The street didn't remember the knights.
That was the first thing that unsettled me.
Where steel had scraped stone and boots had thundered moments before, there was only noise—ordinary, harmless noise. Merchants shouting, someone laughing too loud, the creak of a cart wheel in desperate need of oil. The world had closed over the incident like a book snapping shut.
I exhaled slowly and unclenched my fingers. Rewrite settled. Not silent—never silent—but satisfied, like ink that had finally soaked into the page instead of bleeding through it.
"You're frighteningly calm for someone who just did… that."
I turned.
She stood a few steps away, copper-red hair catching the light like a provocation. Too bright. Too alive. The kind of color people noticed even when they pretended not to. Her cloak was pulled tight around her shoulders, but her eyes were sharp, tracking me with a precision I didn't like.
"I don't feel calm," I said. "I feel… edited."
That earned me a blink. Then a quiet laugh, more breath than sound. "Right. Of course you do."
I glanced around the street again, half-expecting the world to stutter—to realize it was missing something. It didn't. The knights had been rewritten out of relevance, folded into harmless coincidence: a delayed patrol, a wrong turn, an urgent summons elsewhere.
Tyresa would have called it a mercy. I wasn't so sure.
"You shouldn't be here," I told her. "Not standing out in the open."
Her gaze flicked past me, to where the country's colors moved through the crowd—pale blues, muted whites. Not knights this time. Something quieter. Something that watched.
"I know," she said. "Which is why I was looking for someone."
My stomach tightened. "Me?"
"No." She shook her head once. "Her."
The air changed. Not abruptly—Tyresa never did anything abruptly—but decisively. Like the world had reached a conclusion and was now adjusting the margins. I felt her before I saw her.
Lady Tyresa stood at the edge of the street, hands folded, expression mild enough to pass for harmless if you didn't know better. The noise dulled around her, sounds softening as though spoken through layers of cloth.
Her eyes met mine first.
There was no surprise in them.
"Elias," she said, as if I hadn't just rewritten five spells like it was easy work. "You've been busy."
"I—" I stopped myself. Explanations were dangerous around her. She already knew the shape of things. "She found me."
The redhead bristled. "You make it sound like a crime."
Tyresa studied her openly now, gaze steady, unblinking. "You are being hunted," she said. Not a question. "And you have neither allies nor time."
The woman straightened. "Then you understand why I need help."
"I understand," Tyresa replied. "And I refuse."
My head snapped toward her. "What?"
Tyresa lifted a hand, forestalling both of us. "I refuse to involve myself directly."
Relief and fear warred on the redhead's face. "Then why show up at all?"
Tyresa's eyes shifted back to me.
"Because," she said calmly, "I will involve him."
I felt the weight of the moment settle on my shoulders—familiar now, unwelcome but inevitable.
"This is not—" I began.
"You will take her," Tyresa continued, voice smooth as ink flowing from a pen, "out of this country. You will keep her hidden from those who would claim her. And you will pay attention to what Rewrite does when it is strained."
The word pulsed in my chest at being named.
The redhead stared at me. "Is she serious?"
"She always is," I said quietly.
Tyresa inclined her head, satisfied. "You will travel East," she said, turning her gaze toward a horizon I couldn't see but somehow felt. "Where pink petals blossom in the Spring, and where their fall reveals the way to answers long buried."
The world seemed to listen. Something distant—ancient—shifted, as if a page far ahead in the book had been disturbed.
"And Elias," Tyresa added, already beginning to fade, "do try not to rewrite yourselves beyond recognition."
Then she was gone. No wind. No flash. Simply absent, like a line erased so cleanly you could almost believe it had never been written.
The redhead let out a shaky breath and looked at me. "Well," she said, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, "I guess we're traveling together."
I stared East, heart pounding, Rewrite humming softly beneath my skin.
The road didn't exist yet.
But I could already feel where the first mark would go.
I wandered with the redhead in tow. She followed like a curious child, which only made me more nervous. It felt like she was studying me like she was going to pounce on me, yet she didn't say anything as we crossed the less frequented streets to avoid knights.
"I think some introductions are in order, no?" The readhead asked. I turned, noticing her head was tilted, hands behind her back and a warm smile plastered across her face. She stuck a hand out, something I wasn't used to living in this country, and introduced herself. "My name's Victoria."
I stuck my hand out to shake hers. "Elias." Victoria's hands were calloused in ways mine weren't. We gently pulled away as we stared at each other. I wasn't good with people and this was certainly awkward for both of us.
"Not one for talk, hm?" Victoria sussed it out instantly. I turned and continued walking down the bare street. "How did you get in contact with someone like Lady Tyresa?"
"By accident." I answered, simply.
"Accident? How so?"
I hesitated to answer her question. "Really, an accident for someone like me who didn't know what to expect coming here."
"Mmm, you definitely don't like the person that belongs to a country like this… Maybe West origins? Am I right?"
I shrugged. Not because I didn't want to answer, but because I didn't know.
"So, any plans on how we're going to get to the East?" Victoria switched subjects.
"I think the easiest way would be to become adventurers." I turned to look at Victoria. "Guild badges would allow movement through different countries easily. Plus, it would nice to see the world…"
"I already have my adventurers badge," Victoria lifted her badge up for me to see. "You don't have one?"
I shook my head.
"Hm, you strike me as the type to have one already. Were you born here?"
"So, I just need a badge… That won't be too hard then." I brushed her comment to get to know me better aside and continued the conversation. I turned and set my sights to one of the tallest buildings in the kingdom: the guild. "I'll secure a badge with the guild and we'll head East to Briar's Bridge. That should be enough distance to keep you from being hunted."
"You talk like getting a badge from the guild is easy." Victoria folded her arms. "But seeing how you dismantled the knights' spells so easily, I'm sure you could pass it."
"How hard could it be?" I raised an eyebrow before summoning the inventory that held my gold. I pulled a couple pieces and handed it to Victoria. "You need to lie low for now. I'll give you some gold and figure out some lodging for you while I deal with the guild."
Victoria glanced at the gold and then looked at me with a look of surprise. I didn't wait for her to ask more questions and turned to lead the way to one of the nearby taverns.
"You surprise me, Elias." Victoria commented, catching up. "I didn't think you'd be of importance to this country's king and have connections with Lady Tyresa. Your parents have influence here or something?"
"Let's just say an accident happened with the kingdom and I and I was compensated nicely for many lifetimes." I replied.
"So, you are important."
"Not important. I'm just a regular guy who likes learning about odd things."
"Is that why you stepped in to save me?"
"I didn't step in to save you, I didn't want all those peoples' livelihoods to be destroyed over a dumbass's decision."
We arrived at a shady tavern with no tenants inside. I stopped and turned to face Victoria.
"You'll stay here. I can vouch for the place as Lady Tyresa made me run errands for the Brooch many times. Alfred and Gertrude know me so they won't ask questions." I plucked some change out and stepped inside the clean tavern. The fire quietly roared off to the side while an old man was wiping down the bar. A couple patrons were quietly making conversation whilst eating as the older man, Alfred, looked up.
"Ah, Elias, on another one of your mistress's errands?" Alfred asked.
"You could say that." I nodded. I lifted my hand and set the money in front of Alfred. "I need you to give me a room for my friend, here. I got some business I need to figure out and let's just say… no eyes."
Alfred nodded and pulled the coins. He glanced at Victoria, who kept her hood up.
"How long?" Alfred asked quietly.
"Enough time for me to pass the guild test." I replied.
"You're taking the guild test?" He raised an eyebrow. "It's a tough test but I'm sure you'll be able to pass it with flying colors… Although, Elias… Are you sure you want attention on yourself?" He looked over to Victoria and then back to me, again. "If you need help, I can—"
"It's alright, Mr. Alfred." I cut him off. "My mistress believes I am capable of such. The guild doesn't interest me but I need to get her East and figure out my mistress's cryptic riddles."
Alfred nodded and let out a sigh. He looked over to Victoria and smiled. "Dear, I'll have my wife show you to your room. If Elias's mistress is making him help you, I trust you completely."
"Just like that…?" Victoria asked, taken aback.
Alfred nodded. "The mistress has been helping us for ages. Elias has been a recent addition but he's kindhearted. Whatever you came to the mistress for, you're in good hands." He looked over to me, again, and nodded. "Don't worry. If anything comes our way, I'll do what I can."
"Alert me by page if you need me to come back." I said, pulling out some small pieces of paper and sliding it over to Alfred.
"I will. Go and pass the test. She'll be here when you come back."