The boy hid behind the bushes, without the courage to come out.
When the priestess came closer to look, she saw him covering his face with his elbows, as if he wanted to hide so that no one could recognize him.
Baiyu's lips curved into a faint, sorrowful smile.
"You need not hide from me like this… my eyes cannot even see you."
Her voice was soft, yet it carried a quiet strength.
"What you have already done demanded great courage yet now….. at this moment.....you shrink away from showing just a little more?"
Otherwise
"This will turn all your hard work and courage into nothing… do you truly want that?"
" in this world many people find difficult to show that mauch you have already show " while saying these words she remembers her ownself condition bound to chains.
Her words flowed like ripples across still water, carrying a quiet weight that could soften even the hardest heart.
"Step forward , speak your truth your words for what you have done."
Baiyu tilted her head. Her sleeves slipped down like the fins of a koi, as if asking to be held delicate, yet full of quiet assurance.
A gentle, loving smile touched her lips.
"I promise you, no one will bring you harm."
While saying these words her heart beat was rising as she was tried to convince him yet she can't do that for herself.
Every word Baiyu spoke was so compelling that it felt as if the wind itself bore witness to her promise.
When the boy finally raised his hands before her eyes, Baiyu standing there, it was as if heaven itself had called out to him.
Baiyu's aura was so warm, so tender, that the boy could no longer hold back his tears.
"I am sorry… I didn't want to do this, but when your people… your old man refused my grandfather's request and kept us from meeting you… I lost my composure… I lost my senses… I am sorry."
He could not even stop his big, heavy tears; his words came out broken and unclear.
His face was flushed, and his eyes were swollen from crying.
When the boy began to cry a little, Baiyu stepped closer but not too close, just enough to be near him without overwhelming him.
Baiyu raised her small, delicate fingers in the air, as if they were crafted from wax.
She brought them together like a closed flower, then opened them gently, letting it bloom. From her hand, a tiny golden koi emerged, shimmering softly as it swirled gracefully around the boy.
The boy's eyes widened, frozen in astonishment, unable to even blink as he stared at the little golden fish.
Anyone watching could tell at once , he had never seen anything like this before in his life.
Wherever the koi swam, his gaze followed helplessly left, right, forward, back in every direction it moves as if the creature had caught his very soul in its shimmering dance.
The golden koi, after roaming around, finally settled on the boy's cheek. It brushed against his lashes as if sipping them, ticklish yet calming, bringing peace to his heart.
At last, the boy's lips parted, and a small laugh escaped. The sound made Baiyu's smile brighten with quiet joy.
But Nezumi was not entirely pleased. She frowned, thinking, 'Is it proper for a lady to behave this way outside? What if the old man were to find out?'
Her doubts faded when Baiyu gently laid her sleeve light as a fin on her shoulder.
"It may not be proper," she said softly, "but it suits this moment best."
Baiyu returned to her calm, serene demeanor, the same grace she carried as a priestess. "Child, I sense that something has happened. Would you mind telling me exactly what occurred, and why you attacked me?"
Her words, direct and steady, drew the laughter from the boy's lips.
His face fell, and his eyes grew numb. "My name is Nao Shu," he said softly.
He took a deep breath and began to recount his story, speaking continuously, without leaving out a single detail.
"I lived with my grandfather and my sister-in-law near the river," Nao Shu began, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke.
He glanced down at his hands for a moment, gathering courage, before continuing,
"Everything was peaceful at first… but then strange things began to happen. My sister-in-law… she became unwell, and no one could understand why. That's why I…".
His words faltered slightly, but Baiyu's calm presence encouraged him to go on.
"That's why I went to the Vedhya in Prahavia," he sobbed, "to ask for help… but they refused to treat her."
Tears welled up in his eyes again. "They said she was possessed by spirits and would not give her any medicine… they just turned us away."
Baiyu froze, struck as if by a sudden shock. 'How… how can this be?" she whispered, her voice tinged with disbelief. "It is unlike the people of Prahavia to turn away a patient, saying she is possessed…'.
His words sparked curiosity in Baiyu. "You said the Prahavians refused… and the reason was that she was possessed?"
Nao's eyes widened in shock, and he nodded quickly. "Yes… and after that, things only got worse. Now, the rest of the people won't even help us or trade with us."
"Now we find difficulties to arrange daily needs the only things left was came from our land which we had grown ".
" but since river got drying up it was difficult to irrigate and our crops were dying ".
His word was displeasing to Nezumi she find it harder to control, it felt like he was indirectly blaming priestess for it .
But
Baiyu acted differently she gave gentle smile not reaching her closed eyes .
"Would you mind taking me to her? I would like to see her myself and observe her symptoms with my own eyes."