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Arc 1 - Blind Faith
Blind Faith - Velronia.
Written by - Ellien S. Vorein
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The sun spoke as it shined across their skin.Birds chirped overhead; the wind brushed the trees, pushing leaves from side to side.The scent of pollen drifted thick through the air.Elyra sniffed—...Achoo.
Kairo turned toward her. "Bless you."
Her eyes were a little watery as she nodded shyly. "Thank you…"
Faran raised a brow. "Allergies?"
Elyra sniffled again—Achoo—!
"I don't know…" she mumbled, rubbing her nose.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Faran asked, genuinely confused. "What about when you were a child?"
Kairo's gaze wandered ahead to the lake.Fish broke the surface and dipped below again, moving so fluidly it was almost like they were dancing.
Elyra hesitated before speaking."I… I don't remember anything before meeting Kairo."
Kairo answered for her, gently."Faran… she doesn't remember anything besides her name."
"What—like amnesia?" Faran asked, turning to Elyra.
She stared down at her hands, thinking."I don't know…"
They walked a few more steps before Faran suddenly stopped.Kairo and Elyra halted behind him.
He looked down at the path, expression focused, jaw tight—like he'd made a decision he didn't fully want to say aloud."…Alright."
He inhaled slowly, then turned."Kairo," Faran said, "you mind if we take a detour?"
Kairo blinked. "A detour?"
"Where?" Elyra asked softly, curious.
The wind whistled softly through the trees, rustling the branches above them.It tugged at Faran's long ponytail, pushing strands of hair across his face and making his rugged cloak flap behind him.
He scratched his cheek awkwardly and looked up toward the sky — almost like he was trying to avoid eye contact."I… know a person," he said.A pause."Who knows a person… who could help."
Kairo frowned. "Help with what?"
Faran's voice dipped — not scared, but uncomfortable in a way Kairo and Elyra hadn't seen before."…With her memories."
Elyra blinked. "My… memories?"
Faran didn't answer immediately.He shifted his weight, glanced between them, then exhaled quietly.
Kairo tried to lighten the moment."What, like a mind reader—?"
But when he saw how serious Elyra looked, he swallowed the rest of the sentence and glanced away.
Faran spoke again, his voice a little unsteady."Something like that…?"
Kairo narrowed his eyes. "Wait—so who was this person?"
Achoo.
Elyra sniffled hard, wiping her nose.Faran sighed softly before continuing.
"My old friend. Cyran."
Elyra sniffled again. "Cyran…?"
Kairo jerked his head up so fast he almost tripped."Wait—do you mean that Cyran?!"
He pointed both hands at Faran as if hoping he misunderstood."The legendary hero??The one who took down the sealed evil??The legendary Guardian—?"
He spoke so fast he barely caught his breath.
Faran scratched his goatee, looked up at the sky, yawned a little… and shrugged."…Yeah. That guy."
Like it was absolutely nothing.
Elyra twirled a strand of her pink hair around her finger, watching the birds hop between branches."Who is that…?" she asked softly.
Kairo jumped in instantly."He's a legendary magic archer! My father told me all about him — and about the Guardians of Velronia."
His voice had that breathless excitement he couldn't hide.
Faran, meanwhile, lifted the edge of his shirt just enough to scratch his side, letting out another slow, heavy yawn — the kind that sounded like he hadn't slept properly in weeks."Yeah," he muttered. "Those guys."
Like Kairo had just named some average fishermen and not literal legends.
"Old friend…?"Kairo's voice thinned.
He turned around slowly — not suddenly, not dramatically.Slowly.Like his brain needed time to catch up with the words he just heard.
He faced Faran eye-to-eye.
Faran didn't flinch.Didn't look nervous.Didn't change expression.
He just looked bored — like he was talking about grocery shopping, not history.
"Yeah," Faran said with a shrug."We used to be in a commandment together. Back in the old field days. During the war."
He said it flatly.Unamused.Like he'd told the story too many times to care anymore.
Elyra tilted her head, her voice barely above a whisper."…War?"
Kairo's eyes twitched.His hands trembled — not from fear, but from the sudden, impossible weight of the truth hitting him harder than he expected.
His mouth opened slowly, dry, disbelieving."Faran…"
Kairo's voice trembled."Who the hell are you?"
For a moment, Faran didn't answer.Then he let out a quiet chuckle — the kind that wasn't really a laugh at all.
He closed his eyes, shaking his head gently."Just a man," he said,"who got nagged at by his wife for sleeping all day and drinking."
The smile faded almost instantly."Anyway," he murmured, "that's for another day."
Faran didn't continue.He didn't explain.He didn't meet Kairo's eyes.
He just blinked once — slow — and let a faint breath slip from his nose."That's for another time."
He lifted both arms above his head and stretched, his joints cracking softly.Then he rolled his shoulders back — stiff, tired, like a man who'd been carrying weight for far too long.
"Alright," he said abruptly, tone shifting without warning."Detour time."
He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder."Velronia.That's where we're heading."
Kairo stared at him, still shaken.Elyra watched quietly, rubbing her sleeve between her fingers.
Faran stepped forward, cloak dragging lightly against the dirt road as the wind pushed past them."Northwest from here," he added casually."Not too far."
As if he hadn't just dropped a past-life bombshell moments before.
Kairo blinked hard."Velronia?!"
Faran didn't even look back."What about it?" he asked, utterly bored.
Elyra stepped a little closer to Kairo, eyes bright with curiosity."Have you been to that place before, Kairo?" she asked — almost bouncing with excitement.
Kairo froze."I've…"He swallowed."…never been anywhere past Lagos."
He stared down at his hand, the fingers trembling slightly."This is my first time going anywhere by myself.Let alone with anyone."
His voice wavered as he spoke — not out of fear, but from the raw honesty of the admission.A seventeen-year-old boy standing on the edge of a world he'd only ever heard about.
"Dad told me all about it," he said quietly."But I've never been before."
His hand curled into a fist and he gripped his palm, steadying himself.
Elyra watched him carefully — not judging, just listening.
Faran didn't turn around, but there was the faintest, almost invisible shift in his posture.
Kairo straightened suddenly, excitement overriding his nerves."Faran," he asked quickly,"What type of place is Velronia?"
Faran scratched his cheek, eyes drifting lazily toward the sky."…What am I, a tour guide?" he muttered, sounding genuinely offended at the idea.
Elyra blinked and whispered under her breath,"…Tour guide…?"
Faran smirked at that and let out a soft chuckle."Don't worry about it," he said.
"Anyway—where's the magic in me telling you? This is your first time outside that tiny village of yours. Why not experience it for yourself?"
Kairo opened his mouth to argue, then slowly closed it again.Elyra's eyes glimmered with anticipation.
The three walked on, the path shifting beneath their feet —lanes of rock scattered through tall grass, sunlight flickering through the branches above as the world subtly began to widen around them.
***
The ridge opened.The wind instantly changed—cooler, heavier, sharper.Like it carried dust from another age.
Kairo stepped forward.And then—He stopped breathing.
"…What… the hell is that…?"
Elyra followed his gaze and her fingers froze mid-movement.She didn't even brush her hair back.Her breath simply left her.
Because ahead of them—dominating the earth, the sky, the horizon—was something no human language had a word for.
At first, it looked like a mountain.Then a monument.Then a corpse.Then something else entirely.
A colossal figure, half-buried beneath centuries of soil and growth, stood frozen in a stance that was impossible to interpret —not standing, not kneeling, not fallen, but locked in place like time itself had tried to stop it and failed.
Its entire body was covered in moss, vines, and strange rocky materials that shimmered with colours not found anywhere else in Lythen.Not metal.Not copper.Not gold.Not stone.Not glass.
A substance unknown to the world —a material that looked indestructible.
The form wore ancient armour, layered in massive plates and gears the size of towers:
giant circular mechanisms embedded in its arms
overlapping plates across its chest
a spinal ridge of interconnected gear-like nodes
old joints welded shut by time
pieces of armour fused directly into the land
The armour wasn't decorative — it was functional, ancient technology or craftsmanship far beyond anything modern Lythen had ever achieved.
The figure's head pierced through the clouds.Literally.Its upper face disappeared into the mist above, like the sky itself couldn't cover it.
Elyra whispered, barely breathing:"…Is that… a statue…?"
But even as she said it, doubt shook her voice.Because statues do not have—
Water towers.Real ones.
Massive reservoirs sat on each of its shoulders, big enough to be fortresses:
rusted
overgrown
cracked
still functioning
Water spilled from them in silver cascades, forming waterfalls that crashed down the titan's chest.Mist hung in the air like drifting smoke.
The waterfalls carved streams across its armour plates, feeding entire ecosystems:
forests growing sideways along its arms
moss jungles covering its ribs
birds nesting in crevices
small rivers running down its torso
fog clinging to its waist
vines hanging like giant ropes
This wasn't a statue.This was a continent.
Kairo's voice shook."It's… bigger than Velronia…"
Elyra swallowed."It—it looks alive…"
But the blade—Gods.
The blade was the true horror.
A titanic weapon held frozen in its grip:
larger than the entire city-state of Velronia
covered in forests
ecosystems living on its flat surface
cracked with ancient fractures glowing faintly beneath moss
wide enough to build towns on
long enough to reach the horizon
so massive it could be seen from space
The blade wasn't smooth or elegant.It was rough, uneven —a blunt sword with razor-sharp angles that felt like they could split continents.
Its jagged edge pulsed faintly, like the dying heartbeat of something that refused to fully die.
Kairo took a shaky step forward."What… what IS this thing…?"
A bird flew too close to the blade.It died instantly.Silent.Lifeless.Falling like a stone.
Elyra gasped, grabbing Kairo's sleeve.
The air vibrated — a low, constant hum, as if something deep beneath the earth was still moving, still breathing, still waiting.
Faran walked forward.No shock.No awe.No fear.Just quiet recognition.
Elyra's voice cracked."…Faran… what is this?"
Kairo pointed at the titan, his hand trembling."You're telling me a—A STATUE has water towers?!Forests?!Entire ecosystems living on its blade?That's not—"
He stopped himself.He didn't have a word.
Faran inhaled slowly."…It's not built as a statue."
"Elyra…?" Kairo whispered softly.
She doesn't respond —because she can't.Because her brain is breaking.
Elyra put her hand inside her white sleeveas she stared up, frozen.
Her eyes were wide, unblinking —her entire world rewriting itself in silence.
Kairo blinked hard."…Hold up."
His voice shook."You're saying…that THING—"
His eyes widened fully."—is a GUARDIAN?!"
Faran didn't look at him.He didn't blink.He just nodded once, quiet and absolute.
"It is a Guardian."
The wind fell silent.
Faran stared up at the titan towering over the world."Obellion."His voice was low."The Colossal."
Kairo's breath caught.Elyra's grip tightened.The ground felt heavier.
Faran finished softly:"…And it's not dead."
A faint vibration rolled through the earth beneath their feet.
"Just asleep."
Faran's words echoed across the ridge, swallowed by the silent air.
Kairo didn't speak.Couldn't.
His eyes stayed locked on the titan — on the impossible scale of it, on the blade that looked like a dead continent, on the waterfalls spilling from its shoulders, on the clouds that wrapped around its head like a halo.
His breath trembled.
And inside his mind, a voice surfaced.
Dad…
His fingers clenched slowly.
You told me Obellion was big…
His heartbeat thudded through his chest, loud, heavy, unreal.
But this…this is insane…
He couldn't even swallow.
The words weren't fear —They were awe.Pure awe.
He had grown up hearing stories.He had heard legends.He had imagined something massive.
But nothing — nothing — prepared him for this.
Kairo stood frozen, staring at the slumbering titan, and for the first time in his life he felt small.Truly small.Like a single grain of dust standing before a god carved from the bones of the planet.
His thoughts shook.
Dad…How much of this world did you see… that I never knew?
Kairo's throat tightened.
Without thinking, he reached for his white button-collar — his fingers brushing the empty space where his red scarlet tie used to be.A nervous habit.A grounding reflex.
Except there was no tie now.
His hand froze against the fabric.He didn't even realise he was shaking.
The overwhelming presence of the titan before him — the impossible scale, the weight of its slumbering aura, the ancient pressure filling the air — crushed the breath out of his lungs.It felt like gravity itself had increased.
Kairo swallowed hard, fingers curled against his collar, trying to hold onto something familiar in a moment that was anything but.
Faran stepped between them and set a hand on each shoulder — his left on Kairo's, his right on Elyra's.
"Alright," he said, already sounding impatient,"well? What are you two waiting for? You ready to head down to Velronia or what?"
Kairo didn't react.Didn't nod.Didn't breathe.Didn't move.
His eyes were glued to the titan, still drowning in awe.
Faran stared at him for a second… then rolled his eyes hard enough it looked like a physical workout."Kid," he muttered, "c'mon."
Elyra leaned in gently, tilting her head to the left — curious, worried, unsure.She reached out and tugged softly on his black collar.
"Kairo…?"
That single word finally landed.
He blinked — once, twice — as if someone had snapped him back into existence."Oh… right," he said quietly, almost embarrassed.
Faran let out a sigh through his nose."Finally."
Before moving, Kairo's hand drifted toward his waist almost on instinct.
Shff.
He unsheathed his katana — the simple, silver-edged blade glinting faintly in the afternoon sun.
He held it up beside him…and finally looked between the weapon in his handand the impossible, continent-sized blade resting in Obellion's grip.
The comparison wasn't even a comparison.
His katana looked like a needle.A joke.A meaningless scrap of metal trying to exist in the shadow of a god.
Kairo's throat tightened."…What… am I even supposed to do with this…?" he whispered under his breath — not defeated, just overwhelmed.
A breeze brushed the grass.His blade trembled slightly in his hands, though he didn't try to steady it.
Elyra watched him, her expression softening.Faran didn't comment — he just glanced at the katana, then at Obellion, and exhaled through his nose as if saying: yeah… that's the world, kid.
Kairo slowly lowered the blade, eyes still glued to the titan.
Only after several long, silent seconds did he sheath it again.
"…Okay," he murmured."Let's go."
***
Dong.A merchant slapped water across the stone floors, sleeves rolled up, sunlight scattering through the droplets like broken glass.Dong.
"Apples for sale! Apples for sale! Apples for sale!"
A young girl waved a red, glossy fruit above her head, her voice cracking with enthusiasm.
A basket rattled as a silver cat darted between crates, a stolen fish clamped between its teeth.
"Thief!" someone yelled—but they were laughing as they chased it.
The market swelled with sound, colour, and heat.
Elyra stopped completely.Her eyes widened — glowing, overwhelmed, drinking the world in piece by piece.
The cat.The apples.The water slapping the stone.The shaking baskets.The shouting voices layered like music.
"So… this is a city?" she whispered, breathlessly amazed.
Kairo looked around just as stunned.He had no words — only awe.
Faran yawned."Yeah," he muttered, scratching his neck."This is the city of Velronia."
Like it was nothing.Like this wasn't the biggest place either of them had ever seen.
The silver cat shot out from between two crates —fish still dangling from its mouth —and slammed straight into Elyra's legs.
The fish flew into the air.Elyra blinked, confused.It landed neatly in her hands.
The cat froze, stunned, its wide green eyes staring up at her like it had just crashed into a goddess by mistake.
Elyra crouched gently, her white sleeves brushing the stone.She placed her free hand softly onto the cat's grey fur.
Her voice came out quiet, warm, almost saint-like."...You're adorable, aren't you?"
The cat melted instantly.It pushed its head into her palm, purring so loudly it drowned out the noise of the market.
Kairo watched, speechless.Every time I try… cats run away.
He exhaled sharply through his nose."…Of course."
DONG.
"Faran-sama!!!"
Faran kept walking.
"Faran-sama..!"
Like a mosquito buzzing in his ear,he finally turned around.
The voice didn't stop."Faran-sama… why are you ignoring me?! I know you can hear me!"
A tiny merchant girl came sprinting toward them — blonde ponytail bouncing, baggy clothes flapping wildly, her face bright and soft like she had never known a bad day in her life.
Her feet skidded across the stone as she reached them, cheeks puffed in a full pout."Faran-sama!! You're sooo mean today!"
Faran exhaled — long, slow, suffering.
Kairo leaned in."…You know her?"
Faran muttered back, resigned,"Unfortunately."
Then he raised his voice — flat, drained:"…What is it, Iris?"
She lit up instantly."Faran-sama brought friends!"
Iris clasped her hands together, practically vibrating."He's normally alone… like always!" she whispered loudly, as if sharing a secret with the entire street.
Faran's eye twitched.
Kairo had to look away to hide the smile creeping up on him.
Elyra gently lifted her head, still crouched, still petting the cat that purred like a tiny engine against her palm.Her white sleeves brushed the stone.
"Iris, was it?" she asked softly."Hello — I'm Elyra. It's nice to meet you."
She smiled, tilting her head, cheeks naturally warm with kindness.
The cat purred louder.
DONG.
She giggled softly, cheeks puffing into a bright smile."Elyra-chan," she said lightly, as if the name itself made her happy.
Then — without warning — she spun and ran straight into Kairo, bumping him gently with all the enthusiasm of a child meeting her favourite hero.
"What's your name, mister?" she asked, eyes huge, sparkling, way too excited for a stranger.
Kairo blinked.She's an excited one, huh…
He cleared his throat."It's Kairo. It's nice to mee—"
But she cut him off, twirling on her heel."Elyra-chan! Faran-sama! Kairo-san!"
She practically sang their names as she hopped in place."It's so nice to meet all of you!!"
She spun again, arms stretched out, dancing in a tiny circle, far too hyper for the quiet morning.
Her baggy clothes swung with her movements.People stared.Faran covered his face with one hand.
Iris spun in another tiny circle, humming to herself.
Faran dragged a hand down his face."…Why are you always like this…" he muttered."It's far too early."
Iris stopped mid-twirl, gasped dramatically, and pointed at him."Faran-samaaa! It's never too early to be happy!"
Faran stared at her, dead inside.Kairo tried not to laugh.Elyra stroked the cat gently, watching Iris with wide, amused eyes.
Iris puffed her cheeks, hands balled into fists at her sides."Faran-samaaaa, you're so grumpy today!"
She leaned dangerously close to him, eyes sparkling like she had stars for pupils."It's such a BEAUTIFUL morning! You should smile! Smi~iile!"
Faran stared at her, deadpan.Kairo felt second-hand embarrassment.Elyra softly giggled into her sleeve.
Iris gasped suddenly."Oh! Oh!! Elyra-chan, you're sooooo pretty up close!! Look at your hair — it's like cotton candy! And your eyes!! They're like… like… like little sapphires!!"
Elyra blinked, flustered."T-thank you?"
Iris wasn't done."Kairo-san! Kairo-san!!"
She jumped in front of him, hands behind her back, rocking on her heels."Is it true you're a samurai?! Do you cut bad guys in half?! Do you run super fast?! Do you—"
Kairo raised his hand."I— I never said—"
"Waaah!! Kairo-san is shy!!"
She spun in a circle again, laughing way too hard at her own comment.
Faran muttered,"…Why are you like this?"
Iris suddenly spun on her heel."I almost forgot!!"
She sprinted back to her little stall — a wooden stand overflowing with baskets, apples stacked in colourful mounds like she'd arranged them with too much energy and no sleep.
She snatched three bright red apples without hesitation.
Then she ran back, beaming."Here!! These are for being Faran-sama's friends!"
She shoved one into each of their hands."He's always lonely!"
Faran's eyebrow twitched so violently it looked painful.
Kairo blinked, then let out a slow laugh he tried to hide behind his hand."Lonely, huh…?" he murmured, barely containing himself.
Faran snatched his apple with a grip so forceful the fruit audibly squeaked under pressure."…Thanks," he muttered through clenched teeth.
Elyra accepted hers gently, smiling with warm gratitude."Thank you, Iris," she said, soft and sincere.
But Iris wasn't done.
She raised her own apple, took a massive bite—
CRUNCH
—chewing with the loudest, most obnoxious enthusiasm possible.
"Mmm!! So good!! Don't you think so, Elyra-chan??" she said with her mouth full, bouncing on her heels.
Elyra blinked — then giggled softly, covering her mouth with her sleeve."Iris… you're funny," she said, cheeks warm, a genuine little laugh slipping out.
Iris lit up instantly, kicking her feet like a child receiving praise from a goddess."Elyra-chaaaan likes meee!!"
Faran closed his eyes slowly."…This is hell," he muttered under his breath.
A calm voice drifted from behind her."Who would be wroth with thee, young Iris?"
Iris froze.Her shoulders lifted slowly —stiff, terrified, like a child caught stealing sweets.
Kairo blinked.Elyra tilted her head.Faran sighed.
And Iris turned around… trembling.
Iris froze.The colour drained from her face.
Her fingers slipped —and the apple fell from her hand.
DONG.
It struck the stone.Rolled once.Stopped.
The market went silent.
A silver blur shot past the man's boot —the cat —biting hard into its stolen fish as it darted cleanly between his legsand skidded to a stop beside Elyra's foot, chewing proudly, oblivious to the tension.
No one else moved.
Iris's eyes filled instantly — huge, trembling, watery.
She dropped to her knees so fast the ground thudded beneath her."I— I'm sorry, Seraphiar-sama!" she wailed, clutching her head."I won't be late again, I promise! P-please don't be mad—!!"
Her tears flowed in ridiculous rivers, splashing against the stone.
Kairo and Elyra exchanged a look — a helpless, frozen what is happening right now kind of stare.
The man stepped forward, his shadow long against the ground.
His voice rolled out smooth and archaic —measured like a verse from a forgotten stage:
"Sorry for what, young Iris?If thy repentance be true, then haste thee —go this instant to the event."
Faran sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose."Yes, Seraphiar-sama…"
Iris shot up like a spring."Y-YES!!!" she squeaked.
Then she ran —not normally,but like a cartoon character,legs spinning, dust kicking up, arms flailing behind her as she scattered away down the street.
Within seconds, she was gone.
Silence.
Kairo blinked.Elyra blinked.Faran pinched the top of his nose.
Faran sighed — the kind of sigh that came from the soul.He took a long, steady breath…after the metaphorical bleeding from his ears stopped from Iris's vanishing shriek.
He finally looked up at the man.
"...So," Faran asked calmly,voice flat, tired, done with the day already,"who are you?"
Kairo and Elyra both took another small bite of their apples at the exact same time —crunch.
Almost synchronised.Almost awkward.
The man tilted his head.He took a single step forward — graceful, steady, almost theatrical.
His cloak brushed the stone.The air shifted.
Then he spoke —smooth, archaic, almost musical:
"Thou askest who I am?"
His tone dripped with old-world elegance,with the cadence of a stage actor from a forgotten era.
He placed a hand lightly against his chest."A fair question… yet thy manner of asking betrayeth much weariness, good sir."
Kairo blinked again.Elyra blinked again.
Faran exhaled sharply through his nose."…Just answer the question," he muttered.
The man didn't.
Instead, he slowly lifted his hand —an elegant, measured gesture —and pointed directly at them.
First at Kairo.Then Elyra.Then Faran.
His gaze lingered on each of them with unsettling precision.
Then, with the voice of someone who spoke in sonnets rather than sentences, he said:
"Thou askest who I am…yet none among thee hast offered thine own names.Think'st thou not such discourtesy to be most… rude?"
Kairo nearly choked on his apple.Elyra froze mid-bite, cheeks puffed like a startled chipmunk.
Faran stared at the man for a full second.Faran sighed — long, drained — and scratched his goatee.
"…Alright, fine," he muttered.
He gestured lazily with his thumb."I'm Faran.The girl with the awkward-looking crown is Elyra.And the silver-haired one is called Kairo."
Kairo blinked."…Awkward-looking—?"
Elyra quietly touched her crown, confused.
Faran ignored both of them.
"So," he said flatly, "who are you?"
DONG.
The bell echoed across the market — sharp, metallic, final.
The man stepped forward, cloak brushing the stone, posture straightening with slow, deliberate grace.He lifted one gloved hand towards his chest, chin rising ever so slightly.
His voice rolled out like a theatre cue:
The man placed a hand upon his chest, posture straightening with quiet authority."I am Seraphiar Lucien Vellonté," he declared, voice rich and archaic,"a most respectable figure within the halls of Velronia.It would be in thy best service to remember that name fully well."
His gaze swept over the three of them — first Faran, then Elyra, then Kairo.
"Faran. Elyra. Kairo.I perceive thou hast already made the acquaintance of my young pupil, Iris."
Kairo swallowed.Seraphiar Lucien Vellonté…what a strange name, he thought to himself.
Elyra lifted her head shyly."Serap… Seraphi— Seraphier…?"
She blinked, lost already."Huh…?"
Faran sighed — long, tired, utterly defeated."Don't bother."
But Seraphiar stepped forward with serene grace,cutting the air like a curtain.
He bowed his head just slightly,one hand to his chest,his tone rich, archaic — almost pastoral:
"My name is Seraphiar Lucien Vellonté.Pronounced properly, if thou please."
His voice rolled like a preacher blessing the morning.
"I shall excuse myself now.It hath been a pleasure meeting thee —you, young Kairo,you, young Elyra,and you, wise Faran."
He offered a single, deliberate nod —a gesture belonging in an ancient cathedral,not a bustling market street.
Then, with one smooth turn,his cloak brushed the stoneas he strode away —measured, elegant,as if every step were choreographed centuries ago.
DONG.
The market bell struck — sharp, metallic, final.
Its echo rolled through the street...and by the time the sound faded,
The man was gone.