On the wagon crossing a bridge, two hulking guards squeezed Hero against the wood. Wendy sat opposite him, leaning on the window, gazing at the river.
"You enjoying that?" she teased.
"All thanks to you, milady," he replied, managing a smile.
She asked why he was going to Ghawa.
"To meet someone."
"Someone you know?"
"No—someone I want to ask something."
She nodded, respecting his secrecy.
When they arrived, Hero thanked her.
"If you need anything, come to my home in Ozaria," she offered, handing him an address.
He was deeply touched.
"Why help me?" he asked.
She shrugged, laughing.
"It wasn't a big effort—just one more passenger. Besides, thank the horse." Then she departed.
Hero walked through the besieged village, hiding his identity. The square was drenched in blood and filled with corpses, all too familiar to him. Over the hubbub, he heard quiet laughter and approached. A small crowd had gathered around a young human girl—blue-haired, red-eyed, a traveler's garb, a white staff topped with a red gem—performing a fiery show. She shaped fire into golems, puppets, spectacles; animals, warriors, fireworks—bringing joy to the children. Her smile as she amazed them captivated Hero.
Suddenly, a jinn commander and his cavalry attacked. They drove back the humans and surrounded the blue‑haired girl. The commander stepped forward, furious.
"Hours ago, a jinn commander was found burned to death outside the village. The mark burned into his body… no one here has power like that. Tell me, young lady—do you know who did this?"
The girl protested her innocence: she just arrived. The soldiers prepared to seize her. She readied herself to fight. Fire erupted around a soldier—it happened without her moving.
A masked figure had intervened, racing through the crowd. Thinking he was an ally, the commander focused on him.
"Capture that girl! I'll handle the other one."
The figure was Hero, trying to help her. The intervention failed. The commander chased Hero, who tried to show he wasn't an Akani.
"I'm not—" He was cut off as the commander seized him, horrified at his horns:
"You're Akani! You did it!"
They restrained him, binding him hard.
"What about this girl?" someone asked.
"Leave her. She's powerful—handling her will take time and sacrifice. Now, is the First Commander in the palace?"
They admitted he'd gone to Oralia on urgent business.
"If he doesn't return before dawn, we kill the jinn."
They dragged Hero to a sunlit cell outside the jinn headquarters.
---
Moments later, the blue-haired girl approached Hero's cage. A soldier tried to stop her, but the commander allowed it.
She stood before him, light in her eyes, unsure what to say.
"Who are you?" she finally asked.
Startled, Hero answered:
"Who's asking?"
Each felt discomfort and recognition.
"I'm a runaway from my fate, who lost her path. And you?"
"I…" Hero hesitated. "I have no place in this world."
She laughed.
"You're like me!"
She introduced herself:
"I'm Stella. Strange as it sounds, I am a phoenix—even if I look like this. I travel alone…" She blushed, flustered and shy with strangers.
Hero smiled.
"Stella, it's a pleasure."
She asked why he tried to save her at the square.
"I saw your performance… I knew you weren't responsible."
He gestured to his horns.
"Do I seem kind enough to do such a thing?"
Stella looked puzzled:
"Is there really something odd about your appearance? You're special—but is that strange here?"
He replied:
"Don't you know the Akani? Of course, they're rare—but I'm not one. I'm a jinn."
"Oh," she said slowly. "I get it... but I still don't understand."
She fell silent. Hero thought she might be mocking him, but realized she was simply innocent—childishly so.
He sighed.
"It's not important. I helped because I felt... something—when I saw you. Not because of logic."
She nodded.
"You saved me—I would've died otherwise. So…"
He waved it off:
"Don't worry about it. Besides, you're blocking the sun—can you step back?"
Stella's face hardened at his tone.
"How can you just let yourself die like this? I believe you. Isn't that enough?"
She stormed away to the commander.
Hero muttered: "What is her problem?"
---
Stella confronted the commander; soldiers tried to stop her, she braced for combat.
"I want to see your leader! Let him free that man!"
The commander sneered.
"A jinn killed one of ours—why should I?"
Stella squared her shoulders.
"He tried to save me, not kill anyone. Please."
The commander had an idea.
"Would you like a show tonight?" The soldiers cheered.
He led her to a mound of bodies and doused it with black oil. He set it ablaze.
"That man's guilt is like this fire. If you wish to erase it, you'll have to extinguish it." He handed her a bucket and left water shut off around the village—except the distant lake.
"You have until sunset. Fail, and both of you die. Agreed?"
Stella grabbed the bucket and bowed.
"Thank you for this chance."
Five hours later, the jinn watched as Stella struggled—carrying buckets, mocked, pelted with stones, yet never faltering. Each time, she returned more determined to quench the inferno.
After Hiro finished recounting what had happened to him, he sighed loudly and said,
"And that's why I'm here now."
Wendy grew more curious about the girl and said as she looked at her,
"How ridiculous... to have your life end over something so foolish.
You two are really hopeless idiots. Even though you knew the consequences of your actions, you didn't hesitate to help a stranger you'd just met.
But I think I like Stella—she seems like that foolish protagonist type, the one with those ideals that make her help anyone she meets.
Don't you think she's a bit entertaining?"
Wendy was sitting on the ground near the cage, smiling a lot as she listened to Hiro's words and laughed at how foolish both of them were.
"You seem to be enjoying this quite a bit. This isn't some comedy play, you know.
And don't you have anything better to do than sit around laughing at the lives of fools like us?"
The girl laughed out loud and replied,
"You're right—comedies usually aren't this entertaining.
Besides, I finished my work for today, so I'm free to laze around until the end of the week."
Hiro tried to keep up with her banter but gave up quickly after that topic ended. He threw himself to the ground, placing his hands behind his head and closing his eyes as if ready to sleep.
"Must be nice, being so carefree.
Well, I won't deny it—it's kind of funny in a way."
"What? You're just going to sleep now?
Don't be like that, you jerk. You could at least listen to me.
It's not like you have anything better to do anyway."
Hiro ignored her words and started snoring loudly, pretending he was already asleep and couldn't hear her anymore.
Wendy began acting like an annoying little sister being ignored by her older brother.
"I didn't know you were such a mean person, brother.
Ignoring an innocent girl like me—unforgivable!
I don't care anymore. When you die, I won't water your grave. I'll leave you to die of thirst in the afterlife. Hmph!"
Her playful attempt to make him laugh didn't work. Then she looked at the girl again and said,
"By the way, did she tell you who she really is?"
"She said she's a Phoenix, but this is the first time I've ever seen one, so I don't really know."
Wendy was oddly surprised when she heard the word "Phoenix," which made Hiro wonder if he had said something wrong.
"A Phoenix?! That's impossible.
She doesn't have wings, and I don't see any crown mark on her head either."
"A crown?!