The scent of freshly baked bread mingled with the subtle, roasted aroma of warm coffee, curling up from the mug nestled in her palms.
A cool breeze drifted in through open windows, carrying the earthy fragrance of surrounding trees and the sweet perfume of countless flowers.
This symphony of senses created a profound feeling of contentment and ease, settling deep in her chest like a quiet sigh of peace.
It was more than just the gentle heat of the mug; it was the faint, pleasant scent of old wood, the imagined murmur of good company, and soft, genuine laughter rippling through the spacious living room that made Sena feel entranced.
Time seemed to stretch and soften, moments unhurried and full, as if stepping into a memory she didn't know she had.
In this space, with this warmth and these familiar sounds, the outside world faded, leaving only the comforting weight of belonging and being utterly at ease.
Fragmented images of her enjoying a serene day crossed her mind.
Her brows slightly bent in confusion.
What was I remembering just now?
Thinking to herself.
Some blank spaces in between thoughts.
"Let me ask you again," Idris said in an almost stern voice, "Are you lost? Or are you in danger?"
The question didn't register to her at first.
She could sense Idris's slight irritation, yet he was clearly managing to control it.
"I'm not lost… I don't think I am. And I am most certainly not in danger…"
She struggled, unable to grasp the right words to assure the man in front of her of anything clear about her state of being.
Before Idris could form a reply, she continued, "I think I need to go to the capital. Have myself checked by a physician."
She paused, then added, "Although, I'm not sure myself what's wrong with me… Everything's just a blur." A sigh escaped her, heavy with dejection.
Idris found what she said utterly perplexing, extracting absolutely nothing of substance from her words.
He clicked his tongue, a frustrated "Tsk!" escaping him as he sensed the silhouette of the feeble man cradling a baby wavering intensely with her every word.
He had found no ill will in Sena's presence from the river until now, but he hadn't found anything of essence either.
"How about you give me more than… nothing? Something clear you can pinpoint? Something that you can remember happening?" Idris urged, his voice edged with impatience.
"Why do you need to cross the river?" he continued his barrage of questions, determined to extract some clarity from her.
This, he thought, will be a long day of interrogation.
Overwhelmed by the rapid-fire questions, Sena felt bewildered by the intense curiosity Idris exhibited, a tinge of hostility building within her.
"And why are you asking me so many questions?" she shot back, one brow arched higher than the other, her face giving off the look of someone whose privacy was being violated.
"Haaahhh…" Idris let out a sigh of surrender.
"Let's take a step back. No need to be defensive," he assured her.
"I am the RoadKeeper for these parts, you see. It is my job to keep wanderers like you from committing atrocious acts within the bounds of Azarette."
Idris's explanation wasn't difficult to follow, and Sena remained quiet the entire time, simply listening.
His house, she learned, stood not too far from the borders between Azarette and Ophiyllion.
While the Defenders of the Ash and the Royal Squadron are formally stationed at the walled and heavily guarded border gates, it's not unusual for travelers or drifters to wander into the surrounding lands without realizing the dangers that lurk near what's known as The Fence of the Emberglit Diadem.
This fence, he continued, was a sprawling perimeter marked by a solemn row of angelic statues.
These statues served as gravestones, memorializing the fallen members of the Ashriel royal bloodline, forming a protective circle around a vast, foreboding forest.
Not many newcomers to Azarette, especially those arriving to study, train, or seek work, are aware of these territories and their significance.
Most individuals found roaming these woods are, in fact, lost.
Many are freshly employed manor servants or low-rank apprentices who've wandered away from nearby estates or simply taken a wrong turn.
According to local legend, one of the Ashriel princesses, a child still too young to rule, tragically drowned in that very river.
It is said that her wandering soul never found rest, continuously luring unwitting travelers to accompany her into the afterlife.
Their sudden deaths were often described by witnesses as their souls being violently pulled from their bodies, a terrifying phenomenon that has caused locals to avoid the river for centuries.
Since then, the waters have gained a dark reputation, often referred to as a 'Cursed Vein'. An ominous thread weaving through sacred ground.
More than a few souls, broken or despairing, have attempted to end their lives within that same river, the stretch closest to the Fence of the Emberglit Diadem being particularly notorious for such attempts.
In order to prevent more deaths and to protect the sanctity of the Ashriel grounds, Idris had been hired as a RoadKeeper: tasked with watching over the area, guiding those who have lost their way, and intervening before tragedy strikes.
Royal foot soldiers patrol the outer reaches of Azarette, typically making their rounds once a week.
Their duties include monitoring the river's edge and ensuring no one disturbs the solemn peace surrounding the fence.
From time to time, they escort confused or distressed newcomers who've wandered too far off the main roads.
It was during one of Idris's early morning patrols that he found Sena.
He had heard it first, a subtle, almost imperceptible tearing sound carried by the river's current.
Following the noise, he tracked it through the brush until he stumbled across her seemingly unconscious body by the water's edge.
He'd tried to explain, when she finally stirred, that his curiosity wasn't personal… It was simply part of his job. Standard protocol, as he put it.
"This so-called 'fence' isn't a barrier in the traditional sense," Idris continued, his tone like a warning as he informed Sena, "But it is, in truth, a sacred boundary."
"I have seen it before…"
Sena recalled, a haunting, pale expression washing over her face as cold sweat ran from her scalp down to her nape.
"The angels…"
Idris was shocked, but he didn't flinch.
He pressed on, "The Silvershroud Forest is a holy ground surrounded by a perpetually flowing river that encircles the entire region. What do you mean you've seen it before?" he asked, now brimming with distress and further intrigue.
"I really don't know…"
Sena stopped and looked down at her fingers, tracing invisible lines on her palm, trying to calm herself from the haunting memories flashing back one after the other.
Idris let out a slow, deliberate exhale, his posture stiffening with clear displeasure.
"You can't keep saying you don't know, this doesn't give me anything to move forward with."
He gestured vaguely towards the unseen river.
"I have to report this to the capital. You keep saying you crossed the river, but you're still here on this side."
His voice sharpened, a note of rising alarm.
"I thought someone might have pushed you or tried to kill you there. You were unconscious! Just tell me if you know who did this to you. They might still be lurking around these woods!" he exclaimed.
Sena flinched back, her shoulders hunching slightly.
She shook her head, a small, desperate movement.
"No! No one pushed me… I— I crossed it myself," she said, her voice almost quivering, thinking she might have unintentionally broken a rule or would be disciplined somehow.
Idris paused, his head tilting ever so slightly, as if listening to an unseen current in the air.
"So you haven't actually crossed anything, have you?"
A profound silence settled between them, thick with unspoken truths.
A beat...
A chilling clarity dawned on him.
His unseeing gaze seemed to focus intently on Sena, a sudden, unnerving stillness in his expression as he deduced the impossible.
"Did you come from INSIDE Silvershroud Forest?"
His face, usually composed, tightened with a sudden, dawning horror.
"Is that bad? Am I doomed? Are you taking me to the capital now and having them lock me in some murky, dark dungeon or something?"
Sena asked, a sardonic edge to her voice, her eyebrows arching high in mock alarm. She threw her hands out in an exaggerated gesture of despair, a clear attempt to deflect her genuine unease.
Idris bowed his head, a long "Haaahhh..." escaping him.
He ran a hand over his face, his frustration evident.
"What?! No! It's just… It's just impossible."
His voice, though strained, held a determined edge as he tried again to get through to Sena.
"Can you at least try to get your story straight? I really am just trying to help you here."
Sena spread her hands on both sides, a gesture of utter helplessness, her voice rising in frustration.
"I know, I just… I can't remember anything! I woke up by a river. I saw a cabin. I lived there. I don't know, I told you everything is a blur!"
Her words tumbled out, her gaze darting around the room, speaking a bit too fast now.
"I just know my name and that I need to cross the river, and I know I haven't slept in a bed for probably three days, and saw things I don't understand, and a field of poisonous flowers, and maybe a bird lurking, and then I met you, and I walked here."
She fidgeted with the hem of her worn cloak, her voice almost a plea.
Her knees bouncing up and down in a nervous tic.
Scrunching her eyes shut and clutching her knees to her chest, she tried to breathe and control herself from spiraling.
"I just want to get to the capital and get checked by a physician, that's all I can really remember."
Idris held up a calming hand, then gently rested his palm on Sena's head, his voice deliberately slow and reassuring. "Alright. Calm down."
He lowered his hand, his posture relaxing slightly.
"You can stay here for now; the royal guards won't make their rounds until next week. By then, I'll have them escort you to the doctor in the capital."
A startling warmth spread through Sena from the touch, a strange, unexpected solace that seemed to anchor her spiraling thoughts.
A sigh escaped her lips, the sudden tranquility a stark contrast to her recent panic.
Yet, even as calmness settled, her ingrained defiance resurfaced.
She threw her arms out, incredulous, wondering where this seemingly kind man got the audacity to so calmly ask her to live with him.
"I don't know how you could be so blunt in asking me to stay here with you! I'm a woman!"
Idris's lips curved into a subtle, dry smirk, and he shrugged casually.
"And I am blind," he retorted, the sarcasm thick in his voice.
The smirk softened, his expression morphing into a genuinely reassuring smile.
"Also, there are three rooms upstairs, so choose whichever one you like."
He then crossed his arms, his expression settling into a calm, almost amused smugness.
"I also have students coming here from Ophiyllion who trains with me once every two weeks; they're coming here the day after tomorrow, so keep your 'I don't know' brain to yourself, or else you would definitely be called ignorant. I have a room with a study upstairs, maybe choose that."
Sena instantly bristled, crossing her own arms with a defiant tilt of her chin.
"I'm not ignorant." she replied.
A small, involuntary smile tugging at the corner of her lips despite herself.
Idris gave a dismissive wave of his hand, rolling his head slightly.
"Sure, whatever you say."
As Sena got up and walked towards the rooms upstairs, she stopped midway. Turning around to face Idris, she bent her upper body, and gave a low bow.
"Thank you… I– I really am grateful" she said shyly.
Her voice small but sincere.
Idris, on his way to the kitchen, holding the empty coffee cups in both hands, without turning around to acknowledge her.
"I know. Like I said, make yourself at home."