Cold air rushed past her face.
For a split second, everything was silent — then gravity took hold.
Iris fell from the dark sky, her body dropping fast between tall shadowed buildings. The teleport had thrown her too high this time.
"…Tch."
She lifted one hand calmly.
Ice spread instantly from her palm, forming thin crystalline layers beneath her feet. The moment she hit, the ice shattered in stages — cracking, breaking, absorbing the force.
CRK—SHH—
She landed in a crouch.
A narrow alley. Empty. Dark. Hidden from the main streets.
Good. No witnesses.
Iris stood up slowly, brushing faint frost from her sleeve. Her cold blue eyes scanned the surroundings while she walked forward — quiet steps, alert, controlled.
The alley smelled damp. Old walls. Trash. Silence.
Then—
Footsteps.
Not hers.
Figures emerged from the deeper shadows ahead.
Three men. Rough clothes. Cheap weapons. Smirks.
Bandits.
"Well, well… what do we have here?" one of them said, stepping forward. "A lost little girl?"
Iris stopped walking.
She looked… bored.
"I'm not in the mood," she said flatly.
The bandits laughed.
"Then don't resist. Makes things easier."
One of them lunged.
Fast — but not fast enough.
Iris moved slightly.
Just one motion.
A thin spike of ice shot from the ground.
CRACK.
Only one bandit was struck — frozen instantly from the legs up, collapsing to the ground unconscious, frost spreading over him.
The other two froze in fear.
Iris didn't even look at the fallen one.
She sighed.
"Three grown men attacking a child… and only brave when in a group," she said calmly. "Pathetic."
The remaining bandits stepped back instinctively.
Iris walked past them.
They didn't dare move.
Didn't dare breathe.
A few seconds later, she reached the end of the alley.
And stepped out.
Light spilled across her figure — warm golden glow from the city lamps above, stretching across lively streets.
It was night — but the city was alive.
Voices. Footsteps. Merchants calling. Lanterns glowing. Food stalls steaming.
Iris blinked once.
Noise. Life. Civilization.
"…I'm hungry."
She walked slowly along the street, eyes scanning the rows of stalls selling food, clothes, trinkets, and tools.
The smell of cooked meat drifted through the air.
Her stomach reminded her again.
She was about to approach a food stall —
Then she stopped.
"…Right."
Her clothes.
Still the same.
Still recognizable.
If Aurelion's enemies were nearby, standing out would be dangerous.
"Clothes first."
Food later.
Iris turned and walked down the street, searching quietly.
A clothing shop wouldn't be far in a city like this.
Her figure disappeared into the flow of night lights.