Eris stepped forward and spread her arms, shielding the small child behind her. Her back pressed against the trembling body.

The kid’s fingers twisted desperately into the hem of her coat, pulling the fabric tight against her waist. Warm tears soaked through the cloth onto her skin as the child’s breath came fast and shaky against her lower back.

The three men chasing the kid halted a few paces away. Their heavy boots scraped against the dusty street.

"Hey!" one of them shouted. "The fuck are you doing? Release him right now."

Eris clenched her fists at her sides. The child’s small hands still locked onto her shirt, trembling.

"You really think I’ll release a child into the hands of armed men?" she said. Her voice steady even as tension ran through her arms. "He’s a kid. Tell me what he stole from you. I’ll pay."

The biggest man, hefty with a crooked smile, stepped forward until he stood directly in front of her. His breath carried the sharp stink of alcohol.

He spat on the ground near her feet. "Twenty thousand coins. Pay up."

Eris felt her stomach drop. "The hell? That price is—"

"He stole food worth twenty thousand coins," the man growled, leaning in closer. "And if you’re not ready to pay up right now, then hand the fucking boy over! I’ll sell the little shit myself and make my money back."

The hefty man lunged forward. His thick fingers reached past her, grabbing for the child’s arm.

"Ah!" The kid yelped, a high, terrified sound, and latched onto Eris even tighter. "Please! Save me! They killed my brother—I don’t want to die!"

The child’s cries grew louder. He thrashed against the man’s grip, snot and tears streaking his dirty face.

His small hands twisted desperately in Eris’s coat. "Please... please don’t let them take me!"

Eris stood frozen. Her heart pounded hard against her ribs. She didn’t have that kind of money. Not even close.

But the child’s desperate grip on her coat, the way his whole body trembled against her back, made something twist tight in her chest.

She couldn’t just let go. Not after hearing those words.

The hefty man yanked harder on the child’s arm and he screamed again.

’What should I do? What am I supposed to do?’ Eris clenched her jaw. Her leg tapped rapidly against the ground.

She bit down on her lower lip until she tasted blood. ’I... I don’t want to feel any more guilt.’ Her eyes squeezed shut for a second as she made a drastic decision.

"Wait!" she called out. Her voice came out sharper than she intended. "I’ll pay."

Quickly, she opened her system panel. The numbers flashed in front of her.

[You have 22,100 coins]

Her life savings. No— hers and Nyx’s life savings.

Almost everything she had left. Her hand hovered for a moment. Then she transferred the amount to them.

The hefty man checked his own panel. His crooked smile widened.

Releasing the child’s arm, he took a step back.

"Smart choice." Signalling at the other two, the man ordered. "Let’s go, boys. There’s other business to attend to."

Then, they turned and disappeared into the crowd without another word.

The street noise rushed back in. Eris stood there, breathing hard.

Looking down, the child still clung to the back of her coat. Small, warm hands. Trembling fingers.

Then the kid hugged her tightly around the waist, face pressed into her stomach. Warm tears soaked through her shirt. "Thank you... thank you..." The voice was muffled but full of relief.

Eris smiled at the small figure. For the first time in weeks, something warm spread through her chest.

It reminded her of Nyx. The way her best friend used to hold onto her after a hard day. She lifted one hand and rested it lightly on the child’s messy hair. "It’s okay. Everything’s fine."

She stopped tapping her leg, holding the kid’s fingers.

But then, the warmth in her chest faded.

She looked at her now empty cash slot. Then back at the kid’s grin.

She had just spent almost all her remaining coins.

On a child she didn’t even know.

Groaning softly, she muttered, "Scrap that. I’m fucked. I just bought a kid."

The child pulled back slightly and looked up at her. A big, toothy grin spread across the dirty face.

The smile was bright despite the tears still drying on the cheeks.

Eris stared for a moment. "What’s your name?"

The kid’s grin widened. "My name’s Gamyeon!"

Eris blinked. The name sounded strange, almost eerie. Who would name their child something like "Mask"? She forced a small smile anyway. "That’s a cool name... Gamyeon..."

She looked down at the small hand still holding hers. "Where are your parents, Gamyeon?"

The child tilted his head. His brows drew together, eyes looking genuinely puzzled, as if the question itself made no sense. "What are... parents?"

—

Eris stood in the doorway for a long moment before stepping inside a large room. The room carried the familiar scent of faint incense.

There, she saw Sari, sitting shirtless on a low wooden chair, eyes fixed on the go board spread before him.

His bare back showed clear lines of muscles as he leaned forward, studying the stones in silence. Light from a small, barred window stripped his shoulders.

Shuffling one foot to the other, Eris gulped. ’What am I gonna tell him now? Not only did I fail the mission, I also brought in a kid—without his consent!’

Gamyeon remained hidden behind her. His small fingers still gripping the hem of her coat as warm breath brushed against her lower back.

"You brought a child with you," Sari said without looking up. His fingers hovered over a black stone, then placed it down with a soft click. "How unexpected. I didn’t know children are replacements for flowers."

Eris clenched her fists at her sides. The kid’s grip tightened on her coat. "I couldn’t just watch—" Her voice cracked halfway through. "—Grown men trying to traffic a kid... So I helped." She swallowed hard, lowering her gaze. "I didn’t want to be a coward anymore."

"Hmm..." Sari hummed. The low sound vibrated through the quiet room and sent a faint tremor down her spine.

A few seconds passed. Only the soft click of another stone being placed on the board broke the silence.

Eris watched his fingers move across the board. The pressure in her chest grew heavier with every passing moment.

When she couldn’t take the pressing silence anymore, she spilled the thoughts bothering her. "I apologize! I couldn’t find the Crying Flower no matter how hard I tried. No one knew where it was. Some even ignored me completely. I had searched for hours and hours till my skin start to itch and I— I didn’t want to return home empty handed—"

"It’s alright." Sari lifted his head and looked at her directly. "I made it all up."

Eris blinked. "Wh—what?"

"The plant doesn’t exist." He placed one last stone on the board with a quiet click.

"You wouldn’t leave your room. You wouldn’t eat. I figured you needed something to force you back into the world." His gaze shifted to the small figure behind her. "And look—you found one."

Eris stood frozen, mouth slightly open.

It all made sense to her now. All of it — the long search, the questions, the exhaustion under the sun — had been for nothing. A made-up task to pull her out of bed. No wonder no one knew what she was talking about.

Slowly, Faction leader Sari rose from the chair, revealing the full height difference between them.

He stood nearly a head taller, broad shoulders casting a shadow over her as he stepped closer.

His gaze settled on her face with clear intent. "Your new stimulus unfortunately caught the Ymir plague. In a few days, he’ll die."

Her breath caught sharply in her throat. Fingers tightened around the edge of her coat.

A cold weight dropped deep in her chest. Her mind raced.

The trembling, the way the child had felt so unnaturally warm. It all clicked into place at once.

"W-what?" Her voice came out small. "No wonder he’s feverish. Can you do anything about it, Sari sir?"

Sari shook his head. "No. But you can."

He walked past her, picked up a white shirt hanging on a hook by the door, and pulled it over his head. The fabric draped across his shoulders.

"I’m dispatching girls to different factions in search of the cure. If you want him to live... you’ll make yourself useful now and join them."

He glanced back at her. "But if you don’t care enough, then you’re dismissed."

Eris stood still. Part of her wanted to retreat back to her room, to curl up again and disappear.

The other part refused. She didn’t want to make another excuse. She didn’t want to keep being a coward.

"I’ll go," she accepted.

Nodding, Sari assigned her a new mission.

But before she turned to leave, he spoke again. "You’re immune to the plague, aren’t you? Take the kid with you. I wouldn’t want any of the district members to catch the disease."

Turning, she reached back and took the child’s small, warm hand. The fingers curled tightly around hers.

Eris bowed her head to Sari.

The little kid—Gamyeon, watched her for a second, then mimicked the bow with clumsy seriousness, bending at the waist.

"Thank you, Bulgasari sir." Tears dripped to the floor. "For being so patient with me."

Gamyeon’s small voice joined hers too. "Thank you...sir."

"Mhm." Sari watched them both for a moment before turning back to his board.

Eris straightened, still holding the child’s hand, and walked out of the room.

For the first time in weeks, the weight in her chest felt a little lighter.