Leon did not think. The memory of his own family, powerless against violence, acted as a trigger. He picked up a piece of lead pipe lying among the alley's debris and charged forward, his footsteps muffled by the morning mist.
— Let go of the bag, he ordered in a cold, sharp voice that left no room for negotiation.
The two men startled and spun around. The one carrying the bag, the more massive of the two, adjusted it on his shoulder while his accomplice, a nervous fellow with a jutting jaw, unsheathed a switchblade.
— Beat it, kid! the nervous one spat. This ain't your business. Go back to playing in your gutter before I bleed you.
Leon did not waste time with words. He knew this type of man. Fear was written in their erratic movements. The nervous one lunged, delivering a clumsy thrust toward Leon's abdomen. Leon pivoted, feeling the breath of the blade brush against his coat, and used his opponent's momentum to bring his pipe down on the attacker's wrist.
A dry crack rang out, followed by a howl of pain. The knife clattered onto the pavement. Without giving him a moment's respite, Leon drove a violent knee into his solar plexus, leaving him doubled over, desperately gasping for air.
— You bastard! roared the colossus with the bag.
He threw the bag to the ground—eliciting a muffled cry from inside—and threw himself at Leon.
He wasn't a fighter, just a brute relying on his weight. He threw a wide right hook that Leon dodged by ducking, but the brute followed up with a kick that caught Leon in the flank.
The impact was brutal. Leon was slammed against a brick wall, his breath knocked out of him. Pain radiated through his ribs, a cruel reminder that he did not yet have the mana to reinforce his body. The brute approached to crush him, but Leon, from the ground, threw a handful of gravel and dust into his assailant's face.
— My eyes! the man screamed, recoiling.
Taking advantage of the opening, Leon stood up with difficulty. He didn't have raw strength, so he aimed for vital points. He struck the colossus's shin with the edge of his boot, then, as the man toppled forward, Leon delivered a masterful elbow strike to the back of his neck. The giant collapsed heavily into the alley's mud, stunned.
The first attacker, with the broken wrist, was trying to pick up his knife with his left hand. Leon sent a roundhouse kick straight to his face, sending him tumbling against the wooden crates.
Silence fell back over the alley, disturbed only by Leon's short gasps. His side burned, and his hand trembled slightly from the adrenaline. He was no legendary hero, just an exile who had learned to fight for every scrap of bread in the slums of Valerius.
He turned to the canvas bag still moving on the ground. Carefully, he pulled out his small pocket knife and sliced the rope holding the opening shut.
The canvas parted, revealing a little girl of about nine years old. She was curled up, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. She was strikingly beautiful, with flaming crimson hair and eyes with vertical pupils, like those of a snake or a lizard, of a brilliant golden yellow. Her deep blue dress, embroidered with silver threads, was rumpled but betrayed a noble origin of very high rank.
— Shh... It's okay, Leon whispered, softening his voice. The bad men won't hurt you anymore. I'm here.
He cut the ties cinching her small wrists and gently removed the gag that prevented her from speaking. The child took a deep breath, her golden eyes fixed on her savior's face. Once she was free, Leon slid down against the opposite wall, grimacing in pain. He unbuttoned his coat to inspect his ribs, which were beginning to turn a dark blue.
— You... you're bleeding, the little girl stammered, her voice still trembling.
— It's nothing, just a few bruises, Leon replied with a forced smile. My name is Leon. And you, little adventurer, how did you end up in a canvas bag?
— My name is Marlene, she replied, approaching cautiously.
She stared at the two unconscious men with a mixture of fear and disgust. Then, she turned her attention back to Leon, her gaze softening.
— We're traveling here, but my father and his guards say the city is too dangerous. They are always busy with "urgent business" and leave me alone. So... I sneaked out at dawn. I just wanted to see the automatons and the candy shops. But those men came...
Leon sighed. He recognized this solitude. That of a child raised behind stone walls and strict rules, ignored by adults too absorbed in power.
— Listen, Marlene. I have to run some errands at the market to prepare for an exam. If you promise to be good and stay close to me, we can visit the city together. I'll take you back home afterward. What do you think?
The girl's eyes lit up with pure joy, instantly erasing her tears.
— Really? Oh, thank you, Big Brother Leon!
The title, "Big Brother," felt like a nostalgic stab to Leon's heart, but he showed nothing. He helped her up, and they left the dark alley to join the light of Celestia.
Their walk first led them to the Artisans' Quarter. Here, the air vibrated with the sound of steam jackhammers and the whistles of delivery automatons. Marlene hopped from stall to stall, marvelling at the mechanical clocks that played music and the fountains whose water changed color thanks to submerged mana crystals. Leon, despite the pain in his side, found himself smiling as he watched her ecstatic over a simple candy apple coated in sugar that fizzed in her mouth.
They then crossed the Bridge of Steaming Sighs, an immense wrought-iron structure that overlooked the clouds. From there, they admired the airships arriving and departing like giant birds. Marlene asked a thousand questions about the Aetheris Institute visible in the distance, and Leon explained the ranks of mages and knights to her, carefully omitting his own royal past.
Time passed too quickly. The sun began to set, tinting the city in shades of orange. Leon guided Marlene toward the heights of the city, where the streets became wider, paved with white marble, and lined with manors with imposing gates. It was the district of the high nobility, a place where a commoner like Leon usually did not belong.
They stopped in front of an immense manor whose turrets seemed to want to touch the sky. The crest on the gate represented a reptilian creature, echoing the girl's eyes.
— Here we are, Marlene. This is where our paths part. Go inside quickly; they must be worried sick.
Marlene grabbed Leon's hand, her golden eyes pleading.
— Come with me, Big Brother! My father is a very powerful man, he will give you a medal and mountains of gold coins for saving me! We could even live together!
Leon gently shook his head. If he went in there, the guards or Marlene's father would eventually ask too many questions. And in his current state, he could not afford to be noticed by high-ranking nobles.
— I can't, Marlene. I have my own battles to fight. But I won't forget our walk.
The girl sulked for a moment, then she stood on her tiptoes to make a solemn promise.
— Then promise me we'll see each other again. Promise!
— I promise, Leon smiled.
He watched her walk through the manor's small side door. Just before disappearing, she gave him one last wave. Leon stood still for a moment, the silence of the noble quarter falling back over him.
He turned around, his ribs reminding him of their state. Night was falling; it was time to return to the inn and face the awakening of his Heart of Magic.