At the Northern Gate of the Yellow City, that is, the gate leading to the Golden Province City and the road to the Capital, a young man with black hair stood just a few meters from the gate, staring at it with a small bundle in his hands. Some soldiers glanced at him around the gate but didn't dare to disturb him in any way.
With a sword in its sheath at his waist, he made those who looked at him think they were looking at a sleeping wild beast. The black coat he wore made him look charismatic. He attracted the glances of countless young girls from the buildings where life began, and not just because he was handsome. Also because of what happened last month with the inheritance.
"The weather is getting colder."
"That's because winter is coming."
Evra calmly turned his head in the direction of the voice. He could guess who it was. There weren't many people who could approach him silently anyway.
"What makes you think you can leave without saying goodbye to me?"
There she stood. Her brown hair cascaded down her neck. She wore a long gray dress. It didn't allow for much movement, but Maria never got involved in fights in the city. She was the city's lady. No one dared touch her.
"I knew you'd come."
"And you're lying."
Evra laughed. He knew Maria had been acting strangely since the inheritance. No matter how much he was in mourning, he had always kept an eye on Maria. He had known her since childhood.
Evra turned his head again and took his bundle in front of him. It seemed like a rather small bundle for someone leaving the city.
"Where are you going?" asked Maria. She slowly sat down next to Evra. Where could he be going with such a small bundle? Evra might be strong, but he had no hunting experience.
He did now, but still... this bag didn't seem suitable for a long journey.
"Jalal's father... that drunk man... you know, right? He took his own life..."
Maria couldn't respond for a moment and looked down at the ground with a frown. Of course, she knew about Jalal's death and his father's subsequent suicide. In fact, she had forgotten about Jalal's existence due to the time she spent in the inheritance, but Mais didn't let her forget.
"Even though his life seemed meaningless, it wasn't. He had hope, no matter how small, and Jalal's death confirmed the loss of that hope."
"It wasn't your fault."
"Whose fault was it then!?"
Evra felt a momentary surge of anger. But he calmed down immediately. The imbalance in his emotions was obvious, but Maria didn't care. After the inheritance, they were all a little broken anyway.
"His name was Kamal."
A person's name was what set them apart from others and made them special. A handle to remember someone by.
Maria said nothing more about it. Jalal was weak and was only there to carry their loads. It was their responsibility to protect him. Yet Maria had burdened Evra with looking after two children, one blind and one weak, while she herself ran towards the inheritance with a strong team. Jalal had died right beside Evra. Maria knew Evra couldn't just leave it at that.
What about his brother? His father? Evra had survived, but he had lost too many people, and if he stayed in this city, he would only become depressed, and despite his strength, he would inevitably become like Kamal, or rather, like Wuma in this situation.
"Did you go see Ulam?" Maria asked suddenly. Evra shook his head.
"He won't even leave his room."
After Sufkro's death, Ulam had locked himself in his room and refused to come out for a month. His grandfather had tried to convince him to come out for a while, but without much success. After all, he was grieving the loss of his son too.
And there were rumors. Rumors that Sufkro's mother, Pima, was coming from the capital to find her son's killer.
"What do you think? Sufkro's death... it was so sudden."
"I... I'm not sure."
Actually, Evra had a guess, but he didn't want to believe it was true. He was also hesitant to talk about it.
Maria could see a group of young girls watching them from a distance. She turned her head slightly. She hesitated a little. She spoke only to change the subject.
"After what happened with the inheritance, it seems our reputation has grown. Daniel and that gray-haired guy, what was his name? Darius? Oh, yes, I heard his reputation is rapidly rising in the capital. I even heard they've managed to earn nicknames among the nobles and the people."
Evra turned his head and saw the silent crowd listening to them secretly. When Evra looked in that direction, everyone turned their heads away, and some even began to blush.
"People from a small town like ours can only be famous in the Yellow City."
"What about Kasuur?"
Young Genius. Though not overly flashy, they had heard people in the capital refer to Kasuur this way. There were countless young geniuses, but even across the entire kingdom, the likelihood that the person referred to as the Young Genius was Kasuur was quite high. Kasuur was only a few months away from turning 13, and he was already reaching the middle ranks of the Sage Realm. Geniuses like him were the future patriarchs of the clans. The transcendent of the future.
Kasuur would probably shine brighter than anyone else in the State Elections. If Mais was determined to stay in the shadows and enjoy his quiet life.
"He's been more playful than ever since the inheritance. He's overly social and doesn't even listen to Mais. There's something different about you too, but... I think it's better not to ask about what happened at the inheritance." said Evra. Asking about the inheritance didn't really do him any good.
But he wasn't uninterested in Maria's situation either. He turned his head toward her and looked at her face. She looked much more tired than before. Even as she came to see him off, she was so beautiful. At that moment, Evra noticed a strand of red among those brown hairs.
"This..."
He slowly reached out and touched Maria's differently colored hair under her surprised gaze. Even the texture was different. Soft, almost divine.
He acted as if he wasn't aware of Maria's surprise, but he was. He didn't want to hide his behavior behind a veil of shyness before leaving.
Still, he had thought Maria would just be surprised.
He looked into Maria's eyes. At that moment, he noticed Maria's flushed face. He also noticed that the silent crowd watching them was no longer so silent.
"How much you've changed? Really."
It wasn't just the color of her hair, for example. Even though Evra pulled his hand away from Maria's hair, he didn't want to move too far away at that moment. There was something he had to do before leaving. So his hand slowly slid from Maria's hair to her cheek. At that moment, tensions rose. For both of them.
"Evra... no."
Maria slowly pulled her head away, and Evra's hand was left empty. Evra showed only a moment of surprise. Then he just laughed. At that point, he threw his bag back on his back and stood up.
"Ah, I guess it's time for me to go."
Maria also stood up in a panic. She felt very confused at that moment. But she didn't want Evra to leave either.
"Do I have to hold your hand to stop you from leaving? Isn't there another way?"
Maria, still panicked, held Evra's hand. She hadn't actually expected Evra to be so determined to leave. She had believed that after chatting a little, she could win him over to her side and that they could fight for the future together.
The sad thing was that Evra knew Maria thought this way. Maria had always thought this way about him. But Evra had to go and find his own story. Had his father and brother sacrificed their lives just so he could be a sidekick?
"I need you."
Evra shook his head and wiped Maria's tears with her hand. Then he let go of her hand.
"You don't need anyone, Maria. Have you forgotten? You are a Sage now."
With that, Evra turned and left. Maria watched him for a while, then started to turn around, but at that moment she noticed Evra had stopped.
'Is he coming back?'
It was impossible for her not to feel this hope.
Instead, Evra turned around. With a slight smile on his face, he shouted.
"Maria, you know, don't you?!"
Maria laughed. It was impossible for her not to know. After all these years, after what had just happened.
After a moment's hesitation, Evra shouted again.
"I love you!!!"
Evra didn't show the expression on his face. He turned around and walked toward the city gate without looking back. Evra was now walking toward his own story.