The dawn arrived with a dull ache behind Eiji's eyes, a lingering reminder of the ale they had emptied the night before.

The docks were already alive. Fishermen hauled nets over their shoulders, loaded buckets onto weathered boats, and called to one another as the harbor slowly awakened.

Eiji wandered along the waterfront, hoping the cool morning air would clear his head.

A firm pat landed between his shoulders.

He turned to find Rowan grinning at him.

“Good morning! Slept well?”

Eiji let out a weary groan.

“How are you so cheery after everything we drank last night?”

Rowan puffed out his chest with pride.

“Experience.”

Eiji couldn't help but chuckle.

“Come on,” Rowan stepped ahead and gestured.

“You look like you could use something warm to drink. I know just the place.”

The tea house they arrived at was unlike anywhere Eiji had ever been.

The moment he stepped inside, he felt strangely out of place. His broad frame seemed almost too large for the delicate room filled with polished wooden tables, ceramic teapots, and porcelain cups. The gentle fragrance of dried flowers and fresh herbs drifted through the air, washing away the lingering haze in his head.

Sunlight spilled through windows draped with colorful curtains, each tied back with flowers woven from fabric.

Behind a neatly decorated counter stood a smiling woman.

“Good morning, gentlemen. Welcome to our humble tea house.”

Eiji slowly turned, taking in every corner of the room as though he had wandered into another world.

“Good morning,” Rowan greeted.

“One ginger tea for my friend here, and a peppermint tea for myself.” He gave Eiji another friendly pat on the back.

The woman smiled.

“An excellent choice. They'll be ready in about ten minutes. In the meantime, please make yourselves comfortable at the third table on the left.”

The two took their seats. Eiji glanced around once more before leaning toward Rowan.

“This place is so fancy... but I don't think I could afford anything here.”

Rowan laughed. “Don't worry. Today's on me.”

He settled comfortably into his chair. “I sold my harvest yesterday for a good price.”

Eiji frowned, “Shouldn't you be saving that money? I feel bad letting you pay.”

Rowan waved the concern away.

“Don’t worry. All I really do with the few silver coins I get is buy supplies. I've already bought everything I need for the season, so there's nothing to worry about.”

Just then, the server returned with a steaming cup of ginger tea and another filled with fragrant peppermint.

Eiji stared at Rowan.

“Wow, you're actually doing pretty well for yourself.”

Rowan chuckled as he lifted his cup.

“Pretty much. It's not like I have anyone depending on me.”

Eiji hesitated, “No wife? No kids?”

The question escaped before he had time to think. His eyes widened.

“Ah... sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. You don’t have to answer that.”

Rowan simply smiled.

“No harm taken.” He took a slow sip of his tea before setting the cup down.

“Let's just say... I'm not ready to start a family yet.”

…

By midday, the sun hung high overhead, bathing the city in a warmth Eiji had never truly experienced.

Even after months of journey away from the cold, the southern climate was still almost unbearable. He scratched at his arms, his thick fur trapping the heat against his skin.

Rowan glanced over. “You all right?”

“Yeah…” Eiji replied with an awkward laugh. “I'm just not used to this kind of heat.”

Rowan watched him continue scratching. “Out of curiosity... do beastfolk sweat?”

Eiji blinked.

“Sweat?” he repeated. “What's that?”

Rowan stared at him for a moment before letting out a small laugh.

“Right... you're from the Winterlands.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess sweating isn't exactly something your people have to think about.”

Eiji tilted his head.

“Is it supposed to happen?”

“All the time,” Rowan said with a grin. “It's how our bodies cool themselves. The hotter it gets, the more we sweat.”

Eiji looked down at himself before scratching his arm again.

“That sounds... useful.”

Rowan laughed.

“Trust me… when you're drenched from head to toe, it doesn't feel useful at all.”

A blur shot between them. Rowan instinctively reached for his belt. His coin pouch was gone. A few Paces ahead, a cloaked figure weaved through the crowd with the leather bag swinging from one hand.

"Hey! That's mine!" Rowan shouted.

Before the words had fully left his mouth, Eiji was already moving.

He burst through the bustling street, slipping past merchants, baskets of produce, and startled pedestrians as he chased after the fleeing thief.

The man darted into a narrow alley lined with makeshift shelters where drunkards and the homeless slept through the morning.

Without slowing, the thief kicked over a stack of wooden crates. The barricade crashed across the alley.

Eiji planted a foot on the highest crate and vaulted clean over it. The thief glanced back.

"Damn cat..." he growled before sprinting harder.

Far behind them, Rowan struggled to keep up.

"S—Sorry! Excuse me! Coming through!"

He squeezed between two vendors, accidentally bumping into a little boy carrying a cup of sorbet.

The frozen dessert splattered across the child's face.

Rowan stopped for half a heartbeat.

"...Sorry!"

Then he hurried after Eiji again.

The alley ended at a brick wall. The thief skidded to a stop. Eiji stepped forward, blocking the only exit. His eyes narrowed.

"Nowhere left to run." His voice was calm. Cold.

"Give me the bag, and nobody gets hurt."

The thief answered with a grin. Instead of surrendering, he reached beneath his cloak and produced a strange metallic ring small enough to fit in his palm. Ancient runes circled its edge. At its center rested a crimson crystal that pulsed like a beating heart.

Eiji frowned.

“That’s… I've seen something like that before…”

Before he could remember where, flames burst from the man's hand.

The ring unfolded. Metal flowed outward as though alive. Within a heartbeat, the strange object had become a blazing double-edged sword. The thief launched, but Eiji twisted aside.

The burning blade carved through the air where his head had been only an instant before.

Fast.

The second strike came immediately. With nothing else within reach, Eiji grabbed a rusted iron pipe leaning against the alley wall. Steel crashed against steel.

Sparks scattered. The pipe shuddered violently in his hands.

The thief laughed, "That scrap won't stand against a Soulborn Weapon!"

Eiji slid backward.

Fire exploded from the blade. A crescent of flames tore through the alley. Eiji leaped aside just before it slammed into the wall behind him. The heat slightly scorched the fur on his arm.

“I can't keep doing this…”

The thief charged again. The flaming sword descended. Then, a sphere of water slammed into the thief's chest.

The impact blasted him backward into the stone wall with a deafening crack.

The sword slipped from his grasp. Eiji turned.

Rowan stood at the mouth of the alley, breathing heavily. One hand remained outstretched.

"I don't like fighting..." he said between breaths. "...but I wasn't about to let him roast you."

"Rowan, get back! He's—"

Too late. The thief roared as he forced himself upright.

"You bastard!"

He rushed to Rowan. Eiji reacted on instinct and raised the iron pipe.

Just before the flaming sword struck, water surged over the rusted metal.

It spiraled around the pipe like a living current before hardening into the shape of a translucent blade.

Eiji blinked.

The weapon felt lighter. Balanced. Alive.

"That should stop him!" Rowan sustained the magic with a gesture of his hand.

Understanding flashed across Eiji's face. He stepped forward, and flames hissed into clouds of steam. The thief swung wildly. Eiji slipped beneath the strike.

Another slash. Another dodge. The thief overextended. For a single heartbeat, his back was exposed.

Eiji pivoted.

Instead of using the blade, Eiji drove the edge of his hand into the man's neck. The thief crumpled to the ground without another sound. Silence returned to the alley. Only the faint hiss of evaporating water remained.

Eiji picked up the coin pouch and tossed it to Rowan. Rowan caught it with both hands.

He smiled. "You really didn't have to chase him."

"You worked hard for those silver coins." Eiji scratched the back of his head. "I’ll be damned if I let anyone steal them."

Rowan stared at him for a moment. Then he laughed.

"You were incredible! Where did you learn those moves?" Rowan shouted, amazed.

“I train with my father every day.” Eiji scratched the back of his neck.

But then his eyes drifted toward the unconscious thief.

The flaming sword dissolved into ribbons of light before collapsing back into the strange metal ring.

Eiji crouched beside it.

"What is this?"

Rowan walked over. "That's a Bladeheart."

Eiji turned it over carefully in his hands.

"A Bladeheart..."

Rowan blinked. Then his eyes widened.

"...Wait."

"Don't tell me you've never seen one before."

"I've seen people wear them around their body," Eiji admitted. "Our captain has one. And some of the crew."

He shrugged. "I thought they were just decorations."

Rowan stared, then laughed in complete disbelief.

"You seriously know nothing about Soulborn Weapons?"

Eiji smiled sheepishly. "Not a thing."

Rowan sighed with an amused shake of his head.

"Well... At least now you know."

He nudged the unconscious thief with his boot.

"But we should leave before he wakes up."

Eiji looked down at the Bladeheart. "Shouldn't we take it?"

Rowan's expression immediately became serious.

"Don't."

"Why?"

"Because anyone who tries to wield another person's Soulborn Weapon dies."

He met Eiji's eyes.

"Mana explosion."