The workday was coming to an end. Sai wiped down the counter, checked the last orders. The shop was almost empty. Rudd—the shop owner—was sprawled on a chair, muttering, as usual, about the old days.
"You know, kid," he said, "when I was your age, I didn't think I'd end up selling junk. Thought I'd become a soldier, a mage, anything. And now here I sit, selling people things they don't need."
Sai just nodded. He was used to this. Rudd loved to talk.
But today, the old man seemed a bit cheerier than usual.
"By the way," he added, nodding at the revolver in Sai's holster. "You really took that old piece of iron? Seriously? Nobody wanted anything to do with it for two years. They said it was either cursed or cracked inside."
"Just… liked it," Sai replied.
"Liked it, he says," Rudd smirked. "Do you even know how many times they tried to sell it? Seventeen. Seventeen! And everyone returned it. Said they heard knocking in their dreams, like someone was breathing nearby."
"Well, I haven't heard anything like that." Sai shrugged.
"Haven't heard it yet," Rudd muttered and laughed. "Just kidding, kidding. Alright, you're a decent kid. Maybe you'll just get lucky."
Then the usual evening routine resumed—cleaning up, counting the till, closing.
The last customer was a girl. Young, in a hood, with tired eyes and a quiet voice. She bought some small items: a piece of enchanted stone, a bag of dried herbs, and a cheap pendant with a protection symbol. Paid, nodded, and left.
"That's it, the last one." Rudd stood up. "We're closing, kid."
Sai helped him lower the shutters and put away the last boxes.
"Alright, you can go," said Rudd, putting on his cloak. "Just be careful on the way back. Don't forget, you have curfew."
"Yeah, I know," Sai replied, checking the clock. "Still have half an hour."
He was about to leave when he noticed something on the floor by the door.
That very pendant. Small, silver, with a crack on the edge.
"Did she drop it?" Sai muttered and picked it up.
He was just going to catch up and return it, but at that moment, a scream came from outside. A woman's, muffled, choked.
Sai burst out onto the street.
In the alley, lit only by a dim streetlamp, two guys had a girl pinned against the wall. The same customer. One held her arms, the other was already tearing at her cloak.
Sai didn't even think. He just moved forward.
"Hey!" he shouted.
They turned. One of them snorted.
"Who the hell are you? Get lost, kid, while you're still in one piece."
"Let her go," Sai said quietly.
"Hear that?" the second one grinned. "We got ourselves a hero. Come on, hero, show us what you've got."
The first move was reflexive. A punch. The second—a block. Sai dodged, grabbed the nearest trash bin, slammed it into one guy's legs. He yelled. The second one lunged forward but got hit in the temple with the revolver's grip. The metal clanged, and he slumped to the ground.
The girl broke free but stood there, trembling.
"Run," said Sai.
"What about you?"
"Faster."
She nodded and ran off.
Sai looked at the two bodies on the ground. Breathing. So, alive. Thank goodness.
He dusted off his hands, checked the clock. Twenty minutes until curfew.
"Great," he exhaled. "Just what I needed."
He went back to the shop to leave the pendant, but Rudd was already gone, the door locked. He had to shove the pendant into his pocket. Then he headed towards the Academy at a brisk pace.
As the gates came into view, he stopped for a second.
His heart was pounding. From the adrenaline, the fear, a strange feeling like someone was watching from the darkness. He pulled out the revolver. The metal was cold, but… it seemed to breathe.
"What kind of thing are you?.." he muttered.
No answer came, of course.
He hid the weapon, looked back at the road, and walked on.
When he reached the gates, the clock showed exactly three minutes to curfew.
He'd barely made it.
---
Sai, finally reaching the dormitory, opened the door to his room. Lars was already sitting on his bed, lounging slightly, reading a book. The room was quiet, only the ticking of an old wall chronometer.
"So, what's up?" Lars asked, putting the book down. "Were you late?"
"Almost," Sai replied, tossing his backpack onto the floor. "Made it just in time. But it was… weird."
"Weird?" Lars raised an eyebrow. "What happened? Someone attack you at the Academy?"
Sai dropped into the chair by the desk and took out the revolver, placing it in front of him. Lars couldn't resist:
"Hey, is that the one nobody wanted for two years? Did you use it?"
"Yeah," Sai answered shortly. "Just… nothing special happened. But during work… I had to step in. Some guys were trying to…" he hesitated. "…a girl. And I… saved her."
Lars clenched his fists.
"What? Damn, Sai! You got into a fight? And? Is she okay?"
"She's fine." Sai nodded. "But there wasn't much time left, curfew was almost on us, had to run back."
Lars smirked and clapped him on the shoulder:
"Cool. Well, at least I see the revolver came in handy for real. Glad no one got hurt."
"I suppose," Sai replied with a slight smile, "but it still feels strange with it… like it has a life of its own."
"Ha!" Lars laughed. "That doesn't surprise me. I've been telling you, you pick up things better left alone."
"Just keeping it for emergencies," said Sai, leaning his head on his hand. "I just liked it."
"Alright," Lars shrugged. "The main thing is you have the strength to get back to studying tomorrow. I don't want to see you late after your heroic deeds."
Sai laughed, but his gaze fell on the revolver again. He placed his hand on the cold metal and mentally noted that for now, this weapon wasn't just a piece of iron, but something more.
"Tomorrow I'll check it again," he said, almost to himself. "Let's see what kind of thing it is."
"Hey, well, be careful," Lars joked, "don't turn into a mad monster hunter at the Academy. We only have training here for now."
"Got it," Sai replied, leaning back in his chair. "But… something tells me this is only the beginning."
They both sat in silence for a few more minutes, listening to the quiet noise outside and the ticking clock. The atmosphere was strangely calm after the hectic evening. Sai opened his backpack, checked his textbooks, and then put his hand on the revolver again, as if feeling an invisible connection to it.
"Well, that's it," said Lars, getting up from the bed. "Tomorrow it's morning again, training, studies… Don't let yourself slack off."
"Won't slack off," Sai replied, closing his eyes for a second. "But today, I can finally exhale."