The dust settled in the alleyway. The groans of the Redhart thugs had faded into unconscious silence.
Shaela remained on her knees, her breath hitched in her throat. She wasn’t looking at the broken bodies of her tormentors. Her gaze was glued to the sky.
Floating there, bathed in the pale glow of the crescent moon, was a figure of otherworldly elegance.
The disguise was gone.
Long, silken hair the color of starlight cascaded down his back, shimmering with an ethereal luster. His skin was pale and flawless, contrasting sharply with the intricate, glowing moon tattoo etched onto his forehead. His eyes, no longer brown, were pools of liquid mercury that seemed to hold the ancient secrets of the night.
And framing that majestic face were two long, pointed ears that twitched slightly in the wind.
He looked divine. He looked dangerous.
"Beautiful..."
The word slipped from Shaela’s lips before she could stop it. She was dazzled, her fear temporarily forgotten in the face of such raw, magical splendor.
Nolan, having just finished dismantling the entire gang with a wave of his hand, paused.
His heightened elven hearing picked up the whisper instantly.
At first, a familiar surge of pride swelled in his chest. ’Of course. A mere human should be awed by the true form of a Moon Prince.’
He turned his head to glance at her with a haughty, superior expression, intending to bask in the praise.
However, as his mercury eyes met hers—filled not with fear, but with genuine, starry-eyed admiration—the arrogance faltered.
A strange, foreign heat rushed to his face.
Twitch.
The tips of his long, pointed ears turned a distinct shade of pink.
He cleared his throat loudly, descending from the air. The moonlight seemed to fold around him as he landed softly on the dirty cobblestones, his boots making no sound.
"A-Are you okay?"
He asked, his voice losing a bit of its royal composure.
He walked over to her. Shaela was still frozen, processing the fact that the grumpy, quiet boy she knew was actually... this.
Nolan chuckled softly at her dazed expression. He crouched down behind her.
"Don’t move."
With a gentle tug, he snapped the thick ropes binding her wrists as if they were made of paper. He then reached around and carefully removed the gag from her mouth.
"Don’t worry," Nolan murmured, his voice returning to its calm, confident rhythm. "It’s all taken care of now. Come, let’s go back."
He extended a hand.
"A-Ah, yes."
Shaela took it.
His skin was cool to the touch, smooth like polished jade. As he pulled her to her feet, she stumbled slightly, causing her to bump into his chest.
Thump-thump.
Shaela’s heart began to race. The sudden contact, the faint scent of winter and ozone clinging to him, and the sheer proximity to this celestial being made her face flush.
Then, reality came crashing back.
"Wait!" She gripped his arm, panic returning to her eyes. "W-We have to find Aida! Those monsters took her to another location, we have to—"
"I know."
Nolan cut her off gently.
He looked at her, and for a split second, the softness in his mercury eyes vanished, replaced by a terrifying, dangerous glint.
"I had a... chat... with their leader before he passed out. He told me everything."
Nolan’s lips curled up faintly. It wasn’t a hero’s smile; it was the smile of a predator who had secured his prey.
"Don’t worry. I know exactly where she is. We will pick her up on the way home."
"R-Really?"
"Mm." Nolan nodded firmly.
He adjusted his collar, looking away from her.
Truthfully, he despised humans. To him, they were greedy, short-sighted, and treacherous creatures who had ruined this world. Today’s events had only solidified that belief.
But...
He glanced at Shaela from the corner of his eye.
There were exceptions.
The hardworking staff at the shop. The innocent, noisy brats at the orphanage.
And... her.
Nolan quickly looked away, the heat returning to his ears. He realized he was staring.
"Shaela," he spoke abruptly, his tone turning serious.
He turned back to face her, the mercury glow in his eyes intensifying.
"You cannot tell anyone what you saw today. Not about my appearance, not about my powers. If word gets out..."
His voice turned cold. He didn’t finish the sentence, but the implication was clear. He had left his home to find his brother, to be... free. That’s why he couldn’t afford his location reaching his family’s ears.
To his surprise, Shaela nodded obediently.
"Of course. If I tell them what happened... about the gang and the kidnapping... they will totally freak out."
She stepped closer, looking at him with genuine understanding.
"And besides... it must be a secret of yours, right? Something you wanted to protect?"
Nolan paused. He stared at her earnest face, searching for any sign of deceit, yet he found none.
"...Yes."
"Then, I won’t say anything about it. I promise."
Nolan looked at her for a long moment. The tension in his shoulders finally relaxed.
"...Thank you."
"No," Shaela shook her head, smiling softly. "Thank you. "
They stood there for a moment in silence, the moonlight wrapping around them. Then, without another word, they turned and began walking down the alleyway toward the location of the missing child.
Neither of them noticed the small pair of beady eyes watching them from the rooftop above.
Perched on a rusted gutter, a small blue bird stared down at the retreating figures.
"Che."
Kai snorted, fluffing his feathers.
"Look at that stinky kid," the bird cursed in a low, chirping voice. "Acting all cool, playing the hero, saving the damsel. He’s totally enjoying showing off, isn’t he?"
Kai hopped to the edge of the roof, watching the silver hair fade into the shadows.
He wanted to mock the boy further, to list all the mistakes he made before, after, and during the fight, all the unnecessary flourishes, and so on.
But...
Kai recalled the scene he had just witnessed. The clean suppression. The control over the lunar essence and situation. The resolve to... protect.
The bird sighed, shaking its small head.
"I hate to admit it, but..."
Kai spread his wings, preparing to take flight to report back to the shop.
"...Emory was right. He..."
"He really did it."