The afternoon sun was warm as Saikyō, Hanako, and Miyamoto walked deeper into the bustling markets of the Royal Capital.
The main avenues were packed with wealthy merchants fine carriages and noble shoppers. But as they turned down a side alley in search of a cheap inn the paved stone streets gave way to dusty dirt paths and broken wooden houses. This was the Lower District where the poorest people of the capital lived in the shadows of the white marble towers.
Sitting on top of a rickety wooden roof above the alley was a young man leaning against a chimney. He looked about eighteen years old with wild messy brown hair patched leather clothes and a dirty cloth wrapped around his left forehead.
His name was Ren. He was twirling an old rusty dagger between his long fingers and chewing on a piece of dry straw. Ren was known throughout the lower slums as a greedy lazy thief who cared about nothing except silver coins and his own stomach.
Ren looked down at the three newcomers with small sly eyes. He noticed Miyamoto's clean travel pack and Hanako's bright white rose. Ren grinned showing a crooked tooth. He dropped down from the high roof without making a single sound landing right in front of them on the dusty path and blocking their way.
Ren stretched his arms lazily and let out a loud fake yawn. He demanded five silver coins from them as a local street tax for walking through his territory.
He spoke in a rude grating voice mocking Miyamoto's old clothes and making fun of Hanako's simple shoes. Miyamoto frowned in annoyance and placed his hand on his wooden sword telling the rude youth to step aside and leave them alone.
Ren only laughed loudly and whistled through his teeth. Three heavy street thugs stepped out from the dark shadows behind the alley carrying thick wooden clubs.
Ren smirked and said that if they did not pay up his friends would take their bags by force and leave them bleeding in the dirt. Hanako shrank back behind Saikyō finding the arrogant young thief thoroughly unpleasant.
Saikyō did not draw a weapon or raise his voice. He simply took one small step forward and looked Ren dead in the eyes. In that fraction of a second Saikyō released a microscopic sliver of his cold physical pressure.
Ren's smug smirk instantly vanished from his face. A wave of ice-cold terror hit his spine like a falling hammer. His knees trembled and his breath caught in his throat. Ren was a veteran of the street fights and his sharp survival instincts screamed at him that the quiet black-eyed boy before him was an absolute monster capable of ending all four of them before they could even blink.
Ren quickly held up his hands and stepped back stammering an apology. He called off his thugs and told them to get lost immediately. Ren tried to laugh it off with a nervous grin saying he was only joking around to test their spirits. Miyamoto scoffed in disgust at the young man's dishonorable flipping behavior.
Instead of running away Ren decided to follow them at a distance. He realized that Saikyō was extraordinarily powerful and thought he could use these gullible travelers to make some easy money or get free food.
For the rest of the afternoon Ren acted like an annoying pest. He followed them to a small tavern constantly offering unprompted advice asking for free meals and boasting about his petty theft achievements.
Miyamoto disliked him more with every passing minute while Hanako kept her distance from the loud selfish thief.
As evening fell the atmosphere in the lower alleyways turned cold and dark. They found a small rundown inn near the old city wall.
While Miyamoto was inside talking to the innkeeper about room prices two dark figures clad in black leather armor dropped from the high alley walls. They were elite trackers sent by the High Council hunting for unauthorized magic users.
The two trackers drew silent iron daggers and lunged straight toward little Hanako who was waiting on a wooden bench near the door.
Saikyō was standing ten feet away inside the narrow doorway. Before Saikyō could even leap forward to intercept the threat a shadow flashed across the dirt path.
It was Ren.
The lazy cowardly thief did not hesitate for a single second. He threw himself straight between the sharp iron dagger and little Hanako.
SLASH!
The dark iron blade cut deep across Ren's right shoulder spraying red blood across the dusty wooden bench. Ren groaned in sharp pain but he did not fall. He grabbed the tracker's arm with both hands biting down hard on the assassin's wrist to hold him in place. Ren shouted at the top of his lungs for Saikyō to protect the little girl.
In the next instant Saikyō arrived like a red thunderbolt. With two swift bare-handed strikes Saikyō shattered the weapons of both trackers and slammed them unconscious into the stone wall.
Miyamoto rushed out of the inn drawing his sword only to see the two assassins lying motionless on the ground and Ren collapsed on the dirt path clutching his bleeding shoulder.
Hanako ran over to Ren with tears in her eyes. She pulled out a clean cloth from her small bag and pressed it against his deep wound. She asked him why he did that when he was so afraid of fighting just hours ago.
Ren lay on the dirt breathing heavily with a pale weak face. He looked at Hanako's tearful eyes and gave a small genuine smile devoid of his usual arrogance.
Ren spoke in a quiet raspy voice confessing his real story. He revealed that three years ago his little sister had died of winter sickness in these very slums because he was too weak and poor to protect her or buy her medicine.
He had spent years acting like a cold selfish monster on the outside just to survive in the harsh lower city. But when he saw the dark assassins aiming for Hanako his heart refused to let another innocent little girl suffer the same terrible fate as his sister.
Miyamoto stood in stunned silence his previous anger turning into deep guilt and profound respect. He knelt down beside the young man and gently bandaged his shoulder with expert care. Hanako held Ren's hand tightly thanking him with all her heart.
Saikyō looked down at Ren. He saw the true heart hiding beneath the boy's rough exterior. Saikyō offered his hand and pulled Ren up from the dirt path.
Ren rubbed the back of his neck feeling embarrassed by all the sudden gratitude. From that moment on the selfish thief of the lower slums was gone. In his place stood a loyal brave companion who was ready to risk his own life to guide and protect Saikyō's family through the dangerous streets of the Royal Capital.