The park was… well, really beautiful. Tall trees lined the paths, their branches weighed down with pale leaves that made a soft sound whenever the wind picked up. Sometimes the sunlight slipped through and made the ground look like it was sparkling. There were these white bushes, all trimmed into perfect circles, and between them, red flowers moved with the breeze. Every so often, I saw a blue flower hiding in the middle of the red ones. It reminded me of the Plains of Gehenna. If I hadn’t been looking, I probably would’ve missed them. In the middle of the park was a huge lake. It was so still that the trees and sky looked like they were floating underneath. There was a thin mist over the water, and the air smelled sweet, almost like flowers that had been left out in the sun too long. Stone benches and little docks circled the lake, but almost all of them were taken by couples. Some were sharing food, others just walked together without saying anything. I saw a guy trying to give a red flower to a girl, and she covered her mouth, probably to hide her smile. I looked away before anyone noticed me staring. My face felt kind of hot. Why did it have to be a place like this? There were animals everywhere, too. Some rabbit-looking critters with reddish fur ran between the bushes, their ears twitching. One stopped right in front of me and stared, like it was trying to figure out if I was dangerous or just weird. Up in the trees, birds hopped around and sang to each other, and a few flew low over the lake, making little ripples in the orange light. I opened my mouth, but for a moment, nothing came out. It felt like I’d walked into a painting.

“Wow!”

“Beautiful, is it not?”

We kept walking along one of the winding paths in the park. The ground was covered in these small gray pebbles that crunched under our shoes. The sky was turning pink and orange, which looked kind of nice, I guess. I was still a little nervous walking this close to Kia. My heart wouldn’t settle down, no matter how many times I told myself to relax.

Just when I thought I was finally getting used to it…

We wandered around the park for a while, checking out different spots. It was quieter than I expected, but I didn't mind. Sometimes a small animal would come up to us, probably wondering what we were doing there. Whenever that happened, Kia would crouch down and talk to them in this gentle voice, like she really thought they could understand. I hadn’t seen her act like that before. Honestly, it was kind of cute. She looked so relaxed, like she belonged there. For a second, I forgot about my nerves and simply admired her.

Eventually, we ended up at the other side of the park. The sun was starting to set behind us as we headed back toward the castle. I kind of wished we could’ve stayed a little longer, but I didn’t say anything. We eventually reached one of the main roads leading back to the castle. As we made our way through the streets, I noticed that quite a few people were still looking our way. Unlike before, however, I did my best not to let their stares bother me. I was beginning to get used to the attention.

Or at least I was trying to

. We walked past the nearby stalls, when something caught my attention. A little girl, who couldn’t have been older than six, was walking next to a thin-looking man dressed in scruffy clothes with a hood pulled over his head. At first, I didn’t think much of it. But then I noticed the frightened look on the girl’s face as she struggled to keep the man from grabbing her wrist.

Something wasn’t right

.

The man dragged her toward an alleyway. The girl resisted even more, but no one else seemed to notice. I glanced around, wondering if anyone else saw what was happening, but the people nearby seemed completely unaware. Kia didn’t notice either. She was busy greeting the people passing by and glancing at the stalls around us. I slowed down, unsure of what to do. Every instinct in my body was telling me to follow them, but another part of me urged me to stay out of it. What if I had misunderstood the situation? What if this was somehow normal in Gehenna? I barely knew anything about this place, let alone its customs.

“Shako? Is something wrong?”

Kia’s voice snapped me out of it. I looked at her, then back towards the alleyway. I knew I couldn’t just ignore it, even if I wanted to.

“Ah, sorry. I, um, need to check something.”

Before Kia could ask what I meant, I turned around and hurried towards the alleyway where I’d last seen the two of them.

“Shako! Wait!”

I could hear Kia calling after me, but I kept going. Fortunately, the man and girl were still in sight, so I tried to catch up to them.

“Hey! You! Stop!”

They both turned to look at me when I stopped. My heart was pounding. Maybe this was a bad idea. I wasn’t even sure what I was supposed to say.

“Um, excuse me… What are you doing with her? She looks like she’s hurt.”

The man glanced at the girl, then suddenly picked her up and started running deeper into the alley. For a second, I couldn’t move at all. My legs felt heavy, like they didn’t really belong to me. But then I started running after them. I wasn’t even sure why. Maybe it was because of what Kia had said by the river. Or maybe I just wanted to do something for once, instead of standing around. Honestly, I didn’t really know. I kept running after them, but after a while, something felt off. The air got heavier, and there was this awful smell that made it hard to breathe. Like smog, but only worse. The buildings looked like they’d been forgotten for years—some of them probably had. Their walls were falling apart, and most of the windows were either cracked or just gone. I had to watch my step because there was junk everywhere. I almost tripped more than once. It hit me pretty quickly that I’d ended up somewhere a lot poorer than before. The busy streets from earlier were gone. Now it was just narrow alleys getting darker every minute because the sun was setting. I could barely see where I was going, but turning back didn’t really seem like an option. I eventually managed to catch up with them. When I turned the corner, I realized I’d followed them into a dead end. The man must’ve noticed too, because he stopped and turned around to look at me. Before I could say anything, he pulled out a knife from his pocket and pressed it against the girl’s neck.

“Go away, or the girl dies.”

I couldn’t move. For a moment, I could barely breathe. My chest felt tight, and I just stared at the knife against her neck. Who would do something like that to a kid?

Panic started creeping in. I tried to think of something—anything—to say, but my mind just went blank. I had no clue what I was supposed to do. Is this what Mr. Takui felt like when I was possessed? Helpless, unable to do anything but watch?

“Just… put the knife down, alright?”

The man scoffed and moved the knife away from her neck, but then he pointed it right at me instead.

“Listen here, you! I’m the one making demands!”

Right then, the girl suddenly leaned forward and bit the man’s arm.

“AAARGH!”

He let go of her in pain, allowing her to break free. She ran past me and disappeared into an alley nearby.

“You… You’ll pay for that!”

Before I had a chance to react, the man charged straight at me. He swung his knife at me. I barely dodged—if you could even call it that. He moved so fast, I couldn’t really tell what he was going to do next. Somehow, I avoided getting hit a couple more times, but then he caught my left arm. The cut was deep. Blood started running down, warm and sticky. It hurt, obviously, but what really got to me was this sudden thought:

I might actually die here

. That kind of fear makes it hard to think straight. I guess I stopped paying attention, because the next thing I knew, I tripped over my own feet and landed flat on my back. The man started walking toward me, slow and steady. I think I could’ve gotten up if I’d tried, but my body just wouldn’t move. I was stuck there, shaking, like I was watching everything happen from somewhere else. He raised his knife again.

SWOOOSH!

Something loud cut through the air. For a second, I couldn’t even tell what it was. I then noticed the knife sticking out of the man’s forehead. He collapsed without a sound. I just sat there, staring. Was he really dead? I couldn’t move. My hands felt cold. When I finally managed to look up, I saw someone standing behind me. He was tall, wearing a black leather jacket, and there were two knives strapped across his chest. His hair was messy and gray, and his eyes were bright green. He looked like the kind of person you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley. Still, he held out his hand to me and told me to get up.

“Are you alright?”

“Y-Yes… I think so, at least.”

For a moment, I forgot about the cut on my left arm.

“Ah, there you are!”

I turned around and saw Kia at the end of the other alley. She was out of breath, and when she looked up, her face changed. Her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. For a second, I thought she was staring at me, but she was actually looking at the man next to me.

“Reath?”

The guy looked just as shocked, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Everything went quiet. I had no idea what I was supposed to do. Did they know each other? Was I missing something? Why were they acting so strange? I was still trying to figure it out when I heard boots stomping and metal clanking from the alley behind Kia. We all turned to look. A group of soldiers showed up, staring at Kia, me, and… the dead body. Their captain, wearing a long blue cape, walked over to Kia and started asking her questions. I just stood there, not sure if I should say something or just keep quiet.

“Lady Kia, what happened here?!”

She was struggling to find the right words. When she glanced at me, she looked even more shocked. That was when I finally noticed the man who’d been standing next to me was gone. So was the knife he’d used to kill my attacker with. She looked confused, like she didn’t know what to say. It reminded me of that time we first met Azazel, when she couldn’t get her words out either. The guards then looked at me, and I could already tell what they were thinking.

“He, uh, kidnapped a little girl and threatened to kill her. She got away, but then he came after me. After that, some guy showed up and… killed him. It wasn’t me, I promise.”

The captain stepped closer. I tried not to flinch, but his expression didn’t change at all.

“Regardless of who was responsible, a man has been killed, and we need to establish exactly what happened. Until we have a clearer picture of the events, you will remain in our custody. Guards!”

The two soldiers moved in right away and grabbed my arms. I didn’t even have time to say anything.

“Wait!” Kia stepped forward, moving between the captain and me.

“Captain David, please, Shako is under my protection. I give you my word that he speaks the truth. He acted only to shield that little girl from harm. I ask that you release him, if you can find it in your heart to do so.”

The captain looked at me for a second. I couldn’t really read his face, so I just stared at the floor until he turned back to Kia.

“Milady, I understand your concern, but I cannot simply overlook a death because you vouch for someone. We need to question him and investigate what happened. I’m afraid I have no choice but to take him into custody.”

Kia lowered her head and clenched her fists. I thought she might say something else, but instead she just let out a small sigh.

“You are right, Captain. I spoke out of turn, and I apologize for any trouble I may have caused.”

“I understand your concern, but I am bound by the law, just as anyone else.”

The captain then turned towards the soldiers.

“Take him to the holding cells. Have someone look at his wound first.”

“Understood, Captain.”

The soldiers tightened their grip on my arms and started dragging me off. I looked back, just for a second, hoping I could see Kia one more time. She was still next to the captain, her hands balled up at her sides. She looked worried. Or maybe it was something else, too. Like there was something she wasn’t saying. I wanted to say something to her, but nothing came out. So I just nodded, kind of awkwardly.

“Do not worry, Shako,” she called after me. “I shall see this sorted, you have my word.”

I managed a weak smile.

“Thanks, Kia…”

The soldiers started leading me down the street. It wasn’t like before, when Kia and I were just walking around. My arm hurt a lot more now that everything was calming down. Every step made it sting again. I tried not to make a face, but I probably failed.

“Um, could we maybe do something about my arm?” I asked, trying not to sound like I was complaining.

One of the soldiers glanced at it.

“We’ll have it treated once we reach the barracks. Just keep moving.”

I sighed. As we walked, I kept thinking about everything that had just happened. Less than an hour ago, Kia and I were just hanging out. We walked through the park, watched some animals, talked about random stuff. Now I was being marched off to prison. Not exactly how I thought today would go. But I couldn’t stop thinking about that guy in black. The knife, the way the kidnapper just dropped. If he hadn’t shown up, I guess I wouldn’t even be here. Or maybe I’d be dead. Kia tried to explain it, but honestly, I still don’t get it. Anyway, who was that guy? And why did Kia look so weird when she saw him? She called him Reath, right? There were a lot of things I wanted to ask her, but, well, I wasn’t really in a position to do that.

After a while, we left the busy streets and ended up in front of this big stone building. It didn’t look special or anything, but the bars on the windows kind of gave it away. One of the soldiers opened the door, and they pushed me inside. It was colder in there, and everything smelled like wet stone. The hallway was narrow, with a few torches on the walls.

“First, we’ll have that wound looked at,” one of the soldiers said. “After that, you’ll be questioned about what happened.”

I nodded, not really trusting myself to say anything.

So much for a normal evening

. I was led to a cell where one of the soldiers treated my wound before leaving me alone. I sat down on the wooden bed in the corner, wondering what would happen to me. Eventually, another guard arrived, picked me up, and led me to a small room. In the middle stood a small wooden table with a chair on opposite sides, and on the one facing me sat Captain David.

“Please, sit down.”

I followed his order and sat down.

“Now, tell me what happened.”

I ended up telling him everything. Well, almost everything—I tried not to leave anything out this time. I told him about seeing the man dragging the little girl into the alley, and how I’d followed them, even though I wasn’t really sure what I was supposed to do. I explained how the man threatened her, and how things got out of control after that. I mentioned the struggle, and how, right when I thought I was done for, that guy in black showed up and saved us. Captain David simply listened, not saying anything, just nodding every now and then. Still, the look on his face made it pretty clear something was off. Maybe I’d said something weird. Or maybe he just didn’t believe me.

“So, let me make sure I understand what you’re telling me,” he said, leaning back slightly. “You saw a man dragging a little girl into an alley and decided to follow them. When you confronted him, he threatened to end the girl’s life. She eventually managed to escape, but the man turned on you. Just as he was about to kill you, a tall man dressed entirely in black appeared and killed him by throwing a knife at him.”

He paused for a second, staring down at his notes. I tried not to fidget while he did. Then he looked back up at me.

“And yet, we haven’t been able to find either the girl or this mysterious stranger.”

He stared at me, like he was trying to figure out if I was making the whole thing up. I looked away. I wasn’t sure what else I was supposed to say.

“Why would I believe that?”

There it was. Seems he didn’t trust me after all. Well, I can’t blame him. It does sound like a crazy story.

“Uh, when Lady Kia showed up and saw the guy next to me, she looked really shocked. Like, it actually seemed painful, I think. As if… she remembered something bad. She said a name, but I’m not sure if it was his or not.”

“What name did she call him?”

“Reath.”

I think, for the first time, I saw something like belief in his eyes. The captain leaned back in his chair and sighed, like he’d been holding it in for a while.

“I believe I’m beginning to see the bigger picture now.”

“You do? So, um, does that mean you believe me?”

He laughed, but it was quiet. I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not.

“Believing your account and accepting it as fact are two entirely different matters. Even if I believe you, I still have a duty to verify your claims.”

They brought me back to my cell after that. I sat there, waiting. And waiting. And… well, waiting some more. By the time the captain finally showed up, I was starting to wonder if they’d forgotten about me. He wasn’t alone, either.

“Kia?”

The captain shot me a look, like I’d just said something weird. I felt my face heat up. Right. That was probably too familiar.

“Um, Lady Kia. What are you doing here?” I tried to sound polite, but my voice came out a little shaky.

“You’re free to go,” Captain David announced as he unlocked and opened the cell door.

“We found the little girl and saw her safely returned to her parents. I am relieved to say that she is unharmed,” Kia clarified.

“We also conducted a background check on the deceased and discovered that he was a wanted child trafficker. We were unable to locate the man you described as having killed him, but the rest of your account is consistent with our findings.”

I hesitated for a second before leaving my cell. I wasn’t really sure if I was supposed to go or just wait for someone to tell me.

“If there is nothing more that requires our attention here, perhaps we might begin our journey home,” she said jokingly.

After that, we left the barracks and headed back to the castle.