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LOCATION: CROWN CITY, CENTRAL REGION OF SILVERIA EMPIRE
09TH SOLARIS STREET – ADVENTURERS GUILD
The Adventurers Guild pulsed with life, a tangled orchestra of voices clashing over tankards of ale, the scrape of armored boots against stone, and the steady rhythm of mission slips being torn from the board. It was loud, chaotic, warm—everything one would expect from the largest guild branch in the Silveria Empire.
But the noise shifted abruptly.
A ripple of whispered gossip spread from table to table, crawling like static through the air. At the edge of the mission board, three steps away from the source of the rumors, Ryan Wayne paused mid‑thought.
He frowned.
Who were they talking about?
He glanced around, expecting to find some drunken fool causing a disturbance—but instead found dozens of adventurers all staring… in his direction.
Or so he thought.
A beat later, he realized the truth—they weren't looking at him.
They were looking past him.
Curiosity prickled. He followed their collective gaze and found himself staring at the very woman everyone seemed to fear mentioning aloud.
A black hooded cloak draped down to her knees.
Crimson linings traced the fabric's edges.
A veil concealed the lower half of her face.
Long, crimson hair fell in soft curls from beneath the hood.
She stood there silently, sifting through mission notices as if the entire guild hadn't just shut up the moment she moved.
Ryan blinked.
Hmmm… she looks pretty average to me. Why is everyone acting like she's royalty?
That was his initial impression—though he would soon regret thinking it.
He had always been a curious individual. His personality alone had earned him countless scoldings back home. The kind of scolding that came with heavy sighs and "Ryan, why—why did you think climbing the city wall was a good idea?"
Yet he never learned. Curiosity was stitched into his bones.
Well, I can't help it. Curiosity is my only real companion—and the reason I always end up in the worst situations imaginable.
He let out a low chuckle at his own misfortune.
Before he could stop himself, his mouth moved.
"Hello, Lady. Looking for some job, are we?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried. It always did. So, when he spoke, the background noise dimmed as if the guild collectively drew breath.
A few adventurers at the nearby tables froze mid‑swallow. Someone dropped a spoon. Another audibly sucked in a gasp.
Ryan didn't notice any of that.
He was too busy waiting for the woman's reaction.
The black‑hooded woman shifted just enough to glance at him from the corner of her eye. That was the first time he saw them—her eyes.
One a deep, sharp crimson.
The other a muted, mysterious lilac.
They gleamed like rare jewels beneath the hood.
Then—
she looked away.
As if deciding he wasn't worth more than half a second of her time.
Troublesome… she thought, already returning to the mission board.
Ryan blinked.
"Oh."
Just one word. One sound. But inside, his pride crumbled slightly. Not enough to wound him deeply, but enough to make him stare into the void for a moment.
He cleared his throat and tried again.
But curiosity overpowered embarrassment.
Up close, he noticed more details.
Aside from her mismatched eyes, her hair was a striking crimson, long and smooth but loosely tied so strands curled at the sides of her veil. She wore no ornamentation—no jewelry, no fancy decorations—yet she stood out more than anyone else in the guild.
Those eyes… where did I hear about eyes like that before?
He squinted as if trying to summon a half‑forgotten memory. The story eluded him.
He leaned in slightly for a better look.
That was when she spoke.
"Done checking me out?"
Ryan choked on his own breath.
He stumbled a step back, hands flailing in front of him. "Ah! I—I didn't mean to stare, Lady! Truly! I'm new here! I'm not— I mean— I just arrived yesterday, and since there's an Adventurers Guild here in Crown City, I thought I'd look for some missions and— I'm not trying to be rude, I swear!"
The words spilled out too quickly, as if he feared she might crush him for disrespect.
She didn't even look at him.
Silence.
Complete, unbroken silence.
His ears burned. He scratched his cheek and forced a laugh that came out more strained than he'd hoped.
This is the first time a woman has completely ignored me. Is my face really that unbearable?
Meanwhile… the guild watched him.
Every. Single. Person.
It was like the entire building had turned into an audience and he had unknowingly stepped into the center of the stage.
He finally noticed.
His movements froze. Slowly—painfully slowly—he turned, and found dozens of adventurers staring.
Some with dropped jaws.
Some with pity.
Some with amusement barely hidden.
He swallowed.
Why are they looking at me like I'm about to be executed?
He didn't understand.
He tried to brush off the tension, lifting a hand weakly as if to wave away the atmosphere.
Then he made the greatest mistake of his day.
He turned back to the woman—still ignoring him—and decided to try again.
"Pardon for my rudeness," he said, putting a hand over his heart the way he was taught. "I haven't introduced myself yet. And I approached you without basic courtesy."
He inhaled deeply, trying to regain some grace after the embarrassment.
"My name is RYAN WAYNE," he declared.
The guild reacted immediately.
Someone gasped.
Someone muttered, "He's brave…"
Another said, "Or stupid."
A third whispered, "He's really doing it…"
Ryan jolted in place.
Wh-why did the atmosphere get heavier?!
Still—no reaction from the woman.
She did not acknowledge his name.
She did not respond.
She did not look.
It was almost impressive how thoroughly she ignored his existence.
Ryan stood there awkwardly, his confidence draining by the second.
"I haven't made friends with anyone here yet," he continued, voice softening as embarrassment crept in. "I know I might be overstepping but… would it be alright for me to tag along with you, Lady?"
Silence.
A painfully long silence.
Somewhere in the back, an adventurer whispered:
"He's doomed."
Another murmured:
"I admire his courage… but dear gods."
Someone else added:
"Ah… youth."
Ryan's shoulders tensed.
He stared at the woman—still picking through mission slips—and realized he had just dug a hole deep enough to bury himself in.
Heat crawled up his neck. His fingers clenched and unclenched.
He turned slowly, attempting to salvage what was left of his dignity—
—only to find several adventurers staring at him with pity, amusement, or the kind of expression one reserved for a man walking willingly toward his own funeral.
He tried to laugh but it came out brittle.
Why is this happening to me…? I just arrived yesterday…
But embarrassment aside…
He couldn't deny it.
That woman—
that hooded mystery—
had caught his curiosity more than anything else in the empire.
And whether she liked it or not…
Ryan Wayne had officially introduced himself.
And locked his path into hers.
Even if she hadn't spoken a single word back.
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