Alioth stared at the girl in complete disbelief.
Why had they hit him? Who was this girl? What misdeeds was she talking about?
The white-haired boy touched his bruised cheek. The pain flared up again, making him groan.
"Damn it," he complained, getting up with difficulty.
Blood was starting to drip from his nose. The blow had been so strong it had even broken his nose.
"What the hell is wrong with you!?" the boy shouted with clear anger.
He wiped the blood with his hand, staining the back of it with a black substance.
It was his blood, black, not golden like the Vanir's or blue like the fairies', a constant reminder that he didn't have a trace of Ka.
His cheek burned, his nose stung, and all because of a little girl's punch. It was humiliating and painful.
"Me? Nothing," she declared as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "I'm perfectly fine."
The boy clenched his teeth. Was she stupid?
Alioth wasn't in the mood for jokes.
"Then why did you hit me?" the boy demanded.
The only thing he had done was save a girl from some thugs.
Did that make her angry?
"Isn't it obvious? You were bothering that poor girl! I couldn't just stand there with my arms crossed while that happened," the blonde declared, putting her arms akimbo. "I want to be a heroine, you know? Heroes save people from situations like this!"
Alioth raised an eyebrow. His black eyes looked at her in disbelief.
How had she reached that conclusion?
He tried to remember something he had done that could be misinterpreted, but nothing came to mind.
"What made you think something like that!?" the boy exclaimed in confusion.
He felt his blood starting to boil. He really felt this as an injustice.
'No, Alioth, calm down. She's just a girl. Use your head.'
The boy breathed deeply, trying to calm himself.
"Well, I intuited it, I suppose," the girl responded calmly, without giving it importance.
It was difficult to stay calm after those words, but somehow Alioth managed.
He shouldn't scold her, but make her reflect.
"So you attacked me because your instinct told you I did something bad? Without letting me explain the situation or even seeing me do anything bad?" the white-haired boy asked, trying to make her realize her mistake.
But the girl simply nodded.
"Yes, what's wrong with that? It's not the first time I've seen someone like you bothering people in this neighborhood," she replied calmly.
Alioth let out a long sigh as he touched his bruised cheek.
"So you're one of those who hit before asking?"
"A hero has to act fast against villains!" she exclaimed with pride.
Alioth just shook his head.
"But a hero shouldn't act before verifying what's happening. Imagine if you ended up hitting an innocent person."
Upon hearing that, the girl tilted her head.
Small green particles twinkled in the narrow alley. They almost seemed to be observing what was happening.
"But heroes never make mistakes. Don't you even know that?" the girl responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Small jade green particles twinkled, dragging the air in a current that pushed the girl's golden hair.
Alioth saw how the air shone with greenish reflections and rushed toward him to caress his face and bring him a sweet smell, similar to vanilla.
"That's not true. If they never make mistakes, how would they learn things?"
The girl blinked at the question Alioth had posed. She seemed genuinely confused, as if she had never considered such a thing.
After meditating on it for a while, the blonde reached a conclusion.
"I suppose you're right, but what are you getting at?"
Alioth gave a small sigh. He had confirmed he could reason with her.
He didn't know how impulsive the girl could be and wanted to avoid confronting her. There were very crazy people in the world. He didn't want to argue with one of them.
"Well, I mean I wasn't doing anything bad. In fact, I just helped that girl escape from some thugs. You hit me for nothing," the boy explained, trying to maintain a serene attitude toward the girl.
The blonde leaned slightly forward as she blinked with surprise.
"Really?" she asked, then turned to look at the white-haired girl. "Answer me. Is what he's saying true? Did he really protect you?"
The girl slowly turned her head, looking at Alioth, then returned her gaze to the blonde.
She nodded slowly. Upon doing so, the blonde's face paled.
"It can't be... really?" the girl turned to look at Alioth. "I'm really sorry... Huh? What was your name?" she asked, then hurried to introduce herself. "My name is Nora! Pleased to meet you."
Alioth's body relaxed upon hearing those words. The misunderstanding had been resolved.
Though that didn't eliminate the damage he had received, nor the frustration of being unjustly accused.
But to avoid starting another argument, the boy decided to let it be.
"My name is Alioth, pleased to meet you," he responded. "I accept your apology, but be more careful next time."
Nora nodded energetically.
"Yes! I've learned from my mistake! Like heroes do! I'm looking forward to making more mistakes," she responded enthusiastically, her emerald eyes shining at that idea.
The boy swallowed, a bit worried.
'That wasn't the point... Well, whatever.'
With a sigh, the boy turned around.
"Well, I'm leaving. I leave the girl in your care," he said as he started to walk away. He didn't want to continue associating with someone as problematic as Nora.
However, fate had other plans.
Alioth felt someone take his hand to stop him.
"Wait!" the golden-haired girl exclaimed. "I can't let you leave just like that! I hit you without reason. I must compensate you somehow."
Alioth rolled his eyes, somewhat annoyed by the situation.
"It's not necessary. Don't worry. You already apologized, right? That's enough," he assured, forcing a smile to make his words more credible.
But that didn't seem to satisfy Nora. She was clearly very stubborn.
"No! Look at what I did to your face! It's clear that simple apologies won't be enough to amend my mistake," she insisted, pulling Alioth by the arm. "Let me at least take you to my mother. She can heal you."
Alioth let out a dry sigh as spirits twinkled in green and golden colors around them.
It was clear Nora wasn't going to give up easily. Besides, the pain was becoming bothersome. Getting healed wasn't such a bad idea.
"Alright, I'll go with you," the boy gave in, which filled her with joy.
"Great!" she cheered, giving a small jump. "Follow me, and you come too," she said as she started walking and took the white-haired girl's hand.
That's how Alioth was dragged against his will to who-knows-where.