The bell above the shop door chimed again.
Jade lifted his head from the ledger, quill pausing mid-stroke. Selene, perched far too close beside him with her chin in her palm, turned as well, curious.
The apprentices at the counter glanced toward the door, ready to greet yet another customer.
But the voice that rang out wasn't polite or measured.
"Jade!"
It carried an edge of urgency , too sharp for casual conversation.
A few nobles turned, brows knitting at the lack of manners. Apprentices stiffened, eyes darting between their young master and the boy who had just hurried inside.
Lio.
He stood in the doorway, breathing hard as though he'd run across half the city to get here. His dark hair clung to his forehead, boots scuffed with slum dust, but his shoulders were squared in an effort to appear composed. His eyes, however, gave him away — urgent, searching, fixed on Jade.
Then he froze.
Because Selene was still there.
The Governor's wife, settled comfortably in Jade's shop as though it were her personal salon, turned with the slow grace of someone who had been waiting for just such a distraction. Her lips curled into a delighted smile.
"Lio," she cooed, rising smoothly from her stool.
Lio paled a shade, realizing too late what he'd walked into. He half-bowed, half-stammered, "Lady Selene—I didn't—"
Too late. She was already upon him.
"My dear boy, look at you," Selene said, sweeping her hands over his shoulders, brushing dust from his sleeves as though it were a mortal offense. "Running through these filthy streets again? And you're flushed. Did you skip lunch? Amara should know better than to let you go out without eating properly."
"L-Lady Selene, I'm fine," Lio muttered, trying not to squirm. His ears were already red.
"Oh hush, I'll decide that." She fussed over his hair next, smoothing it back into place with a queen's authority. "Still too thin. You've grown, yes, but not enough meat on your bones. You'll work yourself sick one day, mark my words."
The apprentices bent lower over their tasks, pretending to be invisible. None dared laugh, though a few risked quick glances at each other, sharing the silent camaraderie of thank the stars it's not me.
The nobles shifted uneasily, their reactions varied: one sniffed in disdain, another tried to mask amusement, a third simply observed in silence, calculating.
But it was Jade who sat the stillest of all.
His long lashes lowered, quill resting loosely in his hand, as he watched the scene unfold. Selene had been smothering him since dawn, fussing over his skin, his hair, his meals, his posture. He had endured it all with quiet embarrassment, knowing resistance only fueled her amusement.
And his supposed brother, his so-called protector, had ran at the first sight of the symbol of the governor's house on the hover carriage that brought Selene earlier that day.
Jade's gaze lifted, his eyes gleaming under the shop's lantern light. He fixed Lio with a look that could only be described as 'your turn'.
The weight of that look hit Lio full force. He caught Jade's eyes over Selene's shoulder. His shoulders slumped ever so slightly, like a boy resigned to his fate.
Jade nearly burst out laughing. His lips twitched, teeth sinking into his cheek to smother the grin.
Selene, oblivious to the silent war between them, pinched Lio's cheek with alarming precision. "Handsome already. Just like your sister. Honestly, the two of you will give me gray hairs. You both overwork for your ages!"
"Y-yes, Lady Selene," Lio murmured, utterly trapped.
From the counter, Jade let out the faintest sigh — one only those closest to him would catch. Not disrespectful, not annoyed… just weary. Embarrassed.
Finally, Selene released Lio with a satisfied hum, waving toward an empty chair. "Sit. Rest your legs before you faint in front of customers. I'll have tea sent over."
Lio straightened his clothes quickly, casting a desperate glance toward Jade as if begging for rescue.
And Jade, traitorously, looked away.
But when his quill touched the page again, his calm voice broke the air. "Why did you call so urgently before?."
The humor drained at once.
Lio's fists tightened at his sides. He stepped closer to the counter, lowering his voice so only Jade could hear.
"Jade… there's someone. A girl. She's dying. I need your help."
The words hung in the air like a stone cast into still water.
Lio's voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the easy warmth of the shop like a blade. The apprentices who had been measuring powdersstopped and looked up. Even Selene, who had been mid–nuzzle against Jade's cheek, stilled with a blink of surprise, her lips parting ever so slightly.
Jade didn't rush to answer. He lifted his gaze slowly from the ledger, his long lashes lowering and then rising again as the faint gleam of his strange eyes caught the light. To anyone else, he looked merely calm like a child unaffected by urgency. But Niamh, who had raised him, saw the faint shift: the quiet narrowing of his brows, the tiny pause before he set down the quill.
The shop air grew heavier, though nothing outwardly had changed.
"...I see."
That was all Jade said, his voice smooth, too level for a ten-year-old. But inside, his dual pupils had already flared. Light and shadow whirled in the depths of his gaze, invisible to everyone around him. The Divine Soul Dual Pupils already seeing the remnants of aura that lingered on Lio.
A person. Young. Aura faint with staggering life force, but alive.
Jade exhaled faintly. She wouldn't die before reaching him.
So he remained composed. He didn't bolt from the counter. He didn't abandon the dozens of wide-eyed customers who had fallen utterly silent. He simply closed the ledger with a soft snap.
Niamh's voice came first, tight with alarm. "Lio, what are you talking about? Who?where?"
Lio swallowed hard, his usual grin nowhere to be found. He looked every bit the teenager he was — not quite a boy anymore, not yet a man, but with fire in his eyes. "She's in the slums, near the lower east quarter. I found her on the way here. She's… she's barely breathing, Niamh." His voice cracked. "I couldn't carry her alone."
Selene finally stirred, her hand pressing against her chest, face pale. "A girl…? In such a state…? Oh heavens." She looked toward Jade immediately, as though waiting for him to leap up.
But Jade only met Niamh's eyes with that same unshakable calm. His voice when he spoke was quiet, respectful, never commanding — yet firm with certainty.
" Niamh. Amara. Could you please go with him. Bring her here. I'll be ready."
The calmness of the request soothed the room in a strange way, as though his composure anchored everyone else. The apprentices, who had been on the verge of panicking, lowered their heads again, returning to their tasks.
Niamh didn't hesitate. "...All right." She grabbed her satchel of supplies and strode for the door, Amara hurrying after her.
Lio didn't wait too, he was already pushing the door open, glancing back once at Jade. There was gratitude there, but also trust. He knew Jade wouldn't waste words or time.
The bell chimed again as the three disappeared into the streets.
For a while, silence remained in the shop. Customers shifted uncomfortably, exchanging nervous whispers, but no one left . Lady Selene herself sat perched like a hawk, her aura of nobility wrapping the room in tension.
She turned back to Jade. He was already moving with quiet efficiency, rolling his sleeves, clearing the counter of ledgers and placing them neatly aside. His movements weren't frantic, but measured. Each one infused with the quiet confidence of someone who already knew the outcome.
"You don't look worried," Selene murmured, searching his face.
Jade paused, his hand lingering on a cloth he had drawn across the counter. Then he turned his head slightly, silver-white strands falling over his shoulder. His lips curved faintly in something that wasn't quite a smile . "She won't die before reaching me."
Selene's breath relaxed.
The boy spoke with such certainty, as though fate itself had whispered it into his ear. She leaned back slowly. His tone was one of certainty and somehow, that made her heart relax.
Minutes passed. The bell above the shop rang with customers entering and leaving, though far more cautiously now. The apprentices continued to serve, but their eyes flickered again and again toward Jade. They had seen him work miracles in these three years, and each of them suspected they were about to witness another.
Jade, meanwhile, arranged his tools in silence. He laid out crystal vials, etched silver scalpels, bundles of dried herbs. A basin of cool water shimmered faintly as he dropped in an alchemical stone that sent ripples of light through it. He moved like an artist preparing his canvas, each motion graceful, deliberate.
.....
The door bursted open suddenly.
Niamh entered first, her strong arms supporting a limp figure draped in bloodied rags. Amara followed, pale, carrying what looked like the girl's torn satchel. Lio was behind them, his face ashen, his hands streaked with dirt and blood from trying to move her.
The apprentices gasped audibly. One customer dropped his vial in shock.
Jade's gaze sharpened as they carried the girl in. His eyes took in everything at once — the deep bruising across her ribs, the mottled purple of starvation, the dried blood at her temples, the trembling flutter of her breath.
She was older than Lio. Perhaps fifteen. Her hair, once black, was caked in grime. Her lips were cracked, her eyelids swollen. She looked like a bird with wings broken beyond repair, yet still breathing, defying death itself.
"Lay her here," Jade said softly, his voice carrying absolute authority despite its gentleness.
Niamh obeyed without hesitation, easing the girl onto the counter Jade had prepared.
The shop held its breath.
Jade placed his hand gently over the girl's sternum. His eyes glowed faintly, threads of silvery-grey and violet curling within his irises. His voice was low, inaudible to others as he whispered [Clairvoyance].
[Condition: Critical.]
[Internal bleeding: Minor. Fractured ribs: Three. Malnutrition: Severe. Psychological trauma: Severe.]
[Survival Probability with Intervention: 58%. Without: 0%.]
Jade exhaled. "You made it," he whispered to her, though she was unconscious.
Then he reached for his tools, his hands steady, his movements flowing with the calm of inevitability.
....