Eis woke to the soft murmur of voices beyond the curtain of Lira’s bunk.

  For a moment she forgot where she was.

  Wooden ceilings.

  Lantern glow.

  The faint scent of metal and herbs.

  Quiet footsteps in the hall.

  Not her bed. Not home.

  She inhaled slowly, grounding herself.

  Her body ached from the previous day but she swung her legs over the edge of the bed with practiced motion.

  By the time she stepped out from the loft, Kael was already seated near the table, restringing one of his bows. Ronan sharpened a blade on a whetstone, the steady scrape filling the room. Lira stood near the mirror, combing her hair with crisp, efficient movements.

  All three looked up as Eis emerged.

  “Morning,” Kael said simply.

  Lira nodded. “Did you sleep properly?”

  Eis rubbed her eyes. “…I think so.”

  Ronan set his blade aside. “You look better than last night.”

  She blinked. “…Do I?”

  “Marginally,” Kael added.

  Lira smacked his arm with the comb.

  Kael didn’t even react.

  Eis laughed — small, but real.

  The first genuine one since arriving.

  They brought her to the guild cafeteria: long wooden tables, warm bread and stew smells drifting through the air, sunlight pouring through tall windows.

  Eis carried her tray awkwardly, attracting more attention than she wanted.

  Veteran teams nodded respectfully at Ronan.

  Younger adventurers whispered.

  “That’s Team Argent—”

  “Who’s the girl?”

  “New recruit?”

  “She’s cute—”

  “No, look at Ronan—”

  ”Do you think?”

  “It’s definitely not like that—”

  “Shut up before they hear you—”

  Kael noticed immediately and shifted, blocking the rookies’ view with a subtle repositioning.

  Ronan guided her to a quieter table.

  Lira sat across from her, smoothing her napkin like she was preparing battle strategy.

  Eis poked at the stew, unfamiliar with the spices.

  Lira leaned forward.

  “Is it edible?”

  “It is good. Just… different.”

  “Different how?” Lira asked intently.

  “Lira,” Kael sighed.

  “What? I want to know.”

  Eis smiled faintly.

  Lira’s intensity was strange—but comforting.

  “So,” Lira said lightly, gesturing at Eis with her spoon, “first order of business after this is clothes.”

  Eis looked up. “Clothes.”

  “Mm-hm.” Lira nodded. “You lost most of your belongings on the road, right? Which means you’re running on whatever you woke up with and whatever you’ve picked up since.”

  Kael, seated beside Lira, glanced at Eis over the rim of his cup. “You’ll want something suitable for the city. And spares.”

  Ronan added, “We know a decent shop. Nothing fancy, but solid work.”

  Lira smiled at Eis. “We’ll cover it.”

  Eis paused, fingers still around her cup.

  “I appreciate that,” she said carefully. “But I was able to keep my wallet. I have enough to pay for my own things.”

  Lira blinked. “You do?”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “Yes.”

  Ronan raised an eyebrow. “You’re sure?”

  Eis nodded once. “It survived.”

  That earned her a quiet snort from Kael.

  Lira studied her for a moment, then shrugged. “Alright. Fair enough.” She leaned forward again, grin returning. “Offer still stands if you change your mind.”

  “Thank you,” Eis said. And she meant it.

  After breakfast, the group stepped into the morning sun.

  Lumaire in daylight was overwhelming.

  White stone buildings curved into elegant archways.

  Crystal lamps hovered above the streets.

  Market stalls opened with vibrant cloth awnings.

  Mages activated early-morning wards, their magic shimmering faintly.

  Eis stared openly, breath catching.

  “You’re staring,” Kael remarked.

  “I can’t help it,” Eis said. “Everything is… new.”

  “Good,” he said. “Means you’re paying attention.”

  Ronan pointed toward the tall central tower.

  “That’s the Guild Tower. Requests and dispatches are handled there.”

  Lira gestured at the outer plaza.

  “Merchant quarters. Supplies, trinkets, basic magic goods.”

  Eis nodded, absorbing every detail.

  Then she pointed at the floating glass orbs orbiting a fountain.

  “…What are those?”

  “Minor barrier wards,” Kael replied. “Stops tampering with the water system.”

  Eis blinked. “Floating anti-theft orbs.”

  Kael shrugged. “Standard city security.”

  Eis laughed under her breath. “This place… is incredible.”

  Ronan smiled subtly.

  “Welcome to Lumaire.”

  The clothing shop sat just off one of Lumaire’s main avenues, its wide windows filled with layered fabrics and neatly dressed mannequins posed like they actually knew where they were going.

  Lira stopped short the moment they stepped inside.

  “Oh,” she said softly. Then louder, decisive. “Oh, absolutely not.”

  Eis blinked. “Not…?”

  “You,” Lira said, already guiding her forward by the shoulders. “Are wasted in that.”

  Ronan let out a quiet sound that might have been a laugh. Kael simply crossed his arms and leaned back against a display shelf, watching with a look that suggested he already knew how this was going to end.

  Lira barely paused to breathe.

  “This,” she said, pulling a folded tunic from a rack. “And this. And—wait—no, this too.” Another garment joined the growing pile in her arms. “Kael, hold these.”

  Kael took them without comment.

  Eis stood where she’d been left, hands loosely at her sides, watching Lira move through the shop with surgical precision.

  “I don’t need—” she started.

  “Yes, you do,” Lira replied without turning around. “You just don’t know what you need yet.”

  Ronan hid a smile behind his hand.

  A few minutes later, Eis emerged from the changing room wearing her first set of Lumaire-cut clothing: clean lines, practical but well-fitted, the fabric lighter than what she was used to. Nothing flashy. Nothing impractical.

  The room went quiet.

  Ronan straightened slightly.

  Kael lifted his head.

  Lira froze mid-reach.

  “…oh,” Lira said again, this time quieter.

  Eis glanced down at herself. “Is something wrong?”

  “No,” Ronan said immediately.

  Kael cleared his throat. “Nothing at all.”

  Lira recovered first, circling Eis with narrowed eyes—not critical, just intent. “I knew it,” she muttered. “You’re one of those people.”

  “Those people?” Eis asked.

  “People who look like they belong anywhere you put them,” Lira said. “Unfair, really.”

  Ronan nodded once, thoughtful. “You look… like you’ve lived here longer than we have.”

  Kael added, deadpan, “That’s going to cause problems.”

  Eis tilted her head slightly. “Problems?”

  Lira grinned. “You’ll see.”

  She pushed another outfit into Eis’s arms. “Back in. We’re not done.”

  The next few sets came faster.

  A darker coat, tailored just enough to sharpen her silhouette.

  A simple dress designed for movement rather than display.

  Boots that fit like they’d been broken in for years.

  Each time Eis stepped out, the reaction repeated—quiet pauses, exchanged looks, Ronan visibly recalibrating, Kael pretending very hard not to stare while failing just enough to be noticeable.

  At one point, Ronan muttered, “We’re going to need to stand farther away.”

  Kael nodded. “For safety.”

  Eis caught that one. “From what?”

  “Attention,” Lira said brightly. “Which you’re going to get whether you want it or not.”

  Eis exhaled slowly.

  This was not what she’d expected from arriving in a city.

  But as Lira chattered happily, Ronan paid at the counter, and Kael carried the final stack of neatly folded clothes without complaint.

  Eis headed towards the counter.

  “I can pay for–”

  “Lira is the one having fun here.” Ronan cut her off. “You shouldn’t need to pay for that.”

  They left the shop with what they’d come for—and far more still to do.

  As they moved through a busier street, Eis unconsciously shifted to the edge of the group, scanning the crowd. She tracked alleyways, hand positions, escape routes—her training taking over.

  Kael noticed instantly.

  “You move like someone trained in city combat.”

  Eis froze.

  “I— It’s just instinct.”

  “Instinct learned from somewhere,” Lira noted quietly.

  Eis kept her tone neutral.

  “…I learned to watch my surroundings early.”

  A safe answer.

  A vague truth.

  Kael accepted it with a soft hum.

  Lira seemed to file the information away.

  Ronan studied her a moment longer, then nodded.

  “Good habit,” he said. “Keep it.”

  Eis let out a quiet breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.