Jaipa grimaced as he stared at the shifting text, his wings twisted slowly and fingers drumming against his arm. "Alright, hear's the bad news first..."
For a second i just watched him, waiting for him to talk
He sighed looking at my face, he must be disappointed by my flat look "Path of Blood…it's a trial, a necessary one
saying that he looked around and then continued
"if we want to move forward or.....get out of this cursed book"
I stayed silent, looking at his face then he gestured toward the moving text, "And at the end of each chapter, reward and danger walk hand in hand toward you. Which, if you ask me, is a poetic way of saying we're screwed no matter what."
I nodded. "And what do we need to do to pass this trial?"
Jaipa hesitated for a second looking around Then he said, slowly, he read the words aloud
"Fill the well with red liquid ! "
Those omnivores words settled between us, heavy and absolute
"First we need to find the well and second we need to fill it with red liquid" Jaipa said looking at my face
Jaipa leaned back, rubbing his face "Yeah, yeah, of course it had to be something dramatic like that. Because why wouldn't it be?"
I stared at the parchment and asked" but which well ? "
Jaipa blinked at me "What?"
I gestured toward the busy street beyond our little courtyard. "How are we going to find the right one?"
Jaipa opened his mouth, then closed it. He glanced up at the text floating ominously above "Huh You know what? That's… actually a solid point."
I nodded.
Jaipa groaned "Ughhh... So now what? Just… pick someone and ask them about the nearest well?" He made a face "Those words feel horrifying somehow"
"We need more information " i said
Jaipa let out a long breath "Right, right."
I stood "Let's return the brush first "
Jaipa huffed "Oh, sure, let's be responsible about our borrowed stationery before we deal with our quest."
I ignored him after returning the brush
we walked through the city, I noticed something off about Jaipa. His wings fluttered more than usual, his sharp eyes flicking around, taking in everything with unusual intensity.
Finally, he muttered, "This isn't an illusion"
I glanced at him
He gestured vaguely around us. "Look at them, They're not… fake This city , peoples are living the people aren't just acting out of a script" He paused, watching a merchant argue with a customer "They don't move like dolls. They indeed feel real."
I hadn't cared enough to look before my mind had been occupied with one thing: staying alive. I'd almost drowned in that red water, and even now, the cursed mark on my chin throbbed like a reminder of something
But now, as I paid attention, I saw what he meant, A mother scolding her child, the kid pouting as he shuffled his feet Two men laughing over drinks by a fountain a baker dusting flour off his hands while chatting with a customer
Jaipa crossed his arms. "And another thing: nobody is reacting to me, At all"
I looked at him properly this time
He huffed. "No, but seriously! I have four eyes, wings, and a face that probably haunts nightmares. And nobody's even giving me a second glance!" He threw up his hands "Either this city is full of extremely polite people, or I'm somehow… normal here"
I thought about it and said, "That might be something "
Jaipa pointed at me "You say that, but I know you don't actually care about it"
I gave him a look and moved forward
He groaned. "Flat, A brick of a person haa" Then, waving a hand, "Whatever. Let's just keep looking "
After wandering for a while, we saw a girl
She stood by a fruit stall, examining a basket of peaches. About my age... does age even matter here? Her hair was long, dark, smooth, catching the light like polished ink. Her features were sharp yet delicate, large eyes looking at the fruit with quiet focus There was something effortless about her, like she belonged in a painting rather than in the middle of a bustling street
Jaipa let out a low whistle. "Well, someone just spawned in with maxed-out beauty stats."
I glanced at him, then looked back at the girl.
Jaipa side-eyed me "Not even a blink? Wow, stone-hearted doesn't even begin to cover it ha"
I ignored him and kept walking he grinned "You know, for someone wearing tattered clothes, standing in the middle of a busy city like a lost sewer rat, you sure don't look bothered much "
I glanced down at my torn, dust-covered clothes should've been embarrassing about it there there was nothing i could do about it
Jaipa sighed dramatically. "And of course, it doesn't even bother you"
I gave a glance at that girl
Jaipa waggled his eyebrows. "Ohhh, I see Are you actually interested?"
I looked at him for a while and said "She's just beautiful. That's it"
Jaipa blinked. "Wait, what?"
With those word I started walking then he staggered after me, voice rising with mock horror "Did....did you just compliment someone? Am I hallucinating? Did the cursed book mess with your head to ? !"
I sighed, regretting saying it in an instant
Jaipa gasped. "Wait, wait, say it again Just once plzzzzzz.. I need to make sure I didn't imagine it "
".....No ! "
He let out a strangled laugh "This is fun.... You, the human rock, just admitted someone is beautiful ? "
I sighed and kept walking....
Jaipa groaned "Unbelievable. I tease you all the time, and this is the one thing that gets a response?" He clutched his head "I don't know how to process this."
I turned to him and glanced at him and said "Are you done....can we get at work now ?"
He exhaled dramatically. "Oh, absolutely not "
Then, suddenly, he grinned. A slow, mischievous grin
"Ohhh, this is gonna be fun again"
Jaipa was still grinning as we walked too much. It was the kind of grin that meant he was about to be insufferable
I sighed again and kept walking
We had barely made it past a few stalls when movement ahead caught my attention. A group of knights, clad in polished armor, moved through the crowd with a scary look on their faces people instinctively stepped aside, whispering
At first, I thought they were just patrolling Then one of them called out
"Princess!"
I glanced back. The girl from the fruit stall had turned toward them, setting down a peach with careful precision. The knights approached her with deference, their leader bowing slightly before speaking. I couldn't hear what they were saying.
And then our eyes meet for a second
Her gaze was sharp, and deliberate like the morning sun
Jaipa whistled under his breath. "Oh boy. I don't like that look, It might be a sign of something trouble"
A moment later, she gestured toward me Then those knights turned my way. I tensed as two of them immediately walked in my direction
One of them, a broad-shouldered man with a thick beard, stopped a few steps away. "The princess has invited you to the palace."
I stared at him flatly, refusing it instantly "No ! "
The knight blinked clearly, he hadn't expected such a blunt refusal form a kid like me "Sir, this is not a request" he said standing tall before me
I turned and started walking away "I don't have time for this nonsense"
Jaipa groaned. "Oh, great. We're doing this now."
Before I could take another step, more knights moved in, subtly blocking my path.
The leader cleared his throat "Please come with us we can even take you by force if necessary " He said that in cold voice
Jaipa let out a low whistle "Wow They went from polite to threatening real quick humans are indeed interesting"
I frowned, considering fighting them would waste time and energy but going with them…that find useful like i could get something out of there
Jaipa must have noticed my expression shift "Oh no. I know that face that's your 'I'm about to be pragmatic in a way that ruins my day "
I exhaled. "Fine."
The knights relaxed, stepping aside to guide me forward jaipa muttered under his breath "Yep....definitely going to regret this "
I had a feeling he was right.... I would definitely regret it ?