A Peaceful Morning
Morning sunlight illuminated the city streets with soothing warmth. Elina walked leisurely through the bustling market, a sweet smile never leaving her face. Her shimmering green hair blew in the gentle breeze, and each of her steps seemed to leave a trail of small flowers blooming along the way.
"Good morning, Miss Elina!" a vegetable vendor greeted warmly.
"Good morning too, Mr. Alden. How are your wife and children?" Elina replied with a melodious voice that always managed to calm anyone who heard it.
"Very well, thanks to the medicinal plants you gave yesterday. The little one's fever has gone down."
Elina smiled warmly. "Thank goodness. Take care of your health, okay?"
Continuing her journey, she saw a small child fall. His knee was bleeding, and tears began flowing down his tiny cheeks.
Elina immediately approached and knelt beside him. "Are you okay, little one?"
Gently, she touched the wound on the child's knee. Warm green light radiated from her hand, and the wound slowly closed without leaving a scar.
"Thank you," the child said, eyes shining with admiration.
"You're welcome, little one. Be careful when you're running around, okay?" Elina stroked the child's head affectionately.
The people around smiled seeing the scene. To them, Elina wasn't just a hero—she was a symbol of kindness, wisdom, and hope that still remained in this world.
---
Suddenly, amid that happiness, Elina felt something. A very strong aura emanated from a dark alley not far from the market.
Her face turned serious. She excused herself from the villagers saying she had important business, then walked carefully toward the source of that aura. She didn't want civilians caught in the aftermath if something unwanted happened.
In a narrow alley shrouded in shadows, a black-robed figure leaned against an old brick wall. As if waiting for her arrival all along.
"Who are you?" Elina asked in an alert stance, though not releasing her power.
The man slowly stepped out from the shadows, his dark metal mask glinting faintly under the penetrating sunlight.
"Elina," his voice was deep and echoing. "Who else is at the kingdom right now besides Zenya?"
Elina's eyes widened. "You... Raksha!"
Her instinct flared, small plants began appearing around her feet—not to attack, but as a form of vigilance.
Raksha turned his face away, showing he had no hostile intentions. "Elina, please don't show violence. I know you're not that kind of person."
Elina tried to calm herself, the plants around her slowly receding. "What do you want? Why do you want to know who's at the kingdom now?"
"I have business with them," Raksha answered briefly. "This is about... justice."
---
Elina shook her head slowly, her beautiful green eyes radiating deep sadness. "You can't keep killing in the name of justice. There are other ways—ways that bring hope, not destruction."
Raksha was silent for a moment, as if weighing her words. "Hope without action is an illusion, Elina. This world is already too broken. Sometimes to build something new, you must tear down the old first."
"But what's the price of all that?" Elina's voice trembled with emotion. "Lost souls, shattered trust, children's futures destroyed? I believe change can happen without blood, without destruction."
"I've gone too far." There was something fragile in Raksha's voice. "I'm not a hero like you all. I'm just a shadow erasing mistakes before they destroy everything. I just want to... protect something very precious to me."
Elina's eyes softened hearing that tone. "Protecting something precious is indeed noble, Raksha. But not by sacrificing souls. You're walking a very thin line. If you step too far, you could become the same monster as those you're fighting."
"If I must indeed become a monster to protect what I care about," Raksha's voice hardened, "then I'm ready to bear that burden. Rather than let this world slowly crumble because of those hungry for power and drowning in their ego and ambitions. I have no other choice."
"There's always a choice." Elina stepped slightly closer, her voice gentle yet full of conviction. "You just have to believe that there's still light amid this darkness, even if it's hard to see. I believe in you—you still have a heart."
Raksha fell silent for a long time. The wind blew gently between them, carrying the fragrance of flowers that unconsciously appeared around Elina's feet.
"That light I will bring. But in my own way." His voice returned to cold and firm. "And my way is through shadows in the darkness. Because only there can I move unseen, and act without needing to be understood by others."
---
"Enough, Elina." Raksha cut her off before she could respond. "You know I'm right. If not me who acts, then who else? This world can't keep waiting until destruction truly comes. I'm doing this not out of hatred—but out of responsibility."
Elina looked at him with tearful eyes. Her voice was soft but full of feeling: "Responsibility doesn't mean having to sacrifice everything. I'm just afraid... someday you'll lose yourself in this struggle. And when that happens, what will remain of your true self?"
A long silence enveloped that dark alley. Only the sound of wind and their respective heartbeats could be heard.
"Maybe I've already lost myself a long time ago," Raksha finally said, his voice almost like a whisper. "But as long as there's still something precious for me to protect, I'll keep walking this path... even if I must walk alone."
---
Before Elina could respond, cheerful children's voices suddenly rang from the end of the alley.
"Miss Elinaaaa! Hiii!" a small girl exclaimed while running toward her.
"Miss, why are you here?" a boy following behind asked.
Elina startled and immediately turned around—but Raksha had already vanished as if never there. Only the wind blew carrying a faint scent of darkness.
She sighed deeply, then smiled warmly at the three children. "Eh, I was chasing a cat earlier all the way here. But unfortunately it jumped over the wall and ran away."
"In that case, Miss!" the girl held Elina's hand enthusiastically. "I want to show you my cat! It's so cute and adorable!"
"Wow, then let's go see your cat," Elina replied with a genuine smile, though her heart was still filled with worry about her conversation with Raksha.
They walked together out of that dark alley, returning to a world full of light and children's laughter.
But behind her smile, Elina couldn't shake the feeling that the earlier meeting would be the beginning of something far bigger and more dangerous.
---
In an unseen place, Raksha watched Elina walking with those children. There was something like longing behind his mask.
"Light like yours is indeed rare in this world, just like hers," he whispered. "That's why... I will protect it by any means necessary."
Then he vanished back into the shadows, carrying an ever-strengthening resolve.
---
TO BE CONTINUED...