The forest was quiet, the faint rustle of leaves the only sound, until a shadow moved among the trees. Another assassin emerged, light on his feet, eyes scanning the surroundings with sharp precision.
He found the tied-up assassin barely conscious, the vines binding them.
"I almost feel sorry for you" the newcomer asked, voice calm, almost mocking.
"Why are you here?" the bound assassin spat, a hint of panic creeping in.
The new assassin tilted his head, considering. "Does it matter? You've already failed your purpose. I'm here to clean up the mess you've made"
"It seems like he's headin–"
Before the other could speaking, a flick of the wrist and a blade flashed. The tied-up assassin convulsed once, then went still.
"You were a part of the mess too."
Without a backward glance, the new assassin vanished into the trees, silent and untraceable, leaving no hint of their presence behind.
****
He followed the distant sound of running water—a stream, he hoped.
Footsteps trailed behind him. Whoever they belonged to wasn't trying to be quiet as they trampled over a small bramble bush.
Faelan stopped and turned. "You've been following me since yesterday. Can I help you with something?" he asked, irritation clear in his voice.
"Why are you so cranky?" she replied—the same girl who had fought the assassin. "You don't even know if I have business in this direction too… huh." She paused.
"What?" Faelan asked, scanning the area, thinking she had spotted something.
She tilted her head slightly. "What should I call you?"
He studied her for a moment, relieved, though still slightly annoyed. "Faelan," he replied simply.
"Mine's Asteria, but you can call me Ria… Fae." She held out her hand with a small grin.
Did she just call me… Fae? he thought, hesitating before cautiously shaking her hand.
Faelan resumed walking, and Ria fell into step beside him.
"So people are looking for you too, huh? That can get pretty annoying… though it's fun sometimes." She glanced at him sideways. "What did you do to piss them off?"
Too? The word lingered.
The implication was clear.
He kept his expression neutral. "Wrong place. Wrong time. That's all."
"So you think more people will come?" she asked, a hint of excitement in her voice.
"I hope not," Faelan replied.
They soon reached the stream. It wound through the valley in slow curves, bending around clusters of trees and scattered boulders.
"Wait here. I'll be back," Faelan said, heading downstream.
Ria watched as he followed the bend of the water and disappeared behind a large boulder.
Minutes passed. He didn't return.
Growing impatient, she pushed herself off the rock and followed after him.
Rounding the bend, she found him waist-deep in the stream, washing away the dirt of the road, completely unaware of her presence.
Ria settled onto a smooth stone nearby and simply watched.
She froze when she saw it: a deep-purple mark stretching down his back, not quite a tattoo, not quite a scar, but something eerily shaped like a second spine.
"How'd you get that?"
Ria's voice sent a jolt through Faelan as he squatted in the water.
"I thought I told you to wait behind," Faelan muttered.
"I got bored." She straightened. "I also thought you might've run away."
"As you can see, I'm still here. So go back."
"You didn't answer my question." She stepped closer. "How'd you get that mark on your back?"
"It's none of your business." He noticed her stepping closer. "Why are you coming closer?"
"Why are you so jumpy?" she asked, still closing the distance.
"I just thought I'd take a bath too," she added lightly.
"Oh— wait. You can't take a bath right now," he said quickly.
"Why not? You're taking one." Her face remained perfectly straight as she began to undress.
His eyes widened. She wasn't joking. Either she genuinely didn't understand basic decency… or she was completely insane.
When she stepped into the stream, he decided it was both.
He scrambled out of the water.
He dressed in silence and moved to the far side of the boulder, putting solid stone between them.
Time passed.
"I didn't think you'd actually wait," Ria said when she returned, water still clinging to her skin.
"Neither did I."
He didn't look at her at first. His jaw tightened. Then—
"It's from my hometown."
The words came out flat. Heavy.
Ria studied him. "Does everyone have it?"
Faelan finally met her eyes.
For a moment, something dark flickered there.
"No," he said quietly. "They don't."
He turned and started walking upstream.