The encounter happened by accident.
Kai had separated from the group briefly—just long enough to survey the eastern end of the market street. The noise here was a physical weight: laughter, loud bargaining, the clatter of metal and wood. None of it followed the rigid, geometric order of House Nova.
He hated it.
As he turned a sharp corner near a blacksmith's stall, someone collided straight into his chest.
"Oof—!"
The boy staggered back, nearly dropping the heavy bundle in his arms. He was lean and dark-haired, his clothes worn thin at the elbows and knees.
His eyes were sharp, holding a spark of wit despite the exhaustion etched into his young face.
Kai instinctively reached out to steady him. "Careful."
The boy looked up, blinking at the tall, imposing figure before him. Then, to Kai's utter shock, he burst out laughing.
"What are you supposed to be?" the boy asked, staring openly at Kai's fine tunic and silver-trimmed cloak. "A traveling theater performer?"
Kai froze. "…What?"
The boy gestured dramatically with his free hand. "The cloak. The posture. That 'I've-never-lost-a-duel' face. You look like you walked straight off a stage in the capital. Is the rest of your troupe nearby?"
"I am not a performer," Kai said, his voice dropping an octave in sheer stiffness.
The boy's grin only widened. "Sure you aren't. Next, you'll tell me you're a noble warrior sent from the heavens to save the world."
Kai opened his mouth to respond, but the words died in his throat.
The boy was already backing away, merging with the flow of the street. "Nice costume, though!" he added cheerfully. "Very convincing!"
Then he turned and ran—vanishing into the crowd with the practiced ease of someone who knew every shortcut in the city.
Kai stood there, stunned. For several seconds, he did not move. There had been no fear in the boy's eyes. No reverence. No respect. Only ridicule.
Felix appeared at his side moments later, his shoulders shaking as he struggled to hold back a gale of laughter. "Please tell me," Felix wheezed, "that a mortal just insulted you."
Kai's jaw tightened until it ached. "He mistook me for an actor."
Felix lost it. He doubled over, his laughter echoing against the stone walls. "I knew it! I told you mortals wouldn't be intimidated by the 'High and Mighty' act!"
Ember and Melissa joined them, both looking confused. "What happened?" Ember asked.
Kai gestured sharply toward the crowded street. "That… boy happened."
Melissa glanced toward the crowd, her expression thoughtful. "He didn't react with fear… or even much curiosity."
"He reacted like we were strange," Felix said, wiping a tear from his eye. "Which, to be fair, we are."
Ember scanned their group—their cloaks were too clean, their weapons too finely crafted, and their colors too bold for a dusty trade city. Her irritation flared, a spark of heat radiating from her. "We stand out."
Melissa nodded slowly. "Too much."
Felix snapped his fingers, his eyes glinting with a new project. "Mortal clothes."
Kai looked at him warily. "Explain."
"We dress like them," Felix replied cheerfully.
"We blend in. Less staring, fewer 'theater performer' incidents, and a better chance of finding our star-marked friend without a parade following us."
Ember sighed, looking down at her crimson silks. "I am not wearing dull colors."
"You absolutely are," Felix countered.
Kai exhaled, the sting of the boy's laughter still ringing in his ears. "It is necessary."
Melissa smiled faintly, a small light in her eyes. "It might be… interesting. To be someone else for a while."
Elsewhere, Leo slowed his run only when he reached a narrow, shadow-filled alley. His heart was pounding—not from fear, but from a strange, buzzing excitement he couldn't name.
"That was weird," he muttered, adjusting the bundle of tools under his arm. "Definitely weird."
As he pulled up his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his brow, the star-shaped mark on his wrist pulsed. It wasn't the usual searing pain; it was a gentle, rhythmic warmth. It almost felt… amused.
Leo frowned at his own skin. "…I really need to stop running into strange people," he said to the silence.
He pulled his sleeve down and disappeared back into the chaotic roads, a nameless face in a sea of mortals.