The morning sun spilled across Arcadia City, gilding rooftops and cobblestone streets in warm light. Merchants called out from their stalls, the smell of baked bread and roasted chestnuts mixing with the salt of cured fish. Carriages rattled by, nobles in fine clothes moving side by side with commoners bustling toward their day's work.
Through the crowd rushed a small figure in a hooded cloak, weaving between people with restless energy. Her steps were quick, almost frantic, as though the very streets slowed her down. Behind her, a broad-shouldered knight in worn armor pushed through with hurried apologies, his face drenched in sweat.
"Y–Young Miss, don't run around!" he called, finally managing to catch her wrist. His breathing came in heavy gasps, shoulders rising and falling. "You can get lost in a crowd like this."
The cloaked girl stopped with a sharp huff, folding her arms. From beneath the hood, her voice carried urgency more than impatience.
