Unaware of how the underground confrontation had concluded, Ayun visited once again in Hrassin's office. The port's leader had summoned him for lunch, visibly pleased to see him utterly exhausted, his eyes almost shut. Only the peculiarity of their conversation kept him awake.

               ”With all due respect, ” Ayun said after listening to Hrassin's instructions, ”why must I be the one to deliver that human girl's dinner? Don’t you have servants for this? ”

               It was true that he preferred carrying a tray of food to gutting foul-smelling fish from the river or scraping dried mud off ship decks. Still, he couldn’t understand why he had been chosen for such a task when the well-dressed, well-mannered servants of Tharym’s main building were readily available. Hrassin, lazily leaning on his desk, lifted his usual glass of liquor, his calculating eyes fixed on Ayun.

               ”I need someone who can think, not just act on instinct, boy. The girl is of immeasurable value. The Tower has tasked us with protecting her for a month, and then they’ll decide what happens next. Until then, I want you to learn everything you can about her. Nothing is trivial. And I expect you to report every detail to me every morning. ”

               Hrassin leaned slightly over the desk, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on his lips, his eyes glinting in the dim light.

               ”And be very careful... she might be more dangerous than she seems. ” 

               The amusement in his voice puzzled Ayun. He couldn’t tell if Hrassin was serious or merely teasing him. Lacking clear information, it was obvious he would have to uncover everything on his own.

               By the time evening arrived, he found himself standing once more at her door, carrying a tray of food. Swallowing hard, as he had at the docks, he was haunted by the same strange, suffocating sensation. He didn’t allow himself a moment to recover. He doubted there would be any need to fight, which would have worsened his condition. Sometimes it happened even without using magic, which irritated him to no end.

               Remembering that the girl was blind, he deliberately made noise as he opened the door. He found her sitting on a chair near the window, staring into the void. Her eyes were lifeless, empty. At the sound of his steps, she let out a weak whimper, nearly slipping off the chair. Ayun sighed heavily. It was the same story all over again, though at least this time, she didn’t throw rice at him.

               He set the tray on the bed. His breathing was faster than normal, but gradually, the strange symptoms would subside if he stayed calm. He had the distinct feeling that the air in the room was insufficient, stifling, as though an invisible cloud pressed down on him.

               "I brought you some food," he informed her, his voice calm yet firm.

               Her stomach growled pitifully in the silence of the room, but she didn’t approach. Ayun frowned. Don’t humans need food?!

               Dinner was simple: a few slices of bread with butter and jam, accompanied by a mug of milk. Casting a cautious glance around the room, he searched for mice but found none. He sighed in relief, glad he wouldn’t have to carry another basket of corpses. He sat on the edge of the bed, alert to every movement around him.

               The girl, clearly starving, took small, hesitant steps toward him. But suddenly, she let out a short cry and retreated abruptly, nearly falling. Before she did, her gaze had locked directly on him.

               Ayun flinched, his green eyes widening in surprise. It only took him a moment to understand. He had moved completely silently, by instinct, and the blind girl no longer knew where he was. But one thing was certain—when she had looked in his direction, it wasn’t by chance.

               "You can see!" he exclaimed, amazement evident in his voice.

               "I... I can’t!" the girl stammered, her voice trembling with fear. "Stay away!" she shouted again, panic creeping into her tone as she heard his footsteps drawing nearer.

               "What the hell is going on?" Ayun asked, feeling his patience slipping away.

               The girl’s behavior baffled and irritated him in equal measure. Was she just pretending to be blind? Doubt consumed him. No, she was lying—she had to be! He knew what he’d seen, and it couldn’t possibly be a coincidence.

               Without further hesitation, he strode toward her. The girl, desperate to retreat, backed into the edge of the bed, her terror seeming to grow with every passing moment.

               "Please, don’t come closer!" she whimpered, her voice barely audible. "I beg you... I don’t want to hurt you!"

               Her words stopped him in his tracks. Something was off, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. A subtle wrongness lingered in the air, something elusive yet deeply unsettling.

               "Hurt me?" he repeated, confused, feeling his breath quicken slightly.

               How could a mere human, fragile and powerless, possibly harm him? Humans were so vulnerable that a gust of wind could snuff out their lives, yet there wasn’t a hint of pretense in her voice. He began to doubt his conclusions.

               The girl, realizing she could no longer hide the truth, started wringing her hands nervously, agitated and visibly unsettled, preparing to explain.

               "I... I’ll show you... but promise me that if you feel unwell, you’ll leave immediately!" she said, her voice trembling with fear.

               "You’re afraid you’ll hurt me?" Ayun asked, disbelief lacing his words.

               He had spent enough time among humans to hear plenty of absurd things, but this situation surpassed them all. A human girl believed she could harm him? The absurdity made his jaw tighten, and the suffocating sensation became even more oppressive. He cursed inwardly.

               "Promise me!" she insisted, refusing to relent.

               Ayun looked at her, irritated by her stubbornness, yet feeling curiosity gnawing at him. The fact that she seemed to know something he didn’t made him pause, and his pride began to wane in the face of his desire to understand.

               "Fine," he finally relented, his voice full of exasperation. "I promise!"

               He sat back on the edge of the bed, this time making enough noise for her to gauge his position. The girl approached slowly, her steps small and hesitant, and sat at the opposite end of the bed. With a slow, tentative motion, a dark pupil began to form in the whites of her eyes, meeting his emerald-green gaze unerringly. Still trembling with fear, she reached out for a slice of bread, her hand shaking so much that it took her several tries to grasp it.

               He watched her in silence, waiting for her to calm down, though he could feel the tension thick in the air. The girl seemed to expect him to grab her wrist, but Ayun remained motionless, allowing her to act at her own pace.

               "I don’t understand," he said, frowning, his intense gaze fixed on her. "Can you see me when I’m near you?"

               As he formulated his question, Ayun realized that he was breathing normally again, and the suffocating sensation had gradually vanished. He even felt... good. It was strange—something he couldn’t explain. His condition, which had worsened without any apparent reason, now seemed to improve.

               "Somewhat," she murmured, avoiding his gaze. "I can see by using... your power. But this will continue until... it kills you."

               Ayun remained silent for a few moments, pondering her words. A connection began to form in his mind. Those dead mice... they were yokai, creatures drawn to magical energy, so they had probably been attracted to her because of this strange power. She had used them to see and had drained their lives, but from the way she trembled with fear, it was clear she hadn’t done it intentionally.

               He continued reflecting on what she had said, trying to grasp the full implications. Finally, he closed his eyes, refusing for a moment to rely on the sense he trusted most, just to test his theory.

               Indeed, if he concentrated hard enough, he could feel a faint... drain on his power. A barely perceptible breach through which she was siphoning his life energy. This discovery explained why his condition had shifted the moment he came under her influence. Awe overwhelmed him, and he struggled to suppress his excitement. He couldn’t wait for the Tower’s mages to arrive so he could reveal what he had found! It seemed he had uncovered a solution to his greatest problem. However, he needed to be cautious; if he frightened her, everything would crumble.

               Watching her, he noticed how the girl stared dreamily at the starry sky, but suddenly her face darkened, and her eyes filled with tears.

               "Now that you know, leave! You’ll die if you stay near me!"

               "Don’t compare me to mere rodents," Ayun retorted, a wave of indignation coloring his voice.

               "You’ve already been deeply affected just by being here!" she moaned. "Your energy is half of what it was yesterday! I’ve hurt you enough!"

               He frowned. Never had he suspected that a human could sense the spiritual state of others. Slowly, he looked down at the floor and shook his head.

               "You deserve no credit for that, child," he replied, his tone cold.

               He didn’t intend to offer her any further details, and she didn’t seem inclined to ask for them. With timid movements, she took the tray of food and began eating voraciously. He left her alone, but inside, he simmered with fury. Not at her, but at Hrassin. Now he understood why he’d been sent there! Hrassin couldn’t risk the life of an important noble... He had used him as a guinea pig!

               When the girl finished eating, he reached out to take the tray, but she grabbed his wrist. The unexpected gesture required an immense effort of will to restrain his instincts, which screamed at him to jerk his arm away and move back. He was disgusted by his own reaction. Since when had he needed to defend himself from a mere child? Since when had he become so wild?

               “Could you... stay a little longer?” she asked, despite her earlier efforts to drive him away.

               Ayun hesitated. He had come out of obligation, not to grant her favors, and Hrassin wouldn’t be pleased to see him delay. However, his expression seemed to be interpreted by her as a sign of approval, and she darted toward the balcony door, opening it fervently. If she intended to jump, he probably wouldn’t be able to stop her in time!

               Suddenly, he heard her exclaim with delight.

               “Is it always this beautiful?”

               Though he had seen that port enough to last him a lifetime, her enthusiasm lured him outside. Ayun joined her, leaning his elbows on the railing with a bored air, but the view rendered him speechless.

               The sky was clear, and the moonlight bathed the entire city. The river, flowing silently, had taken on a peculiar hue, resembling a stream of molten silver, while the moon’s rays caressed the buildings and the few docked ships. Every structure seemed to radiate its own power, intertwining with the magic of the night. A quiet and mesmerizing night.

               He had lived in Tharym for years but had only seen its grimy side. He had never bothered to seek its beauty, so what he now beheld felt alien to him. He didn’t recognize the port that usually reeked of fish in this enchanted vision. He had been so consumed by his sorrows and burdens that he had become blinder than the girl standing beside him.

               “Thank you,” she whispered gratefully. “Umm...”

               She didn’t know how to address him. He blinked, puzzled, still under the spell of the night’s scenery.

               “Ayun,” he replied shortly. “Ayun Arthan.”

               “I’m Lirany Esdren!”

               She extended her hand, and Ayun accepted the human gesture, briefly clasping her fingers before letting go. Lirany pulled back her arm, but not her smile.

               “Thank you, Ayun Arthan.”

               His gaze softened. He felt a twinge of pity for the young woman of human descent. He wanted to tell her that she had helped him as well, that what she considered a curse was, in fact, a blessing for him, but he refrained. Magic was taboo in human culture, and he didn’t want to jeopardize the fragile seed of friendship that had just begun to take root.