Gilded Ashes-Chapter 271: Ten Minutes

Enya stepped fully into the room like she actually owned it.

Rain dripped from her little raincoat onto the wooden floor in big drops. She didn’t even wipe her boots. She just looked around with that same bright, mischievous face, like the whole situation amused her.

Saffi stood by the door, still half-frozen in confusion. Kenzo stayed at the table, watching Enya the way you watched a strange animal that might bite.

Raizen sat there with his sore nose and tired eyes and tried to remind himself that this was real.

Enya’s gaze landed on him again. Her grin sharpened.

"Good" she said. "You’re home."

Saffi blinked. "Excuse me?"

Enya reached up and tugged at the front of her coat.

Raizen expected... More raindrops? A scarf? Maybe a pouch with seeds, like usual. He didn’t even know what he was expecting.

Instead, the coat fell open and revealed metal.

Not a little bit of metal.

A ridiculous amount of metal.

A full set of armor sat under that tiny coat, layered plate over layered plate, dark and sharp-edged like someone designed it purely to look menacing. The chest piece had ridges. The shoulders were flared. The gauntlets looked too heavy for her delicate arms. The whole thing covered almost everything except her head, and it made her look like a small war statue that got bored and wandered inside.

For half a second, Raizen’s brain just... Stopped.

Then his mouth started twitching, because the situation and armor were too funny for the moment. Seeing that his control was slipping, he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing out loud.

Saffi stared like she forgot how to blink.

Kenzo’s eyebrows climbed slowly, like they had their own opinions.

Enya straightened, clearly proud of the effect. The armor made a quiet clink when she moved, like it should’ve weighed more than she did.

"Isn’t it nice?" Enya asked, totally serious.

Saffi finally found her voice. "Why are you wearing that?"

"Because I’m not stupid" Enya replied, like that was the most obvious thing in the universe.

Kenzo leaned back in his chair, still watching her. "Hey, kid. Tell us, why are you here?"

Enya turned her head slightly, studying him. She didn’t look intimidated. She looked curious, like she tried to decide what kind of adult he was, and especially if he was worth playing around with.

"I’m here for him." she said again, then pointed her chin at Raizen.

Saffi’s head snapped toward Raizen.

Kenzo’s gaze followed.

Raizen felt both sets of eyes settle on him like weights.

He sighed, already regretting every decision that led to today.

"Okay" Raizen said, rubbing his temple. "Before anyone starts throwing furniture towards me - she’s a student at the Academy."

Saffi’s stare got sharper. "A student."

Kenzo’s mouth twitched, skeptical, as if he didn’t know if that was worse. "A student. In a full suit of hardened steel armor."

Enya lifted her hands a little, palms up, like she presented herself at an auction. The gauntlets made a soft metallic sound.

Raizen cleared his throat. "Her name’s Enya."

Saffi looked between Raizen and Enya. "Why is a student at our home?"

"Good question" Kenzo added, voice low. "Why is a student at our home."

Enya opened her mouth like she was about to say something delightful. Or awful.

Raizen cut in before she could. "Good question! Enya, why don’t you tell us just that, huh?"

Enya’s grin returned, illegal in how cheerful it was.

"Urgent matter" she announced.

She said it with the tone of someone reading a royal decree, then immediately ruined the drama by bouncing on her metal heels slightly, with a clinking sound.

Saffi’s eyes narrowed. "Urgent?"

Enya nodded. "Yep! Nyxes."

The room changed. Just slightly. Not because anyone panicked, but because that word always did something to the air.

Raizen’s fingers stopped tapping.

Kenzo’s posture shifted forward.

Even Saffi’s expression changed.

Enya leaned in a little, like she enjoyed having everyone’s attention.

"A bunch of Nyxes appeared" she said, almost thrilled. "South-eastern side of Ukai. On the ground. Not just one or two."

Raizen’s tiredness tried to fight it off. His body wanted to stay in the chair. His brain wanted to pretend he misheard.

But he didn’t.

He exhaled slowly. "South-east... As in near the lower terraces? The ones at the base of the big tree?"

Enya nodded hard. "Yep. That’s the one"

Kenzo frowned. "How do you know?"

Enya shrugged inside her armor, and the plates shifted like a quiet threat. "People talk."

Saffi stared at Enya’s suit again, then at Raizen. "Why are you even telling us?"

Enya turned to Raizen like Saffi wasn’t relevant to the question.

"Weeellll..... Because Mina said I can take part in the Nyx hunts" Enya said, still too happy about it. "Aaaandd... She also said you’d take responsibility over me."

Raizen’s jaw tightened. He remembered that conversation in the greenhouse. The way he tried to make a dangerous situation less dangerous by turning it into a promise.

He also remembered the part where Enya looked excited, not scared, when she asked to join the hunts.

Raizen rubbed his face. "Enya... You’re not supposed to sound this happy."

"I’m not happy. I’m focused." Enya blinked innocently. "Alright, maybe a bit excited..."

Saffi’s voice softened, but the concern stayed. "And... Where is miss Mina?"

Enya waved a gauntleted hand. "Busy, being a professor, being dramatic... I’ve got no idea."

Saffi looked like she wanted to ask a dozen more questions.

Raizen cut through it. "And... You want me to come with you."

Enya nodded. "Yes."

Raizen stared. "Right now."

Enya nodded again, even faster. "Yes."

Kenzo leaned forward. "And why exactly do you need him? There are other Ukaian Nyx hunters."

Enya tilted her head, thinking, then smiled. "Because he’s strong."

Raizen coughed once, like the compliment physically offended him. "Pardon? I’m so tired, you should thank me I didn’t fall asleep mid-conversation"

Enya’s expression didn’t change. "Still strong."

Saffi looked at Raizen, then at Enya’s armor, then back at Raizen. "This is insane."

"It is" Kenzo agreed, deadpan.

Enya glanced at both of them. "You’re welcome."

Raizen’s eyes narrowed. "Before anything else. How did you find out where I was living?"

Enya’s grin widened in a way that told him he wouldn’t like the answer.

"I... Uh... Mmm... I don’t want to tell you!" Enya said brightly.

Raizen stared. "Enya," he warned.

She raised both hands like she surrendered. "It’s not important. I found you, that’s the important part."

Kenzo’s eyes narrowed further. He didn’t like that at all.

Saffi’s mouth opened. Raizen stepped in before she could start interrogating a thirteen-year-old like she was a spy.

"Alright" Raizen said, forcing calm into his voice. "Where are the Nyxes, exactly."

Enya pointed vaguely, like direction didn’t matter to her. "Down and out. South-east. I already told you. There are people gathering already. Ukai’s hunters, guards, some students..."

"Students!?" Saffi repeated, horrified.

Enya nodded, proud. "Yes. Some of us are really cool." Then she turned back to Raizen and spoke like she already decided the rest of the night.

"You have ten minutes" she said.

Raizen blinked. "Ten minutes?"

Enya nodded once, sharp. "Gear up. Do whatever you wanna do. Put on your dramatic coat. Drink water. Cry. I don’t care."

Saffi’s eyes widened. "Hey -"

Enya didn’t even look at her. She already stepped toward the door.

Raizen leaned forward. "Enya, wait. We should talk about this. You can’t just show up in full armor and give me a time limit to go fight off Nyxes!"

Enya paused at the doorway and looked back over her shoulder, rain air swirling in behind her.

"Oh, but I can" she said simply.

"I just did."