on prices, smells, and silly market moments.
But Yuli walked in silence. Her thoughts weren't on training, or painful memories, or even on the search strategies, or her missing sister.
She was thinking of Ren.
His calm smile.
His voice, steady and warm.
And how, without realizing it, he had begun spinning around in her thoughts like the lingering scent of a sweet spice you can't quite name, but can't forget either.
And deep inside her, a new feeling began to bloom.
Maybe Kaela was right. Even in the darkest of times, the heart always finds a way to keep loving.