Linor's sword tip pressed against Kai's throat. The icy touch of metal was like a venomous serpent, instantly tightening every nerve in his body. He could smell the lingering stench of the beast's blood on the blade, mixed with the faint scent of grass and forest that clung to the elf. Two utterly different aromas intertwined, creating a suffocating sense of danger.
Kai swallowed hard, not daring to struggle. He could clearly see Linor's ice-blue eyes—devoid of warmth, filled only with an unwavering fixation on the Star Core Fragment. Instinctively, he tried to hide the hand clutching the pocket watch behind his back. The small movement immediately angered Linor.
"Don't try anything clever," she said coldly. Her wrist tightened slightly, the sword advancing half an inch. The sharp edge cut into Kai's skin, and a bead of blood seeped out. "The Star Core Fragment is a sacred treasure of the Aurora Continent. It's not something greedy humans like you are allowed to touch. Hand it over, and I might spare your life."
Kai sucked in a sharp breath from the pain, but inside, his mind was in turmoil. Aurora Continent. Star Core Fragment. Elves. Words that had existed only in legends now stood vividly before him, shattering everything he had believed for twenty-three years. He had always thought stories of the magical world were nothing more than lies adults told to amuse children. Yet the elf before him, and the monster's corpse on the floor, told him a cruel truth—those legends were real.
"I'm not trying anything," Kai forced himself to speak through the sting in his throat. "I only picked up this pocket watch this morning. I didn't even know there was a fragment inside it. I'm just a watch repairman, not some greedy human."
"Picked it up?" Linor frowned deeper, suspicion flashing through her blue eyes. "The Star Core Fragment emits extremely powerful magical fluctuations. Ordinary people can't even get close to it. How could you be holding it without harm?"
Kai froze. He recalled the warm current that surged through him when he touched the fragment, and the silver glow that spread across his wrench. He glanced down at the tool in his hand, then at the pocket watch behind him. A faint realization began to form. Could it be that years of working with machinery had given his body some quality that allowed him to withstand the fragment's magic?
"I… I don't know," Kai admitted, shaking his head. "When I touched it, I felt a current, but nothing painful. And my wrench…"
As he spoke, he raised the wrench. The once heavily rusted tool was now spotless, its surface gleaming with a faint silver sheen, standing out starkly in the dim repair shop. Linor's gaze locked onto it, her pupils contracting sharply.
"Mechanical enchantment?" Her voice was filled with disbelief. "That's impossible. Humans lost the ability to commune with magic long ago. How could a mere repairman—"
Before she could finish, hurried footsteps echoed from the alley outside, accompanied by shrill sirens. Kai's face drained of color instantly. He knew those sounds were coming for him. That morning, when he had driven off the beast in the abandoned factory, a passerby must have seen it and reported him. In Eternal Day City, "using magic" was the greatest taboo. Once caught by the Steam Police Bureau, the punishment was to be thrown into a steam furnace and reduced to ashes.
"Damn it, it's the Steam Police!" Kai cried in panic, instinctively trying to push Linor's blade away. "Let me go! If they catch us, we're both finished!"
Linor frowned, listening to the rapidly approaching footsteps, her expression turning colder. She glanced at Kai, then at the glowing wrench, as if weighing a decision. Just as the Steam Police were about to reach the door, she suddenly withdrew her sword, grabbed Kai's wrist, and bolted toward the back door of the shop.
"Come with me," she said firmly. "If they catch you, you won't die cleanly."
Kai had no time to think. He could only stumble along as she dragged him through the back door. The exit led into a narrow alley piled high with garbage and discarded machine parts, the air thick with the stench of rust. Linor moved swiftly, pulling Kai through a maze of turns until the sirens and footsteps faded into the distance.
They didn't know how long they ran. Finally, Linor stopped, leaning against a weathered wall, breathing hard. Her silver-white hair clung messily to her cheeks, sweat beading on her forehead, a faint flush coloring her usually cold face. Kai was no better off, hands braced on his knees as he gulped air, his heart pounding as if it might burst.
They looked at each other in silence. The brush with death had eased the tension between them.
After a while, Kai finally caught his breath. He looked at Linor hesitantly and asked, "Why… why did you save me?"
Linor shot him a glance but didn't answer. Instead, she took a small crystal sphere from her cloak and raised it before her eyes, murmuring a spell. The sphere glowed pale blue, images flickering within. Curious, Kai leaned closer and saw scenes of Eternal Day City's streets unfolding inside.
"A tracking crystal?" he asked in surprise. He had seen something like this in an old mechanical compendium—said to be a magical artifact capable of tracking targets.
Linor ignored his astonishment, staring intently at the crystal. Suddenly, her expression changed. She snapped it shut and put it away.
"We need to leave this place immediately," she said gravely. "The Steam Police have issued a wanted order. They're searching the entire city for you."
"A wanted order?" Kai's heart sank, a chill running up his spine. "How could they act so fast?"
"You were caught on surveillance this morning when you drove off the beast," Linor explained. "Eternal Day City's monitoring systems are among the most advanced. Though they reject magic, they're extremely alert to anything that violates physical laws. Footage of your wrench glowing has already been labeled as conclusive evidence of 'using magic.'"
Kai's face went pale. He remembered the fight that morning—he had been so focused on surviving that he hadn't noticed any cameras. Now it was over. He was being hunted by the Steam Police and entangled with a mysterious elf.
"What do we do now?" Kai asked weakly. "I have nowhere to go."
Linor studied him, a complicated emotion flickering in her icy eyes. After a moment's silence, she spoke again. "There are seven Star Core Fragments in total. The one you hold is only one of them. The Starfall Event a century ago scattered them across both the Aurora and Eros Continents."
"You've heard the name Victor Thorne, haven't you?" she continued.
Kai looked up sharply, shock written all over his face. Victor Thorne was a household name in Eternal Day City—the chairman of the Thorne Group, the greatest technological magnate in the city. He controlled its steam energy supply, possessed wealth rivaling nations, and was idolized by countless people.
"Victor? What does he have to do with this?" Kai asked.
"He's collecting the Star Core Fragments," Linor said with undisguised hatred. "He wants to use their power to break the barrier between worlds and rule the Aurora Continent with technology. The Starfall Event a hundred years ago was orchestrated by his ancestors."
Kai was stunned. He could hardly believe that the revered titan of technology harbored such terrifying ambitions.
"Why are you telling me all this?" he asked, confused.
"Because the fragment in your possession is the key to stopping him," Linor replied, her gaze fixed on Kai with quiet determination. "Only you can withstand the fragment's magic and merge magic with technology."
"Me?" Kai pointed at himself in disbelief. "I'm just a watch repairman. How could I possibly—"
"You can," Linor cut him off. "Your wrench proves it. Magic and technology are not opposites. Only by combining them can Victor be stopped—and peace preserved between the two worlds."
Just then, the roar of rotors thundered overhead. Kai and Linor looked up to see a steam-powered helicopter circling above, the emblem of the Thorne Group emblazoned on its hull. A searchlight swept the alley, blinding them.
Linor's expression changed instantly. She grabbed Kai's wrist and sprinted deeper into the alley.
"They're here!" she shouted urgently. "Run!"
Kai glanced back and saw the helicopter's hatch open. Several men in black suits dropped down, advanced steam rifles in hand, charging toward them.
A cold dread filled Kai's chest. He knew that from this moment on, he was no longer just a repairman hiding in the slums. He had been swept into a conspiracy spanning two worlds, with danger lurking ahead at every step.
Yet as he tightly clutched the pocket watch containing the Star Core Fragment, a spark of courage he had never known before ignited within him.
Maybe Linor was right.
Maybe he truly could, in his own way, protect the things he wanted to protect.