While we were walking away from the throne room, Kia brought up a good point.
"Before we leave, we should probably hide that scar. Otherwise, people might get the wrong impression of you."
To fix that problem, she went back to her room and came back with a black choker, which she then put around my neck.
I am not the brightest when it comes to fashion, but shouldn't it at least match the rest of my outfit?
Anyway, after that little side-track, we exited the castle and headed into town.
First, Kia took me to the main street of Gehenna, called Shabaan Street.
Shabaan – also referred to as: The Abundant – is the God of Riches and the founder of Elysium. Apparently, religion is as present here as on earth.
The street was packed with stalls, similar to yesterday, and they were filled with the most random assortment of items.
Now and again I stopped to have a look at some of the things being displayed, to ultimately only find myself wondering what I was looking at.
Afterwards, we spent the next few hours exploring the rest of town.
We visited some shops, ate some delicious food, and eventually arrived at a big park at the westernmost side of Gehenna.
The trees here were blooming with bright-red leaves, while the lush bushes and shrubs were coloured a beautiful white.
Little squirrel-like creatures scampered across the paths, in search of food.
At the centre of the park was a big pond, with dozens of fish and other aquatic creatures swimming in it.
Many people were sitting near the bank, either relaxing or having a picnic.
Once more, it felt like I was walking through the landscape of some fantasy novel.
We were walking on a grid path winding through the park, when a squirrel appeared and stood still in front of Kia.
"Hello, little one. Do you want to play?"
As she did, I began to hear the faint sound of a girl crying.
She was begging for someone to save her.
"Kia, do you hear that as well?"
"Hmm? What should I be hearing?"
The sound grew louder and louder, until it was all I could focus on.
"Is everything alright, Shako?"
It felt like my body was moving on its own after that.
Without a second to spare, I ran towards the direction the voice came from.
Kia yelled at me to wait, but I was already gone at that point.
I exited the park and went straight into the slums on its borders.
The gloomy alleyways and dusky buildings surrounding me were sending chills down my spine.
Some houses had smashed windows, others had damaged walls, and a few even looked abandoned entirely.
Upon reaching the next intersection, I looked to my right and fixed my sight on something horrible.
Only a few meters in front of me, a little girl lay helplessly on the ground as she was getting assaulted by a group of young boys.
They didn't look older than twelve, yet they were beating her as if they wanted her dead.
The sight of enjoyment in their eyes as they attacked the poor girl made my blood boil.
"How could they?"
I walked over towards them and shouted:
"What the hell do you guys think you're doing?!"
The three boys stopped and looked puzzled towards me.
One of them – which I assumed to be their leader – walked towards me.
"Look guys, someone's come here to lecture us. So, what're ya gonna make us do? Stop abusing this little wench who's getting' what she deserves?"
"Now listen here, you–!"
The boy ran up towards me and planted his fist into my abdomen.
He was at least one head smaller than me, however his punch felt like a grown adult's.
I fell to my knees and spat out some saliva, while grasping heavily for air.
"Now, get lost!"
As the boy walked back towards his group, I looked at the girl on the ground.
Fear and desperation was written all over her face.
She so desperately wanted someone to save her, yet I could hardly move my body.
Hell, even if I could stand up straight, what would I do?
It'd be three-against-one, and these boys were way stronger than me.
Then there's also the fact that I have zero fighting experience, so how was I supposed to win in the first place?
Again, I felt so utterly powerless.
Is this truly all I could do?
Am I really this weak?
Is there no one else who can save this little girl?
Bad questions began to swirl through my head once more, keeping me still like a stone statue.
But for some reason, this time, I knew I wasn't allowed to let my fears and doubts guide me.
"No! There's one thing that I can do." I murmured to myself.
I dashed towards the little girl and curved my body over hers like a dome.
The boys stared dumbfounded at me, but then continued assaulting me instead.
It hurt like hell, but at least the girl was safe.
Speaking of her, she kept looking flabbergasted at me as I hung over her.
"That's enough, you guys!"
The boys stopped and turned around.
Behind them stood a tall, broad man, dressed almost entirely in black.
He looked to be in his late twenties and wore a black coat with silver edges, paired with dark-gray pants.
His hair was light-gray and his eyes were a vivid blue.
He carried a large black sword on his back, and on each of his thighs he wore a sheathed dagger.
The man was giving off a very intimidating aura.
At first, the boys stared at him with terrified looks on their faces.
Their skins turned pale, and the confidence they displayed just earlier disappeared like snow in the sun.
Frightened, the boys turned around and made a run for it.
After they had disappeared from his sight, the man walked towards me.
"Are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah!"
He stretched his arm out to pull me back on my feet.
My legs were a bit wobbly and sore, but I managed to stand somewhat stable eventually.
"Yona!"
From one of the alleyways, a middle-aged woman, wearing a brown skirt and a white apron, ran up towards the girl sitting on the ground right next to me.
Both the woman's and the girl's face were covered in tears as they embraced each other.
"Thank you so much for saving my daughter." she said to the man beside me.
"No problem, but it is not me you should offer thanks to. This lad here is the one you should really praise."
He put his hand on my shoulder as he said it.
"Thank you so much."
"I just did what was right."
Without any notice, the girl walked up to me and gave me a firm hug.
"Thank you, mister."
I did not know what to say, so instead I gave her a small pat on the head.
The mother then grabbed her daughter by the hand and walked back home with her.
"What a wonderful sight!"
"I guess it is." I commented softly.
A few seconds later, a familiar voice reached out to me.
"There you are!"
I turned around to see Kia behind me.
She was bent over, trying to catch her breath from all the running she'd done.
The moment she turned up to look at me, however, a shocked expression painted her face.
Although it wasn't aimed at me, but at the man beside me.
"Reath?" Kia asked.
"Kia?" the man in black replied.