The girl felt the oppressive stares and pressed herself as closely to him as she could, unintentionally stepping on his foot and tail a few times. Yet, Ayun showed no sign of noticing. Accustomed to the realm of Tharym, he could instinctively discern any real threats, and for now, he was confident that nothing would disturb their walk.

               Once outside the building, Lirany completely forgot she was in a city of yokai. Her gaze wandered in fascination, moving from the massive ships docked at the port to the stalls brimming with glimmering objects and unusual jewelry. The sparkling river, fantastical creatures conversing in unfamiliar tongues, the creaking wheels of carts, and the vibrant mix of colors and sounds took her breath away.

               The bustling crowd became a perfect refuge for the two of them, as no one seemed to pay them any mind anymore. They strolled through streets that smelled of fish, and among the noisy merchants, they reached the docks. A few colossal ships swayed their sails, including one with a damaged hull that had yet to be repaired, and even a fishing galley with four towering masts.

               At one point, they turned onto a wider street but were forced to stop to allow the passage of an unusual creature—a sort of gigantic, slimy worm that pushed its monstrous body forward on a few thin, slippery legs.

               "Greetings, Mron!" Ayun said respectfully, giving a slight bow of his head.

               "G-good... day!" Lirany murmured, her voice trembling slightly.

               Suddenly, she felt a slimy, tentacle-like slap on her back—a friendly gesture from the creature. Lirany barely managed to mask her disgust, striving not to react.

               "Mron is one of the most good-natured yokai in Tharym" Ayun informed her, clearly amused by her effort to remain composed.

               "Is that so?" she asked, casting a skeptical glance at the sharp spike at the end of the creature’s tail, which didn’t seem all that good-natured to her.

               Since the day was splendid and neither wanted to return to the building where Lirany's room was, the two set off in search of something to eat. The morning had passed without them tasting anything, and hunger was starting to make itself known. The enticing smell of fried fish immediately caught their attention, emanating from an individual with a somewhat human appearance: his reddish skin and prominent belly made him seem almost caricature-like.

               "I... I don't have any money," Lirany admitted, her voice tinged with embarrassment.

               "In Tharym, we don't use money" Ayun explained. "If you want something, you have to offer something in return."

               After a brief negotiation with the vendor, the man gestured toward a few crates ready to be loaded onto a cart. Since Lirany had nothing to trade, the alternative was to pay for the food through labor. Determined to help, the girl quickly realized that the physical strength of the port city’s inhabitants far exceeded her own.

               Attempting to move a crate, she was stunned to find it much heavier than she had anticipated, while Ayun carried one with disarming ease. With the work finished and the fish obtained, they rested on a wide, deserted street bordered by a rocky wall. It was a place where grass and a few trees had taken root, faintly reminiscent of the forests surrounding the city, where Ayun had often sought refuge among the branches. This time, however, he remained sprawled on the grass beside Lirany, gazing at the clear sky through the branches. Sleep hovered over him. Perhaps a short nap wouldn’t hurt. The girl certainly wouldn’t dare leave, as her sight depended on his presence.

               "Ayun?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry.

               He didn’t open his eyes, but he caught her soft tone, and his right ear twitched slightly, signaling that he had heard her.

               "Tomorrow, representatives of the Guild will come. Do you think... do you think I’ll be punished for my curse?"

               Her tone carried a bite of fear, and Ayun fixed his emerald-green gaze on her, frowning slightly, his hands tucked behind his head.

               “Are you talking about magic? “ he asked, noticing her nod. “Lirany, magic is not a curse. It has always been a part of the world's makeup.“

               She looked down, absently playing with a fish bone, mistrust written all over her face.

               “The people in my village would think it whispers darkness to you“ she said, puffing bitterly. “Magic shouldn't exist in human blood. It's a bad omen. I attracted... monsters, yokai who could sense my magic so... I was left in the Guild’s care, who sent me here, where I couldn't hurt anyone... but they were wrong...“

               Her hands trembled, and Ayun realized all her thoughts kept circling back to the mice she'd killed. So that was how she ended up in Tharym. He sighed, sitting up, offering her a friendly smile.

               “You didn’t harm anyone intentionally, and for the Tower — the Guild's headquarters — that matters. I don’t know what the sorcerers will decide tomorrow, but their purpose is to help you. You have nothing to fear. “

               However, his words didn’t convince her. Lirany remained silent, watching him with a hint of mistrust. After a moment's thought, Ayun decided not to press further. Until she saw the actions of the Tower for herself, she wouldn't believe him. He hadn’t believed them either.

               Instead, he adopted a different tactic to encourage her.

               “You’re not the only one having trouble with magic. The Guild’s sorcerers are coming for me as well, so tomorrow, I’ll go with you. “

               Her gaze lifted immediately, sparkling with hope but also tinged with a certain confusion. Realizing she was looking at him in a strange way, as though he were suffering from an incurable illness, Ayun recalled he had promised her some explanations. He picked up a fish bone from the ground, then took the one from her hand, holding them close together.

               “Every living being has a physical body and an astral one — I believe, in your culture, the term is spiritual. The two complement each other, and both are responsible for sustaining life. If one of these bodies is destroyed, you die. Sometimes, in certain races, the astral body is more developed, and from it stems magic, which is likely your case as well.

               Usually, the two bodies are perfectly united, and there’s no need to concern yourself with such things. But not in my case. For a reason the Tower is trying to uncover, my physical and astral bodies aren’t compatible. Not as they should be. My astral form produces too much magic, and my physical body can’t handle it without certain... complications. Thus, if I’m not careful, I end up with an excessive amount of energy, which becomes difficult to bear, like what happened this morning.“

               He separated the two bones, pointing to the one on the right, which was two fingers longer than the other.

               “Can’t you... release it, somehow? “

               Lirany had hung onto his every word, attentive and fascinated. Her curiosity gnawed at her, but she didn’t dare press him too much. The moment she asked her question, she began wringing her hands again, fearing she had overstepped. Ayun, however, didn’t seem bothered.

               “It would be dangerous since it would take the form of a wild spell. Last time I did that, I destroyed the hold of a ship. I’d rather use the excess energy to grant you sight than fill an entire river with dead fish.“

               Unable to stop herself, Lirany burst out laughing, then abruptly froze. She wasn’t used to such a simple gesture, but seeing Ayun laughing along, she let go of her restraint and continued laughing, not caring about the curious glances of the few passersby.

               “Want to see the airship port? “ he asked, standing up and stretching his back.

               “See what? “

               The airship port was located on a nearby cliff, accessible by ascending an endless series of steps. It resembled the other port but wasn’t built on the bank of a river or sea; instead, it perched on a rocky ledge stretching like a wall, marking the eastern border of Tharym. Beyond the dock's edge lay the vast northern ocean, its surface gilded with hues of gold and fire as the setting sun merged with the horizon.

               To the south, the cliff rose by several dozen meters, with tunnels carved into its rugged face, allowing a different kind of vessel to dock and take shelter. These were far rarer and more valuable, and only one such vessel rested in the port that day.

               It had no masts and resembled a colossal boat—at least, that was the first impression. Its entire structure was composed of thousands of tightly woven roots, stripped of leaves and branches. Four of these roots extended into massive stumps, providing stability on land, contrasting with its sharp, keel-like belly that seemed to sway with every gust of wind.

               They approached to admire it more closely. Fascinated, Lirany reached out, wanting to touch the roots, but Ayun’s fingers clamped around her wrist before she could.

               “Avrasts aren’t particularly... agreeable when they return from their journeys. We should keep our distance.”

               “Avrasts?” she repeated, curious but slightly intimidated.

               He didn’t get a chance to elaborate further, as the ship began to rise slowly on its stumps, like wooden legs. Its gait was unsteady yet determined, heading toward one of the tunnels carved into the rock, entirely ignoring them. Then, something made her stop.

               Not far away, two yokai were embroiled in a vicious brawl. With a vaguely canine appearance, they wrestled and tore into each other with savage ferocity. Lirany’s heart pounded as she watched, terrified by their aggression, while Ayun observed the fight with unmatched boredom.

               Suddenly, a strange sound, like snapping branches, echoed through the air. Grabbing her around the waist, Ayun leapt back several meters—just in time. A branch, as thick as a buffalo’s torso, crashed down on the combatants, mercilessly crushing them into the ground. When it rose again, blood dripped from its wooden surface.

               Seeing the remains of the two yokai, Lirany clasped her hands over her mouth, stifling a scream of horror.

               “Tharym has its less pleasant sides,” Ayun acknowledged, steering her toward the stairs they had climbed earlier.

               There was no need for him to explain why he had stopped her from touching the avrast; the ship herself had delivered an eloquent demonstration. Silence fell between them for the rest of the walk, and after navigating a maze of narrow streets, they finally arrived at the building where Lirany lived. The darkness of night was settling in deeper, and wandering the port in obscurity brought a different kind of danger, one Ayun was unwilling to risk.

               “You’re leaving already?” she asked, her hand on the latch of her room’s door.

               Though the avrast’s attack had scared her, he had no intention of offering her more company. He couldn’t. One last task remained for him to complete before he could call it a day.

               “I need to head underground,” he sighed.

               “I’m coming with you!”

               “You’d die if you did,” Ayun replied. “Goodnight, Lirany.”

               He walked away without offering further details. He didn’t know her well, but he had learned enough about her to understand that her curious nature could be dangerous. Until Lirany grasped the true meaning of Tharym, the mystery of the underground would remain an alluring enigma for her.