Hajin kept his steps light as he moved deeper into the alley, his thumb pressed against the guard of his sword while rotting meat and sulfur burned the back of his throat.
Mana lamps illuminated the street behind him, but their blue-white glow reached only a few paces beneath the uneven rooftops that cut the night into strips.
'Is it that monster?'
He remembered the thing that had nearly killed Princess Didi in the forest.
Its demonic energy had been dense enough to crush the air from his lungs before it even attacked.
If that creature had tracked him into the capital, his decision to leave Juna had bought her minutes at most.
Fear tightened his stomach, yet anticipation rose beside it because the divine ring spirit had entered his bloodline only hours ago and left unfamiliar strength beneath his skin.
No training yard could show him what that power would do when his life depended on it.
'I need pressure if I want to grow.'
