The balloons float upward, caught by the breeze, drifting away from her.
"My balloons!" she says, reaching up helplessly. She looks at me with those big, pleading blue eyes. "Mister, please! Can you help? You're taller!"
This is it. This is the moment. In five minutes—or five minutes ago, or whatever—I reached up. I exposed my stomach. She stabbed me.
The balloons are floating higher, but they're still within reach if I jump.
She's looking at me expectantly, her hand still outstretched, her face the picture of innocent desperation.
The crowd around us is watching now. Waiting to see what I'll do.
And I make my choice.
I run.
"NOPE!" I shout, and I bolt.
I don't reach for the balloons. I don't try to help. I just turn and sprint away as fast as my legs will carry me.
Behind me, I hear gasps from the crowd. Confused murmurs.
"What—"
"Did he just—"
"Why did he run?"
I don't look back. I just keep running, my sneakers slapping against the cobblestones, weaving between people on the street.
An old woman jumps out of my way with a startled yelp. A merchant shouts at me as I nearly knock over his display.
I run like my life depends on it.
Because it does.
I make it three streets away before I finally stop, gasping for breath, pressing my back against a wall in an empty alley.
My heart is hammering in my chest. My hands are shaking.
But I'm alive.
I'm not bleeding. I'm not dying. I'm alive.
"Holy shit," I gasp out between breaths. "Holy shit, I did it. I actually—"
A sound from the square reaches me even from here. Faint, but distinct.
A child's voice. High-pitched. Frustrated.
I can't make out the words, but I can imagine them.
The little girl, realizing her prey escaped. Cursing under her breath while the crowd looks on in confusion.
Her perfect trap failed because I just... ran away.
Like an idiot.
Like a coward.
But like a living coward.
I slide down the wall until I'm sitting on the ground, still trying to catch my breath.
That was insane. Absolutely insane.
But I'm alive.
I didn't fall for it this time.
A laugh bubbles up in my chest. It comes out half-hysterical, echoing in the empty alley.
I take a few more deep breaths, letting my heart rate slow down. Then I push myself back to my feet.
Okay. I'm alive. I avoided the death trap. Now I need to actually complete the mission.
The Sword of Beginning. It's somewhere in this town, hidden in a well in a back alley.
I need to find it.
And I need to be careful, because if a little girl with balloons is a death trap, who knows what else is waiting for me in this insane world.
I look down the alley I'm in. It's narrow, shadowy, with old wooden buildings on either side. No well visible from here, but there are other alleys branching off.
I start walking, keeping my eyes open for anything suspicious.
This time, I'm not helping anyone. I'm not trusting anyone. I'm not falling for any tricks.
This time, I'm going to survive.