She entered the shop with such agility that it looked as if she already knew every corner of the place.
"Don't buy that trinket!" she shouted.
She pointed at the note the merchant was holding.
"Everyone knows that paper is cursed. Nobody wants it. To get rid of it, he tries to sell it to every newcomer who happens to walk through this door."
The merchant sighed, calm but clearly disappointed.
"You just made me lose another customer, Efa… Anyway, what do you want this time?"
"Sorry," she said, "I just need some adhesive tape."
"Yeah, yeah. Wait a second."
He handed her the roll, she paid, and left the bazaar without another word.
The merchant muttered under his breath,
"That girl… she's going to ruin my business one day."
Arata, frozen in place, suddenly sprinted after her.
"Wait for me, my waifu!!!"
Panting, he finally caught up to her.
"Thank you… for earlier," he said nervously, trembling.
This is the first time I've ever talked to a girl, he thought.
Efa turned around, looking unimpressed.
"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome. Now leave me alone."
"My name's Arata Sakurai, and I'm lost…"
"Oh, what, you lost your parents? This city's a bit too big for you, huh?" she said sarcastically.
"I'm not joking!" he replied. "I came from another world!"
Efa's eyes widened slightly before she motioned for him to lower his voice.
"Shh! Keep it down. Here, they kill anyone who comes from another world."
"Wait, so… I'm not the only one?"
"Of course not. People like you show up every five years or so. Rare, but not unheard of."
Arata fell silent, stunned.
"Please… let me come with you. I don't think I'll survive alone," he begged.
"Fine," she sighed. "You can tag along. But quietly. And remember — if you get caught, you never met me."
Arata nodded eagerly, like a kid who'd just been handed a precious gift.
Efa lifted her hood slightly.
"My name's Efa. Nice to meet you."
Arata could hardly believe his eyes. Even the girl I had a crush on wasn't this beautiful, he thought.
Her long, luminous blue hair shimmered like a jellyfish in sunlight. Her skin glowed softly, and though she was small, she had an almost otherworldly charm.
A thin trickle of blood escaped his nose.
"M–my name's Arata Sakurai," he stammered.
At that same moment, a dragonfly hovered above them, silently watching before flying away. It landed on the shoulder of a man wearing a tattered yellow hood. Another man stood beside him.
"Looks like things are starting to move," the hooded one murmured.
A flash of lightning revealed his face — eyes of two different colors.
---
Efa and Arata walked for a long time through winding alleys.
"Excuse me," Arata asked, "but where exactly are we going? And why do they execute people like me?"
"You're asking that now, after all this walking?" she sighed.
They arrived in front of an old warehouse. A broken bench stood by the entrance.
"Sit down," she said. "We'll talk here."
Efa looked down for a moment, then began:
"I come from a small village — the Village of Ashes. It was twelve years ago, I think. I had just been born."
"Wait, that means you're twelve!?"
"Shh! Let me finish. Yes, it was twelve years ago. That day, a massive beam of light flew over the village and crashed into a hill. The explosion was so strong it wiped out everything for miles."
Her tone grew darker.
"The village wasn't completely destroyed, but ever since then, the area has been saturated with Anima. Living there became impossible. One by one, people left for the city. Around that same time, the king issued a decree: any being not from this world who steps on the kingdom's soil must be condemned to the Supreme Madness.
To enforce this, he placed his vassals — powerful warriors — in command of each 'Theater.'"
Efa suddenly stiffened.
"Shh… soldiers. Hide!"
Arata ducked behind a barrel just as a group of guards approached.
"Several witnesses say a suspicious person was seen around here," one said. "Short, red hair, glasses. Have you seen him?"
Efa stayed calm, expressionless. "No, I don't think so."
Meanwhile, the same dragonfly slipped inside the barrel where Arata hid. It began circling him, releasing a fine dust of shimmering scales.
"Please, kind little creature… leave me alone," he whispered desperately.
The soldiers nodded and turned to leave. But then, one bright scale landed on Arata's nose.
He sneezed. Loudly.
"ACHOO!!"
"There! In the barrel!" shouted a knight.
They rushed forward. Arata bolted from hiding and ran for his life.
---
The chase led them straight into the crowded marketplace. Shouts and panic erupted all around.
"Split up!" yelled Efa. "They'll lose sight of us faster that way!"
Reluctantly, Arata obeyed. He ran through a narrow street, gasping for breath — and suddenly slammed into a man wearing a huge white fur coat.