One by one, the droplets started dripping down, the dirt slowly raised with then the clouds drummed with flash of lightening.
The rain picked up and turned into storm...
With not just sky shaking up but the mind of the one who stood before Vael too.
Vael jumped and then took a leap back, he rested Violet on the corner under the small cover where the rain was trying to touch too.
Vael looked at her face, his eyes half closed he uttered...
"Why can't I just protect anyone?"
***
Vael PoV
Her cheeks were covered in dust and grime and another side there red mark, her wrist and ankle had swollen up, they probably stepped on them.
She held her side while taking long breaths, she slightly opened her eyes and looked at me with a smile.
"I am sorry, because of me—"
"Don't—" I said, what should I say to her? Why is she apologizing?
I am the one who abandoned her—
"Just rest for now and leave them to me—"
***
The storm raged and a thunder made Violet's close her eyes and when she opened them Vael vanished, what remained was the circle of waves where Vael stood, slowly widening...
The men started running in alley after seeing two of them dismantled infront of them.
"It's a fucking Beastkin! The rain would make it difficult to track us let's spread apart, we'll meet again in guild!" They moved like rats.
The tall man ran and subtle sound of foot moving against water filled cobblestones followed him.
He didn't look behind and that was his mistake...
The drumming of clouds made him look above and he saw a dark silhouette with grey eyes staring at him... He just stared at him with his claws out and then cloud drummed again...
No hesitation, no restraint.
He appeared in front of him with a punch digging into his guts... Into his muscle and bone, tearing through him with brutal precision.
Then another punch crushed the leader's jaw; blood sprayed the wall.
The man rolled on the ground with his eyes rolled up and then another flash of thunder...
The other two men bumped into each other because of rain making their eyes smaller than it was, but even they were close Vael was closer...
"He's here! Stop him!" The man said to another— the man cried to the one in front of him...
"Why don't you—" before the other one could finish, the man was pulled by his feet and then his face got smashed against the pathways.
The water around the feet turned to red with teeth flowing down the drain.
"You fucker!—"
Another man tried to stab him—
Vael caught the wrist and twisted until it snapped.
The scream barely started before his boot hit the man's chest, sending him sprawling into the puddles.
In just a few moments the chaos that was ensued ended before the cloud could pass.
Violet watched through blurred eyes.
And then slowly slipped into sleep, maybe to gather strength again.
Every sound was distant—the crack of ribs, the wet thud of bodies hitting stone, the ragged wheeze of men who didn't understand what they'd provoked.
Vael didn't kill them. But mercy was far away.
He was fighting himself to make sure rage doesn't consume his sanity.
The rain washed the blood on his claws and the few drops that splattered on his face.
He lifted his face looking at sky and then closed his eyes,
The blood was burning just few moments ago was getting slowly cooled under the shower.
He then slowly walked towards Violet and saw her chest rising and going down, the pain was still clear on her face...
But the sound of her steps woke her up.
Her lips twitched into something close to a smile. "Thank you for coming back."
His expression faltered. "But I left you alone."
Her voice cracked. "And you came back."
He knelt beside her. The rain had matted her hair, the bruise on her cheek darkening by the minute. He brushed her hair aside, almost careful. "I'm sorry."
She shook her head. "Don't be. I am sorry for being such a handful of a friend."
"Friend?" He looked at her with his eyes asking for answer...
"Friend? Right before this who were we each other? Just strangers... But now I have bond..."
"Sorry, if you don't want to be my friend its okay, I guess I got over my head—"
"No, i don't want to be your friend... But I want to start from somewhere... So let's start with friends!"
He smiled...
And Violet smiled back... "I don't what you are talking about but thank you you for being my friend..." She mumbled...
And it did more damage to Vael than those men ever could...
Vael's claws retracted, and for the first time that night, the silence felt heavier than the storm.
He wiped the rain from his eyes, breath unsteady, staring at the bodies half-submerged in muddy water.
The blood washed away too easily.
The guilt didn't.
He turned back to her.
Violet was still trembling, her breathing uneven. Her eyes fluttered open once, just enough to meet his gaze, before slipping shut again.
He clenched his jaw. "You need help."
Carefully, he lifted her again—one arm beneath her knees, another behind her back. She was cold. Lighter than she should've been. Her head fell against his chest.
The city didn't sleep. It whispered. The alleys turned darker as he moved through them, guided only by memory and faint, dying lanterns.
After a while, he found the door he was looking for—a crooked wooden sign that read Kerran's Apothecary. The scent of herbs and alcohol leaked through the cracks.
Vael kicked the door twice.
A voice rasped from inside, "We're closed!"
"It's me," Vael said.
The lock clicked. A hunched man with cloudy eyes opened the door. "You again... gods, boy, what did you drag in this time?"
"Just fix her," Vael said.
Kerran's gaze softened when he saw Violet. "She's half-frozen. Put her down."
Vael did. The old man worked fast—hands steady despite the years. He cleaned the wounds, wrapped bandages tight around her ribs, pressed salve onto her wrists and ankle. Violet stirred once, whispering something incoherent.
"Keep her warm," Kerran muttered. "She'll wake soon. Mana exhaustion, nothing fatal."
Vael nodded, silent. He placed a few silver coins on the counter—too many, maybe—and turned to leave.
"She means something to you," the apothecary said.
Vael stopped at the door. "She shouldn't."
And then he was gone, back into the storm.
---
He found a small inn at the edge of the district—barely standing, walls damp, a cracked sign swinging in the wind. The innkeeper didn't ask questions when he saw the blood. Just handed him a key and pointed upstairs.
The room was small. Wooden floor. One narrow bed. A single candle flickering.
He laid her there gently.
For a moment, he watched her—how her fingers twitched even in sleep, how her breath steadied little by little.
He sat beside the bed, elbows on his knees, staring at the candlelight dance against his wet hands. His claws had retracted, but the memory of their weight lingered.
The storm outside was softening, the thunder distant now.
Vael closed his eyes and let his shoulders sink.
I can't protect everyone.
The thought came again, sharp as glass.
He turned his head toward Violet—sleeping, bruised, alive.
His chest tightened.
But I can protect her.
For tonight, at least.
He leaned back against the wall, exhaustion crawling through his bones. The candle dimmed. His eyes grew heavy.
When sleep finally came, it wasn't peaceful.
But it carried something close to resolve.
And somewhere beyond the walls, the storm moved north—
leaving behind only the quiet promise of another dawn.