The final bell rang, drawn out like a breath finally released.
Students spilled into the courtyard in waves, laughter rising into the warm evening air. The sun had begun its slow descent, painting the stone arches in amber light.
Archie rolled his shoulders as they started down the academy steps. "If my legs cramp one more time, I'm suing the training hall."
"You skipped your stretches, what did you expect?" Suzune said flatly.
"I stretched spiritually."
"That is not a muscle group," Kirsty scoffed.
Enark huffed a laugh. "Explains a lot, actually."
"I perform under pressure," Archie shot back. "It's an advanced technique."
"That's not how that works," Kirsty said, though she was smiling.
They reached the lower plaza of the district, where street vendors were already setting up for the evening rush. The scent of grilled meat and fried dough drifted through the air.
Archie stopped mid-step. "Guys."
A pause.
"Skewers."
Suzune sighed. "We just ate."
"That was hours ago," Archie replied.
"What like two hours?" Enark laughed.
"That's practically starvation."
Enark bumped his shoulder lightly. "You'll live."
Archie gasped. "You wound me, Mr. Alasdair."
Enark smirked. "You'll survive that too."
Kirsty laughed softly. "I am feeling hungry now that you mention it."
Suzune sighed. "Alright, let's get those skewers."
"Yes..." Archie muttered, already veering toward a vendor.
They carried their skewers toward the old fountain at the center of the plaza. Children ran past with wooden practice blades, reenacting battles like they were Imperial Knights.
One boy leapt onto the fountain edge, shouting, "Evil, begone!"
Another dramatically collapsed.
Archie watched them with interest. "You think they rehearse that, or is the drama instinctual?"
"I think it just comes naturally as kids" Suzune said.
Enark leaned back on his palms against the stone rim, flinching a bit due to the wound on his side. "Didn't we used to do the same thing when we were kids? You were always calling yourself the Imperial Chief, Kirsty."
Kirsty huffed a quiet laugh. "Because someone had to be in charge. You all kept arguing."
Archie scoffed. "That's revisionist history. You declared yourself leader and immediately started issuing punishments."
"They were reasonable punishments."
Suzune folded her arms. "You made us run laps."
"Discipline builds character," Kirsty smirked with her arms open.
Enark grinned, nudging Kirsty lightly with his knee. "She's not wrong. You were terrifying."
Kirsty shot him a look. "Come on... you always backed me up."
"Only because you promised I'd get the cool title."
Archie pointed accusingly. "See? Corruption. Day one."
The kids by the fountain erupted into another loud dispute over who'd dropped their sword first.
Suzune sighed. "We're all still exactly the same."
"Absolutely," Enark said, taking another bite of his skewer. "We just argue with better food now."
Kirsty's smile lingered as she watched the children scramble back into formation, their voices overlapping in excited chaos.
The late light softened everything as it crept in slowly.
For a while, they just sat there.
Archie launched into an overly dramatic impression of Professor Halvor snapping chalk in righteous fury. Suzune corrected three historical inaccuracies in his parody. Kirsty added small observations that somehow made it worse.
A shout echoed from somewhere deeper in the plaza—sharp and tense—but it blended into the general hum of the environment. No one else seemed to notice except for Enark.
His smile faltered—just slightly.
Then Archie nearly dropped his food.
"Hey!"
Enark reached over and snatched the skewer before it fell.
He raised it back up slowly. "You're welcome."
Archie placed his hand on Enark's shoulder. "Nice reflexes buddy."
"My skewers are forever in your debt."
Suzune rolled her eyes. "Children."
The sun dipped lower.
Shadows lengthened across the plaza, stretching thin and dark toward the alleys.
Eventually, bags were slung over shoulders. Complaints about homework resumed. Suzune reminded them about an upcoming quiz that Archie already forgot about.
As they began to move toward the exit, another faint sound broke through the usual hum of the plaza. It was small at first, but it caused Enark's head to snap toward it instinctively.
A soft voice, tinged with uncertainty, reached his ears.
"Mom..."
Enark stopped immediately. His posture stiffened, and he turned his head slightly, listening intently.
The others noticed his change in pace and followed his line of sight. At first, they didn't see anything unusual, just a typical busy evening, but Enark's focus zeroed in on a small boy standing off to the side, looking lost and anxious.
The boy's voice came again, wavering as he sniffled, his eyes wide and filled with panic.
"Mom? Where are you...?"
Enark's 'gaze' softened, but his expression remained calm.
Kirsty nudged him and gave him a quizzical look. "What are you doing? We going home or what?"
Suzune glanced at him, noticing his attention elsewhere. "Enark, are you okay?"
Enark's head tilted slightly, and he gave a small nod, his voice soft. "I think someone's in trouble."
The others exchanged confused glances.
"What are you talking about?" Archie asked, stepping closer. "I don't see anyone in trouble."
Enark pointed in the distance. "There's a kid over there. I think he's lost..."
Kirsty tried scanning through the busy plaza. "Where? I don't see anyone."
Enark started walking forward purposely. The others hesitated before following, still unsure of what exactly he was 'seeing.'
The boy looked around, clearly confused and a little panicked, his eyes darting around as though trying to make sense of the crowd.
Enark stepped closer, kneeling down to his line of sight.
"Hey, are you lost?" Enark asked gently, his voice a quiet contrast to the chaos around them.
The boy nodded, his eyes now wide and desperate. "I was with my mom… but now I don't know where she went..."
Enark's heart tightened, but he kept his voice steady, speaking in a tone that was soothing and calm.
"We'll help you find her," he said firmly, looking down at the boy. "Stay close to us."
Suzune and Kirsty exchanged a quick glance, both stepping forward now, their expressions full of concern.
Kirsty knelt down slightly to match the boy's height, offering him a gentle smile. "Hey, don't worry. What's your name?"
"Eliot..." The boy's voice wavered just a bit, but as he looked up at her, his expression lightened slightly with the kindness.
"Well, Eliot," Kirsty said softly, "Where did you last see your mom?"
He took a shaky breath and glanced around the plaza again. "She... she was by the food people, but then I looked at the—" He looked back at Enark, eyes wide. "The knights."
"The knights?" Enark asked.
Eliot nodded, fidgeting with his sleeves. "Yeah, they were, playing and I wanted to play too but when I looked back... she wasn't there."
Archie crossed his arms and glanced around. "Alright, let's not stand here. The food stalls, yeah?"
Suzune nodded. "We'll check there. Come with us, Eliot." Suzune held his hand and walked with him comfortingly.
Suzune guided Eliot forward, keeping him close as they moved back toward the food stalls. The plaza had grown busier now—people brushed past them from every direction, the space tightening as night crept in.
Eliot's grip on Suzune's hand tightened.
"I can't see her," he murmured, panic creeping back into his voice. His eyes darted from face to face, searching desperately. "She was right there…"
"We'll find her," Suzune said gently, slowing their pace so he wouldn't be overwhelmed. Kirsty stayed close on Eliot's other side, scanning the crowd while Archie strained his neck, trying to look over heads.
Enark's expression shifted slightly. He could hear the desperation in Eliot's voice, but his senses were already working faster than the panic. The sounds of the crowd—a jumble of voices, the scrape of carts, even laughter felt almost muffled to him as his mind separated the noise from the things that mattered.
"Alright," Archie muttered, already sounding more serious. "Red shoes? Blue dress? Tall? Short? Give us something."
Eliot shook his head, lips trembling. "I—I don't know. She smells like flowers…"
That made Archie pause. "Well. That narrows it down to… half the plaza."
Kirsty shot him a look. "Not helping."
They moved past one stall, then another. A vendor called out to them, mistaking their slow pace for interest. Someone bumping into Archie's shoulder.
Enark's senses sharpened, cutting through the bustle of the crowd. He picked up every shift in movement while his mind filtered the chaos, isolating each sound and scent until he could find one of a familiar mix to Eliot's.
Then Enark's head turned sharply. His gaze fixed on the far corner of the plaza, where the crowd seemed to thin. He could almost feel the faintest scent of familiarity in the air. It was subtle, buried under the noise, but it was there.
He found her.
"This way," Enark said quietly, and without waiting for a reply, he began moving toward the edge of the plaza.
"Wait, huh? But the rest of the food stalls are this way," Archie replied.
"Just trust me," Enark replied without hesitation.
The others exchanged uneasy glances but followed anyway, matching Enark's quick pace.
"How does he know where to go?" Kirsty muttered to Suzune.
"I- I don't know..."
Enark could hear them whispering behind him, but he paid no attention and continued forward.
The scent he'd been following lead him to a brown bag.
He stopped at the edge of the plaza entirely. Beyond it, the street narrowed into branching alleys and quieter walkways, the glow of lanterns stretching long shadows against stone.
Eliot's hand tightened in Suzune's grip.
"That's her bag..." the boy whispered, his voice trembling again. "Bu-But where is she?!"
Suzune knelt beside him. "Hey. It's alright. We can ask an Enforcer, okay?"
Kirsty nodded, already scanning the nearby streets. "There should be patrols nearby, I think. We'll get some help."
Archie glanced around, unease creeping into his expression. "Yeah. This is probably where we let the law do its thing."
Enark didn't answer.
His head tilted slightly, shoulders drawing tight as his jaw set. The ease in his posture drained away, replaced by something rigid and restrained.
He exhaled slowly.
"If we wait," Enark said at last, "it might be too late."
Suzune looked at him sharply. "Enark?"
He knelt in front of Eliot, lowering himself to the boy's level. He reached into his bag and pulled free his scarf, folding it once before draping it gently around Eliot's shoulders.
"Stay with them," Enark said softly. "They'll keep you safe."
Eliot's eyes widened. "Where are you going mister?"
Enark hesitated—just for a heartbeat.
"I'll be back," he said, and meant it.
Kirsty straightened. "Enark! Seriously! Where are you going?!"
Enark stood, already turning toward the darker streets beyond the lantern glow.
"To find her."
"Hey—!" Archie stepped forward. "You can't just—"
The warm noise of the plaza faded behind him as he crossed the threshold into the district's quieter veins where even stone swallowed light.
Behind him, Eliot clutched the scarf tightly.
Ahead of him, the shadows waited.