Chapter 2 (part 1)
“The nymph and the assassin”






I followed the stranger quietly into the shadowed alleys of the city, relieved as the shouts of the guards faded into the distance. Despite the momentary safety, I couldn’t stop studying him. His steps were light but deliberate, like he was gliding rather than walking. There was an air of confidence about him that put me on edge.

I tried to read him—his character, his intentions. This man, he was a mystery. Annoying, yes, but undeniably intriguing. And I couldn’t shake the question that had been gnawing at me since we met: How did he know about my sisters? It didn’t make sense. If he knew about my sisters, then he must also know that I am a nymph myself. One thing I should do though... keep an eye on him.

I sighed in frustration, narrowing my eyes at his back. Who are you really? I wondered,the cape of his cloak was flowing behind him.The moonlight barely illuminated him, making his form seem almost unreal—like a shadow given life.

I couldn’t take the silence anymore.

“Care to tell me what you actually want from me?” I snapped. “Or do you just enjoy leading people around without answers?”

He didn’t slow down, but his voice came back to me, calm and measured.

“When we arrive, I’ll tell you what you need to know—within limits.”

“Within limits?And arrive where exactly?” I demanded, already annoyed by his vague replies.

“Somewhere,” he said, glancing back briefly.

“Aha,” I muttered, rolling my eyes. “Vague and cryptic. Wonderful.”

We kept walking until he placed his hands on his waist, looking up, not facing me. I waited to see what he’d do, but his voice broke the silence.

“Your name?”

I answered without hesitation. My name wasn’t worth anything, after all.

“Sarah. And you?”

“I’ll let you wonder.”

What!He won’t even let me know his name now?If I said he’s annoying before,he’s surely a freak now.He headed towards a narrow balcony, scaling it like he’d done this a thousand times before. I was more annoyed with him now. I told him my name, and he didn’t even tell me his. It would be only fair. He started to get on my nerves.

“Seriously? I gave you my name when you asked. It would be only fair if you told me yours too. Unless you’re some prince from a fairy tale who doesn’t want to reveal his identity?” I said sarcastically, but he laughed.

“And what are you doing?” I continued with a hiss, watching him climb.

“This way,” he called down, hanging effortlessly from the ledge. “We’ll arrive faster this way.”

He kept climbing.

With a muttered curse, I started climbing after him.

We reached the rooftop, and I took a moment to catch my breath. The city looked different from up here—quieter, almost peaceful. The golden lights flickered like stars scattered across the stone streets. From this height, I could see the king’s palace looming in the distance, a dark shape against the horizon. The houses glowed with a soft, pale light, their beige walls almost golden in the moon’s glow. The rooftop gardens added splashes of color—pink, yellow, and blue flowers standing out against the stone.

“It’s beautiful,” I admitted under my breath, more to myself than to him. But it wasn’t more beautiful than my home.

He pulled down his dark hood, and for the first time, I saw his face clearly. My breath caught in my throat. His eyes were a sharp, icy blue, almost glowing against the dim lantern light. They had a strange intensity, unlike any other. It was the first time I’d seen such color in someone’s eyes. His features were sharp and elegant, too perfect to belong to a mere man—high cheekbones, a straight, narrow nose, and lips that curved with an almost regal confidence. His black hair fell in soft, inky waves around his face, blending into the shadows but gleaming faintly under the moonlight. A middle scar ran across the center of his nose, as if someone had slashed him in a straight line.

As he took a slow, deep breath, savoring the cool night air, I noticed the subtle movement of his pointed ears—they fell slightly, as if relaxing with his exhale. The moonlight illuminated the warm ivory of his skin, casting a delicate glow on the graceful curve of his ears. He also seemed young.

I had suspected it before, but now there was no mistaking it. I was standing face to face with an elf.

“Clean air at last—the city below smelled neglect.” he murmured, closing his eyes briefly.

Gods, he’s handsome, I thought, but I wouldn’t admit it. Beyond handsome, he’s annoying. I saw him looking at me... maybe he expected me to reveal my face too... but wait. If I revealed my face, he might fall in love with me, just like the others... Lesson learned from experience when I first came to Kald’azar.

He didn’t tell me his name, so why would I show him my face? But on the other hand... that could be useful to me. I could make him reveal what he knows by seducing him or something.

I reconsidered, then pulled down my own hood, letting the wind catch my brown hair with a hint of orange. The moonlight reflected in my golden-brown eyes, casting a warm glow on my rose-beige skin. He turned his gaze to me, studying me with an intensity that made me feel exposed. Sometimes, I felt that my beauty was a curse... one of the many things nymphs are famous for. I was a bit disappointed because he didn’t seem to be attracted to me even for a second. Really weird. No man has ever turned his gaze away from a nymph or me for less than 10 minutes, and that’s only because I literally disappeared from their sight. But this man... this man was stone himself.

I wore back the necklace he had stolen from me earlier, putting it in my shirt to make sure it didn’t get stolen by his hands—or anyone else’s—again.

“Well… is this the part where you tell me what all this is about?”

Instead of answering, he turned away, his expression thoughtful. “Let’s keep moving,” he said, leaping to the next rooftop with ease.

“Hey! Wait!” I said, and I followed him, still trying to process everything I’d seen and felt. He moved like he belonged up here, like the rooftops were his domain. I struggled to keep up, my mind racing with questions.

The silence of the night was broken only by the sound of our footsteps on the tiles.

We moved across the rooftops in silence, the night air cold against my skin. The city sprawled beneath us, alive with distant sounds—shouts from the marketplace, the clinking of metal from the guards, the occasional bark of a dog. But up here, above it all, the world felt smaller, quieter. More... manageable. Thankfully, I jumped over the roofs easily because I trained to jump from tree to tree too, so it wasn’t that difficult.

The stranger was fast, his movements almost effortless as he jumped from one rooftop to another. I struggled to keep up, but there was a strange rhythm to his pace that I couldn’t match. It was almost like he was pulling me along, guiding me, and despite my irritation, I couldn’t deny that I was starting to feel the need to follow.

I landed on a roof a bit too hard and nearly lost my footing. He glanced back but didn’t pause. If he noticed my struggle, he didn’t show it. I pushed myself to keep up, gritting my teeth as I forced my legs to move faster. There was no way I was going to be left behind, no matter how much my body screamed at me to slow down.

We didn’t speak for what felt like an hour. The quiet was unsettling. Normally, when I worked alone, I had the comfort of my own thoughts, the hum of the city below as a backdrop. But with him? The air was thick with questions I couldn’t answer.

Finally, we reached a taller building, one of the highest in the district, with a large tower stretching above the others. He paused at the edge and glanced back, his eyes glowing faintly in the moonlight.

“We’re almost there,” he said, his voice as calm as ever.

“Why do we need to go there specifically, anyway?” I shot back, unable to stop the words from slipping out. I was tired at this point, panting. I hated this uncertainty, this feeling of being led around like a puppet. But I was here now, and I was going to get answers—even if I had to force them out of him.

“To make sure no one hears our conversation, darling,” he said in a serious tone.

“You’ll see soon enough where we are going,” he said cryptically, stepping forward.

“I’m not your darling,” I said, narrowing my eyes toward him, but he didn’t say another word. He didn’t care, I assumed. I watched him leap onto the next rooftop, but this time, there was no question—this was a much wider gap. He didn’t hesitate, just leaped into the air and landed easily on the other side. I stared at the distance between us, my breath catching in my throat. There was no way I was making that jump. Not without breaking my neck.

“Not all of us can fly,” I muttered under my breath.

“Then stop thinking like a human,” he called back, his voice light with amusement. “You’re stronger than that.”

The words stung more than I expected. Stronger than that. What did he mean by that? I wasn’t sure, but I wasn’t about to let him see me hesitate. If he could do it, I could too. I had to.

I backed up a few steps, calculated my movement, and charged forward. The moment my feet left the edge, I felt a rush of panic. I could feel the wind whistling past my ears, the height beneath me, and for a split second, I thought I was going to fall. But then, something in me clicked. I pushed off the air, twisting my body just enough to land—hard, but on my feet. I staggered forward, my knees shaking, but I was alive.

Just as I felt myself teetering, ready to lose my balance, he’s arm shot out, catching me before I could topple. He held me steady, his grip firm.

"You should practice more on that, I suppose," he said, his voice laced with a teasing edge, though his eyes held a flicker of concern.

I pulled away from him, my frustration bubbling over. “I almost died!”I snapped, my heart still pounding in my chest.

He raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. “But you didn’t, isn’t that right?”

“Oh gods... never doing that again,” I panted, leaning against a chimney. “Ever.”

He glanced back, barely breaking stride. “Keep up, Sarah. We’re almost there.”

I was glad he didn’t call me darling again. Otherwise, I’d punch his face.

He started climbing down, effortlessly descending from balcony to balcony. I watched him, irritation bubbling up. Almost there? It felt like he was toying with me. Every instinct screamed that this was a trap, but I wasn’t about to be led into one so easily—not without figuring out what he wanted first.

I followed him down, landing with a soft thud on the cobbled street. To my surprise, we had almost left the city’s borders. The tall stone walls of Kald’azar loomed behind us, and the sounds of the bustling city faded into the background.

I started thinking—what if this man was trying to trick me right now? Take me somewhere we were alone and then kill me in cold blood? His tone also seemed like he needed me when he first spoke… ‘He could use someone like me?’ Ha… What am I good at other than hunting food? I sighed and looked at him. I had to find out what he wanted from me.