Arthur managed to get through another day without incidents.
He got up early, checked the Status, and found the percentage still at 33%.
A small relief.
He dressed carefully, choosing a shirt a little looser than usual, and went down to the shop determined not to leave any room for anything dangerous.
He worked in silence all morning.
He sharpened, arranged, organized.
When customers arrived, he kept his distance, spoke as little as possible, and made sure every exchange of objects was quick.
Tessa tried a couple of times to provoke him with jokes, but he answered in monosyllables and after a while she stopped.
At lunch he ate quickly and went straight back to work.
Every time he felt his mind slipping toward uncomfortable memories—the dream, the contact with Rhea, Talia’s gaze—he forced them away.
He focused on the metal, on the weight of the tools, on the sound of the grindstone.
It was tiring, but it seemed to work.
In the afternoon Brandt sent him to deliver a small order to another shop near the market.
Arthur accepted without protesting.
He preferred moving rather than staying still and thinking.
The delivery went smoothly.
No unnecessarily prolonged contact, no strange situations.
On the way back, walking along a less crowded street near the walls, he allowed himself to breathe a little deeper.
He was holding on.
Once again, he was holding on.
It was then that he saw her.
She looked about twenty-four, black hair gathered in a high, practical ponytail, and she wore well-kept dark leather armor.
A long sword hung at her side.
She had a confident air, the kind of someone used to moving alone.
While she was adjusting the bag, one of the straps snapped.
She swore under her breath and bent down to recover what was falling.
Arthur, purely by chance, was passing right there.
He slowed his step.
He did not want to get involved, but the situation was too obvious to ignore completely.
She raised her gaze and noticed him.
“Hey.
You, wait a second.”
The voice was firm, without particular formalities.
Arthur stopped, keeping a prudent distance.
“The strap broke,” she said, showing the broken piece.
“I can’t close the bag properly.
Do you happen to have anything useful on you?
A rope, a strip of leather, anything.”
Arthur hesitated.
Then, cautiously, he checked the small bag he carried for deliveries and pulled out a spare strip of leather they sometimes used in the shop.
Not too close, but enough for him to notice the details: the light eyes, the sure way of moving, the smell of leather and road dust.
“Thanks,” she said as she took the strip.
Their fingers brushed only for an instant.
“My name is Kael.
Just passing through.
Tomorrow or the day after I should be leaving again.”
Arthur only nodded, already a little tense from that minimal contact.
Kael quickly fixed the bag using the leather, then gave him a more attentive look.
“You’re from around here, right?
It shows.
Anyway… thanks for the help.
If it happens, maybe we’ll see each other again.”
She hoisted the bag onto her shoulder, gave him a small nod of the head, and resumed walking toward the city gate.
Arthur remained still for a few seconds watching her walk away.
Nothing particular had happened.
Just a brief exchange, a minimal contact, a stranger passing through.
And yet, as he started walking back toward the shop, he had the strange feeling that that woman was not destined to remain only an ordinary encounter.
He opened the Status almost out of habit.
[Name: Arthur Age: 18 Level: 1 Class: Apprentice Blacksmith (Weak) Strength: 4 Agility: 6 Endurance: 5 Magic: 3 Intelligence: 12 Dexterity: 8 Skills: – Basic Sharpening (Lv.2) – Tool Organization (Lv.3) – Excessive Shyness (Passive) [Curse: Gender Transformation – Blood of Lysara] Phase: 1/4 Progress: 33%]
Still the same.
Arthur drew a slow breath and continued on.
He did not know that, very soon, Kael would return into his life in a much less ordinary way.