Kopii sat on the very edge of the bed in his shabby, small, and rather cramped little room at the orphanage, his fingers nervously tapping a rhythm on the rough wooden frame, producing an almost steady sound.
At first, he'd been surprised that they'd given him a room all to himself. But then he realized the other kids were a bit afraid of him. Still, he was glad — he didn't have to squeeze in with anyone else.
«Grace…»
It was the one thing that had been gnawing at him over the past few days; no matter what he did, his thoughts kept circling back to it.
«How do I get it?»
«How does it work?»
«Will I be able to?»
He needed to find a way to become stronger, or he'd end up facing the same fate he'd barely escaped in that alley.
Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, the door creaked open with its familiar sound, and Sir slipped into the room. Her ash‑blue hair was slightly disheveled, and she wore a sweet smile — but even so, a shiver ran down his spine.
He quickly turned his attention to the view from the window; her presence made him feel uncomfortable.
«What does she want?»
— You're not sleeping?
Kopii just shrugged, unable to tear his gaze away from the fading landscape outside.
— As you can see.
Sir stepped in, gently closing the door behind her, and sat down next to him on the bed.
«Too close.»
He thought, unconsciously glancing at her figure. No matter what feelings she stirred in him, he was still a teenager, and hormones were raging inside him.
And no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, she was just too beautiful.
— You seem so tense. Did something happen?
«You happened!»
— No! — he muttered, turning sharply to the side, trying to hide the blush creeping up his cheeks.
He could only hope she'd leave soon. No matter how pretty or kind she was, the sense of discomfort was growing.
Sir smiled softly, like a graceful cat, and lightly touched his shoulder. A wave of strange excitement ran through his whole body at her touch, and he involuntarily flinched from the gentle sensation.
«What's happening?!»
— Are you still thinking about what happened? — she asked quietly, her soft voice carrying undisguised curiosity, almost bottomless in its depth.
Kopii nodded, unable to force even a single word out. He felt her fingers press a little harder on his shoulder, and his heart began to pound wildly in his chest, beating in the rhythm of a raging storm.
— You can lean on me, — she whispered, leaning forward and speaking right into his ear. He felt her hot breath, and the surge of excitement only grew, while all his tension seemed to vanish as if it had never existed.
— I can help you. If you want, of course…
Kopii was disoriented; he didn't understand what had come over him, couldn't control himself, and Sir was starting to scare him more and more.
He began to realize that all he could think about was her — desire her, look only at her. But by the time he understood this, it was already too late: he'd completely given in to the feeling.
And when their eyes met, he lost himself entirely, leaning forward. But then, all of it just… disappeared.
Kopii shot to his feet as if awakening from a long and terrible nightmare. He didn't know what had come over him; he'd been completely bewitched by her.
— Did something happen? — she asked, sounding as innocent as possible.
— No! — he shouted.
Kopii stood by the window, his fingers gripping the windowsill in a death grip, as if trying to hold on to a reality that kept slipping away. Moonlight filtered through the murky glass, casting strange, living‑looking shadows on the floor, as if they were ready to grab him at any moment.
He didn't see her, but he felt her gaze sliding over his back. That look filled him with an inexplicable fear.
Sir was still sitting on the bed, watching his back with that steady gaze.
After a few minutes, the strange spell faded, and he no longer understood what had happened. Sir turned back into the cheerful, caring girl he knew, as if the whole scene had only played out in his head. As if nothing had happened, she wished him a good night and left.
Left alone with his thoughts, Kopii couldn't calm down for a long time. He paced the room, trying to make sense of what had occurred, to put the jumbled pieces of his mind in order. The feelings he'd experienced were new and frightening, like stepping into an unknown realm.
He walked over to the old, cloudy mirror hanging on the wall and stared at his reflection, which reminded him of who he used to be. Fear and confusion swam in his eyes. Kopii knew something had happened, but he had no idea what it was.
He decided to go to bed, postponing all the thinking until morning.
But as he drifted off to sleep, a single question echoed in his mind:
«Why am I so unlucky?»
He resolved to leave what had happened the previous night behind, convincing himself it had just been his imagination. After she left, he felt none of the emotions he'd felt earlier, as if a fog had settled over his memory.
To clear his thoughts, Kopii left his room and headed to the orphanage's library. When he'd first heard about the library, he'd doubted it. What kind of library could there be here? But when he discovered it was real, he was utterly stunned. Even his previous orphanage hadn't had a library, and this one did.
His shock quickly turned into a burning desire to learn more about the city and the gods. He wanted to use every piece of information the library offered to his advantage.
Kopii began flipping through books, pulling volumes off the shelves at random. He searched for anything about the city, its history, its heroes.
More precisely, he wanted to know where to start on his path to gaining a god's Grace. Over the past days, he'd realized he needed to be ready for anything.
After several hours of reading, Kopii felt tired — but also a little clearer in the head.
Closing the last book, he returned to his room.
He lay down on the bed, closed his eyes, and tried to fall asleep. Thoughts of Grace swirled in his mind. Although he feared the changes it might bring, he was also filled with excitement and anticipation.
— Grace, wait for me!
When morning came, Kopii woke up feeling renewed, as if kissed by a spring breeze. A night's sleep had helped him calm down and gather his thoughts. He got up, did some exercises, and, filled with energy, headed to the dining hall. The breakfast was modest, but Kopii didn't complain. He wasn't foolish enough to insult free food.
After breakfast, Kopii went back to the library. He'd decided to continue his research and find more concrete information about Oraria, which had stirred his imagination. He knew time wouldn't wait; if he wanted to grow stronger, he had to act quickly and not waste a single precious minute. He spent several hours immersed in the library's books.
Suddenly, the library door opened, and Sir walked in, once again disrupting his peace. She gave him a sly smile, as if there had never been any awkwardness, and stepped closer.
— What are you doing here? — she asked, as if everything in the world interested her.
Kopii flinched at the sound of her voice. The feelings he'd had the night before seemed to have vanished, but the tension only grew.
— What else would I be doing in a library?
Sir smirked, a hint of intrigue flickering in her eyes.
— Right, Kopii. So, what books are you reading?
— It doesn't matter what I'm reading. Are you here to read too?
— Maybe, — Sir replied, leaning against the table and watching him intently.
Kopii felt a little flustered under her steady gaze.
Sir smiled, but something strange flashed in her eyes again, making him feel uneasy once more.
— If you need help, you know where to find me. Bye.
With a final wave, she left the library.
The moment she was gone, Kopii's body relaxed immediately. He hadn't even realized how tense he'd become. Unconsciously, his thoughts drifted back to the previous night, but he quickly pushed the memory away.
Then he dove back into his reading.