The academy granted the Circle a single day of rest after training, and like every group before them, they were sent to the city market. The streets buzzed with life: merchants shouting, stalls crammed with goods, the scent of baked bread and roasted meat weaving through the air.
"Finally," Mira said, stretching her arms. "Something other than bandages and training dummies."
Ryo grinned, already tugging her toward a weapons stall. "And something sharp, preferably."
Kaito followed at his own pace, the spear wrapped in cloth on his back, though the faint glow of its tips still seeped through. Passersby glanced twice, whispers trailing in his wake.
"Did you hear? The one with the blue spear…"
"They say he fought off an entire swarm."
"No, no—he summoned dragon fire. That's what I heard."
Kaito ignored them, but Aria did not. She walked beside him, hood drawn low, her sharp eyes flicking between every whispering mouth.
Inside the market, stalls glittered with trinkets—small charms, bracelets, pendants, rings etched with runes. The others scattered, laughing as they bartered for gear, but Kaito's gaze lingered only on one table: a display lined with blue-thread charms and sapphire-tipped talismans.
The merchant bowed eagerly. "Ah, young master! A warrior of your caliber deserves more than scraps. These wraps are woven with steel-thread; durable, blessed against tearing. And these charms—carved from deepstone. They carry power if worn close to the heart."
Kaito tested the wraps. Smooth, strong, dark blue. He nodded once and placed gold on the table—more than enough. The merchant's eyes widened, his bow deepening into near worship.
The Circle regrouped slowly, arms full of trinkets and packs of supplies. Mira dangled a charm of her own, smirking. "Can't believe you keep buying everything in blue. What are you, obsessed?"
Kaito tightened the wraps around the spear shaft, ignoring her tone. The blue caught the light and shimmered faintly, almost alive.
Ryo laughed. "Obsessed or not, I'm not arguing with the guy who fought off an army. If blue works, blue works."
The group moved on, weighed down by purchases. But as they walked, Aria drifted closer, her voice low enough only for him.
"You buy charms like they're protection," she whispered. "But what is it you're really trying to guard against, Kaito? Others… or yourself?"
For a moment, Kaito's step faltered. He didn't answer.
The market noise swallowed the silence between them.