In a community as tightly-knitted like the Digma town of Macer, it is most common for word to spread as quickly as a wildfire. In a place where numerous personalities interact on a daily basis, it is not unheard of for a brawl to break out; as haggling sometimes brings out the worst of buyers and sellers alike. However, the small incident in front of the Panuluyan is not something because of a trade gone sour. Its uncanny nature has captured bystanders' interests and rumors filled the night air.

Breaking the scuffle was not an easy task. For one, dragging an unconscious man with one good leg is not very efficient, especially when Shizuru; despite having his arms both locked against the Panuluyan attendant's grasp, continues to flail like an unhinged gale.

"Braganda*, Mirano!" Shizuru snarled, kicking some more. "Get him here so I can give him a piece of my mind!"

How did it come again to this? Mirano's brows meet in a confused frown in recollection of the events that led to him dragging this unconscious cloaked man towards the Panuluyan's entrance: Pan's journal; the uncanny silhouette; Halli's trial... His and the cloaked man's meeting is most strange. Why was he surprised of his exit of the establishment that time?

Shizuru's defeated grunt echoes in Mirano's ears and he immediately looks up to find the young Digma charging off to town, despite the attendant's calls. Was he furious of the ruckus that caused them to lose Pan's journal? His eyes fall to the man weighing on his arms, wondering if his involvement was partly a reason as well.

The attendant offers a hand to haul the cloaked man back to Mirano and Shizuru's room. Mirano expresses his gratitude through a small smile, though he wishes the attendant did not, for, staring at his lanky stature and resemblance to Encanto elders, it seems that he can do little help. Mirano would rather limp up the stairs than inconvenience the Panuluyan attendant, however, as they begin to ascend the flight of stairs, Mirano's eyes widen at the old man's strength as he carries the unconscious man in one of his arms. When they arrive to the room, the light from the lamp floods the area and Mirano, with hands under the man's head, gently sets him on the bed.

With a sigh, he retreats beside the owner to see the damage Shizuru has dealt to the man. When he returned from following the strange silhouette, he had only found Shizuru in the clutches of the attendant, and the man already knocked out to the ground, so he was not able to witness the Digma land a punch on the man; if Shizuru ever did at all.

"A few kicks landed. I am unsure if any have hit him in the face." The attendant breaks the momentary silence.

Mirano winces at the statement, his face contorting in pity. "I hope it will only leave a bruise and not a broken nose." he runs his fingers across his ebony hair and sighs. "Is it possible to ask for some first aid supplies?"

The attendant nods and makes his way to the door. "Better get that cloak out of the way. I will be right back." The door clicks shut behind him.

The lamp's flickering does little to help Mirano recognize the face underneath the cloak. Sure, he might have locked gazes with him a few moments ago, but even the shadows at that moment were unable to assist him in seeing more of it. Mirano crouches by the bedside, slowly reaching out to the man's hood. He gulps as he pulls it away, anticipating a grisly image of swelling and blood; likening it to the terrible bruises of overripe fruits or bug-ridden crops.

A gasp escapes his lips as his expectations did not manifest, however, the profile that greeted him is a marvel on its own as well: long soft locks, bearing the color of a young tree's bark and sunset, falls across the man's face. His complexion is pale, though Mirano can distinctly see that his is a different pale from the man's. The light from the lamp now traces across the man's sharp jawline and nose. He almost look as if he's glowing and has reminded Mirano of Rai's elegance under the sun rays of the Beda Rainforest.

The image of Rai has struck Mirano with a temporary bout of melancholy, so he busies himself with pulling the unconscious man's cloak off of his body. He fumbles with the large button holding the cloak across the man's shoulders for a while, but he successfully undoes it, his fingers running past the tiny hole his blade had made in the scuffle. Mirano purses his lips as his gaze lands on the cloth around his neck and thought about his own reaction to its--pray not it will happen-- destruction. Taking his mind off of the notion, he gently pulls the thick fabric and folds it away neatly.

Now with the man's cloak missing, it's easy for Mirano to mistake the man as any other common passerby. His pale green robe bears the commonality of someone living in a town such as Macer. Part of his robe is unbuttoned, giving Mirano a good view of the man's white undershirt, brown leather belt, and black slacks. He also notices a strange book within the multiple extra straps across the man's belt and Mirano flinches, thinking that it was Pan's journal. Tilting his head to the side however had revealed that it was a different one, with a faded, worn out leather cover and damaged spine. Mirano sighs as he settles on the floor across the bed.

Knocks sound across the wooden door and the attendant emerges with a rattan box woven with a big label on top of it. He hands it to Mirano and expresses his desires to wait for Shizuru's return. Mirano offers a small smile to him as the attendant informs him that the Panuluyan Owner will be at the building soon.

When the attendant disappears, Mirano stares at the label on top of the first aid box: "Fanelle co.," a recognition to its creators, as the custom with Digma towns. Opening the box, he is relieved to find some familiar items for treating wounds. However, glancing back to the man, it seems that there is not much too attend to. As Mirano busies himself in patching some of the visible bruises, his gaze eventually lands on the man's little book. Much like any of Pan's items, it has also piqued his interest. After all, the owner mentioned that a Usor Sorcerer must be involved in all of this. Mirano recalls in his numerous time joining Aiden in academic lectures that Usor Sorcerers often keep illustrations of their Circles with them, often having it bound on paper for easy access. Is this one of those he had heard before? Curious, Mirano attempts to unravel it from its strap.

It was only (partly) thanks to the man shifting from his slumber that Mirano was able to lean back a good distance, the pain from his leg returning-- this time stinging more due to shock. He slowly pulls his leg to a loose cross, exhaling loudly when the man didn't fully woke up. Mirano peers back to him, who is now on his side, with both hands tucked under the soft pillow, pouting softly that he was unable to get a good look at the strange book.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Mirano slumps back on the ground, crossing his arms. There is no point in simply thinking about the strange occurrences. To learn more of it, he will have to question someone expert at the topic. The unconscious Usor in front of him is the most obvious candidate, with his Sorcery and all, but as long as he remains unconscious, he cannot ask him. That leaves Shizuru, who Mirano considers more knowledgeable about CANDEMARO than him, but the idea has the Unknown Child pursing his lips, unsure if the Digma's current mood will be most optimal for an inquiry. Nevertheless, Shizuru's absence has Mirano worried and he slips back to the hallway to search for him.

Dragging an injured leg across the lobby and the other areas downstairs, Mirano did not have any luck in locating Shizuru. He must still be outside, Mirano thought, as he returns from the dining area with a defeated sigh. He scratches his head with a sour purse of his lips as he settles by the staircase leading to the upper rooms. The defiance must have been detrimental to Shizuru; though Mirano is still not understanding as to why. In the middle of his mulling, the wonderful aroma of Digma cuisine wafts from the dining area to the lobby, reaching Mirano. At the smell of what he thinks to be delicious meals, he thought of the Usor inside their shared room, figuring that an injured man might want to have a helping of something to eat in the event they regain consciousness.

With the idea, Mirano limps back towards the dining area, fills a soup bowl and breaks a hard loaf of bread in half. He keeps the bread under his arm and painstakingly drags his leg up the stairs, careful not to spill any soup in the process. As he looks up to the upper landing, he finds the man standing across him, as if his body has frozen in place at his arrival. He is not wearing his cloak, and Mirano has gotten a clear view of his shock-stricken expression behind his messy auburn locks.

"Ah, you're awake! That was a quick recovery," Mirano chirps with a grin as he gently raises the bowl on his hand. "I was about to return with some f--"

"I do not need it."

The air turns heavy in an instant.

"I do not need it; food or your pity." the man repeats, his fringes clouding his face with an ominous shadow. He continues down the stairs, head turned away from Mirano.

The statement, even when repeated, did not made any sense to Mirano. He attempts to look at the man, yet the other seem to avoid him, for he billowed his unworn cloak over his face.

"Wait a moment, please!" Mirano calls as the man passes him, ready to clear up any misunderstanding from earlier. It was difficult to immediately turn around to take the man's arm, given his current condition. Instead of another plea, a grunt escapes Mirano's throat as a sharp pain surges on his aching leg, followed by several gurgles of exclamation as he tries desperately to keep the soup bowl from falling out of his hand.

Everything is futile, though. Every bend he does only worsens the pain across his leg and ankle to the point that the last lean he did ultimately threw him out of balance. Mirano can feel himself falling off of the stairs and he shuts his eyes tightly, bracing himself from the impact on the wooden floor below. As his leg continues to throb, Mirano felt his head hit something, followed by someone else's yell. His misfortune must have brought inconvenience to another person.

Upon opening his eyes, however, he is greeted by the Usor's concerned expression looking down to him, the lamp hanging nearby has lent its glow to the man, giving him an almost ethereal image to Mirano. His face softens at the recollection, and before Mirano notices it, he is smiling up to the man with relief in his eyes.

"Thank you for catching me." Noticing that the man has caught the soup bowl awkwardly with one hand hanging above him, Mirano chuckles, pointing to it. "and that, too."

Planting his palms on the floor, Mirano slowly crawls out, sneering at how the small actions still sends aching spasms across his leg. He attempts to stand just as the man does, but even with both hands and knees on the ground, he cannot prop his foot.

"Did you... got hurt because of me?" the man's voice floats in the air; echoing in Mirano's ears.

He looks up to the man, still on all fours, then frowns. "How can you say that? We just met."

The man seems to be taken aback. "No, that's not what I meant. The predicament-- did you got hurt because of the journal thing?!"

Futile with his initial endeavor, Mirano crawls back to the bottom of the staircase, finally propping himself by the big wooden beam. He still has his frown on his face, as if insulted at the suggestion. "If you're talking about the mysterious silhouette going about the building, then yes, but part of this injury is due to my hasty actions!" He points a finger to the man. "Plus, we met each other outside. How will this be your fault?"

The man pinches the bridge of his nose in mild frustration. While the statement is technically true, the logic of it points to the fact that Mirano has no idea of who he is and what he is capable of. He peeks behind his fingers, staring at the finger pointing at him. There is something peculiar about the person in front of him. Rather than explaining his abilities to him and how it works, the man has come to the conclusion that showing it might be easier to do so.

He approaches Mirano and in the couple of strides he has done, he was able to unlatch the strange book from his belt. Mirano blinks at the recognition of the item as the man reaches out a palm to gently clasp the finger pointing at him, retracting the other's arm close to his chest as he leans forward.

"I think it's easier if I show it to you." he says, guiding Mirano's finger to the strange translucent radiating stone decorating the middle of his ebony choker.

Mirano has taken notice of the sensation and looks up to him. "Will that clear up your name?"

Though hesitant, the man purses his lips, flipping a couple of pages on his book. "Maybe,"

At that moment, Mirano has taken notice of Shizuru by the doorway.

----

To be Continued...