Chapter-17

"Yes, of course, little one. The fastest way is through that alley. It's the quickest route, so you can go through it pretty quickly."

Aria followed the aunt's advice, heading towards the suggested alley. However, her trust was misplaced, as she soon found herself stopped by two men who seemed drunk. Fear gripped her as the situation took a turn for the worse.

The two men, noticing the conniving glint in the stall aunt's eyes, understood their intentions as soon as they saw it, halting the child's progress.

"Oh, little missy, where do you think you are going? Don't you want to help two uncles earn some money?" one of them said.

Terrified, Aria quickly retreated, darting through the alley as the drunkards pursued her. Emerging on the other side, she realized she was in an unfamiliar district. The footsteps of the intoxicated men echoed behind her as she pushed her legs to their limits. She ran and ran, but exhaustion began to set in. Despite her best efforts, she eventually tripped and fell. The sounds of the now-sobering drunkards breathing heavily approached her.

She was an active child, adept at running, but it became evident that she couldn't outrun adults.

"This stupid little piece of sh*t can run so much." 

"But what can you do now?" The other one chimed in.

They taunted as they looked down at her. Aria, overwhelmed with fear, started to cry. She no longer wanted to explore, no longer desired to go outside. Just as the two men were about to grab her, they fell to the ground in a flash. Aria turned around to see her grandfather standing there. She rushed towards him, weeping.

"Grandpa... grandpa… Grandpa..."

Following that incident, she refrained from going outside. Her interactions were limited to those who visited the store, where she served as the attendant. Her trust in people diminished, and she started seeing everyone with masks on their faces, in her imagination. As she grew older and with the talk of her grandfather, when they moved to this academy city named Solara Haven, she decided to change for the better. She decided to let go of her past misconceptions, but her awkwardness and shyness, coupled with her naturally cold demeanor, made it difficult for her to connect with peers her age. The memories of that traumatic day haunted her, and she felt the fear of getting lost again.

Now, encountering a similar situation, she felt lost and feared whether it would happen all over again. Suppressing the urge to cry like she did as a child, she attempted to look around but found nothing familiar. Despair began to set in, and her eyes welled up. Just as she thought all hope was lost, a hand entered her field of vision. Looking up, she saw Theron, smiling warmly like the sun. Observing her distressed face, he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to her.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you alone in this crowded street"

"How about you give me your hand?"

Theron suggested, extending his hand toward Aria. She hesitated for a moment before placing her hand in his. As he skillfully navigated through the bustling crowd, Aria felt a sense of safety seeing the vibrant world around her.

Glancing at Theron's face, she realized that she had found her first friend, someone she could trust. A warm smile formed on her lips as she followed Theron, and they soon arrived in front of the couple who ran the ores shop.

"Aria dear, are you okay?" the aunt asked with concern.

"You usually arrive early so I thought you won't be coming today" the uncle said

"Grandpa Cedric already told me that you would be coming so it was my fault"

"I thought it was fine to leave for the festival since you didn't arrive"

"Actually, it's partly my fault as well. She would have arrived early if not for me." Theron quickly interjected

"Dear, you didn't tell me you had such a handsome boyfriend" the aunt said after seeing Theron

Aria face turned red as smoke came out from her head.

"Actually, we aren't dating, we are just friends" Theron said

"Friends, sure" The aunt said with a knowing smile as she looked what was between them.

Aria and Theron both looked to see that they were still hand holding each other and quickly separated their hands as Aria looked away with her red face whereas Theron just coughed. 

"If you still want the ores, we can go get them" The uncle didn't want his wife to embarrass the two any longer so he quickly interjected.

"If you still want the ores, we can go get them," the uncle interjected, not wanting to prolong the embarrassing moment for the two any further.

They went to the ore shop, where Uncle Mordiac took out the ores and handed them to Aria, who stored them in her space ring. Theron realized that space rings were more popular than he had initially thought.

"Your grandpa already paid it so you don't need to worry about the payment"

"Thank you uncle"

"No worries, I should be the one to be sorry for such inconvenience"

"Then you two should go back as well since the sun is going down or you could enjoy the festival here"

"It isn't often that there are festivals around here"

As they nodded and turned to leave, the aunt carrying her child said,

"You two love birds be careful on your way back"

They quickly made their way out. As they approached another crowd, Theron offered his hand to Aria.

"Why don't we spend a bit more time here?"

Aria agreed as she nodded after hesitating for a moment. 

They strolled through the stalls, watched entertainers in colorful suits dancing around the square, and indulged in various foods and games. Emerging from the crowded street with cotton candy in hand, they noticed a stall run by an old woman. Aria looked interested which Theron noticed and they approached stall.

The grandma greeted them with a smile. 

"Oh, children, I sell many things. Each of them was handcrafted by me. This one is a friendship necklace set. This one is a set for couples. And this is a bracelet."

"How much does these cost?"

Theron asked as he pointed at the friendship necklaces. 

"That one is 5LM."

Theron handed her a 20LM bill and said, 

"You don't need to give me back the change."

"Are you sure, my child?"

"Yes"

"I bless both of you"

Theron took one for himself as he gave the other one to Aria. She took it with a smile as she wore it immediately. 

"Take this one as well"

She handed them an iron locket. 

"You can put a memorable photo inside it for safekeeping."

"It's an old trinket that I used back in the days"

"You don't need to give it to us grandma"

"Take it, I insist"

The grandma said, giving Aria the old trinket. Aria hesitated, unsure whether to accept or not, and glanced at Theron. He nodded gently, encouraging Aria to take it.

They walked away from the stall. 

"Old fogey, I fulfilled your request"

"I found you a suitable heir"

"Whether she can find success is up to her"

With those words, she closed her stall and left. It was already night time as stars painted the clear sky.

Theron and Aria took one last look at the vibrant festival before heading into the train.