Topaz 3

The chirping of birds reached his ears. An unfamiliar scent drifted to his nose – the dry aroma of wood.

Karjenif slowly opened his eyes. His sky-blue irises grew sharper with each blink.

He was lying down. The surface beneath him was so hard it was difficult to tell if it was a bed or the floor. The blanket was rough. He frowned involuntarily.

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He turned his head, taking in the sparsely furnished room. A bed, a desk, and a chair were all it contained. Someone stood by the sunlit window. The backlighting made it difficult to see clearly, but it wasn’t Haran or Merdina.

The man wore a short tunic and black trousers that reached his ankles – the typical attire of a swordsman. Sure enough, a scabbard hung at his left hip.

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“You’re awake.”

As if sensing his movement, the stranger spoke without turning around. A clattering sound, the dull thud of wood on wood, came from the desk.

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Simultaneously, Karjenif lifted his right hand from the bed. He had no weapon, but it didn’t matter. He was a mage, and mages didn’t need weapons.

The stranger stopped moving and turned. As he did, his loosely tied hair rippled down his back, a vibrant, rose-red cascade like flickering flames. The strength drained from Karjenif’s hand.

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“You are…”

Topaz looked at the man pushing himself up in bed. He’d sensed it even when the man’s eyes were closed, but now, seeing them open, he was even more striking.

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His delicate features, as if painted with a fine brush, gave him a fragile air. Perhaps it was the disheveled black hair and the dampness of his sweat-slicked neck. The eyes revealed beneath his eyelids were a clear, sky-blue.

“Do you know where you are?”

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“Where…”

His voice was low and deep, tinged with the disorientation of someone just waking. Topaz spoke first.

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“You’re in Grenrosha, the forest north of Kiolen Village. Your group stumbled into this forest two days ago. You’ve been unconscious until now.”

“Ah…”

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A soft sound, like a sigh, escaped his lips. The man’s hand clutched the blanket. Color bloomed in his previously pale cheeks, and his eyes softened. He smiled, a radiant smile that momentarily filled the room with light.

“You’re my savior.”

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“…..”

Topaz was momentarily speechless. With a face like that, he could believe the man had been chased to the ends of the earth for his beauty alone.

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“I didn’t do anything. You woke up on your own.”

“But you offered me your home and treated my injuries, didn’t you?”

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His blue eyes fell on the small wooden bowl where Topaz had been grinding herbs. Topaz set the bowl on the desk and stepped closer.

“My terms were only until you woke up.”

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“Ah…”

The man sighed again, tightening his grip on the blanket before releasing it.

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“I ask this with the utmost humility, but we’re in no condition to leave immediately. Could we impose on your hospitality a little longer? Just a few days would be a blessing.”

Instead of answering, Topaz asked, “Are you a mage?”

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“Yes, I am.”

“Where do you come from?”

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“The capital, Kashaf.”

Even though Topaz had asked without giving him time to coordinate a story with his companions, the man answered without hesitation, his innocent expression suggesting he had nothing to hide.

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“What crime have you committed?”

The man’s eyes widened before he lowered his gaze. His long lashes fluttered like a butterfly’s first flight.

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“I swear I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“Then why are you being pursued?”

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“I’m caught in a succession struggle within my family. I was poisoned and on my way to my family’s villa to recuperate when the knights assigned to protect me tried to kill me. I had to flee.”

Topaz crossed his arms, his stance skeptical.

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“You’re remarkably forthright. Either you’re fearless, naive, or both.”

“It would be a betrayal of your kindness to deceive you with lies,” the man said politely. He was suspicious, but his innocent blinking dissuaded Topaz from immediately holding a sword to his throat and demanding the truth.

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“One week.”

“…..”

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“I’ll give you one week to recover. After that, you leave quietly.”

The man’s eyes widened before he bowed his head.

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“Thank you.”

Topaz could see the bob of his Adam’s apple. He seemed to be hesitating. But after a long pause, his question was surprisingly trivial.

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“My name is Karjen. May I ask your name, my benefactor?”

“I’m no one’s benefactor.”

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“Still, you’ve shown me great kindness. Please, tell me your name.”

“…Topaz.”

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The man, Karjen, slowly smiled. “Topaz,” he murmured, savoring the name before speaking again.

“It suits you.”

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Watching Karjen smile with his pale face, Topaz thought, ‘There’s something strange about this one…’

 

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* * *

 

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Strange was an understatement.

“Topaz, I’ve brought you flowers. They’ll look beautiful on the table.”

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His face, holding an armful of red flowers, was radiant. Despite his lingering pallor, his blue eyes shone like jewels, and a constant smile played on his lips.

Three hours since waking, his beauty, which hadn’t faded even when he was unconscious, was now almost overwhelming. Oblivious to Haran and Merdina staring open-mouthed, Karjen offered the red flowers with a bright smile. 

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Topaz, his expression impassive, warned, “Get rid of them.”

“What?”

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His blue eyes widened.

“They’re poisonous.”

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“Ah…”

His shoulders slumped visibly as he looked down at the flowers he’d been cradling so carefully. Topaz sighed softly.

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“I told you not to touch anything in this forest without asking.”

“Then tell me which flowers aren’t poisonous.”

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“If you have time to pick flowers, chop some firewood.”

“Firewood?”

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He tilted his head, his gaze drifting towards where Haran and Merdina stood. ‘So, he knew we were there all along’, they both thought.

But as a dazzling smile spread across Karjen’s face, Merdina quickly stepped back. Haran, inadvertently left exposed, found himself the target of Karjen’s gentle voice.

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“I’m still recovering, so Haran would be of more help than I. You’re good at that sort of thing, aren’t you, Haran?”

“…..”

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Topaz didn’t care who chopped the wood, so he simply nodded.

“There are many trees outside. Shall I gather some edible berries?”

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“You’re still recovering, remember?”

“Are you concerned about me? You’re so kind, Topaz.”

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“…..”

“Even so, I’m well enough to be of some assistance.”

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“Then only pick berries from trees with red berries and no flowers. Avoid trees with scarred trunks or claw-shaped leaves.”

“That’s a bit difficult to visualize… I might make a mistake. Would you mind coming with me?”

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Topaz glanced at Karjen, who was feigning a perplexed frown, and instead of answering, started walking. Karjen, grabbing a woven basket, followed. A happy smile lit up his face as he ducked slightly to pass through the doorway.

As soon as the cabin door closed, Haran muttered, “He’s planning to move in, isn’t he?”

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“…..”

Merdina silently handed him the axe hanging on the wall. Haran accepted it with a gloomy expression, the weight heavy on his shoulder.

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* * *

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“Topaz, let’s go together.”

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The forest felt strange with another person’s voice echoing through it. The light footsteps following him felt equally odd.

He had occasionally guided lost children out of the forest, but after the rumors of a ghost started, no one had entered for years. This was the first time Topaz had brought anyone to his cabin, let alone someone who could clearly see his face.

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Now that he was up and about, Karjen seemed quite well-built. He was tall enough that even Topaz, who wasn’t short, had to look up slightly. His broad shoulders and narrow waist gave him a slender appearance, yet his physique was surprisingly toned. Despite that, his delicate features and flowing black hair gave him a remarkably innocent air.

The image of him sleeping flashed through Topaz’s mind. He had observed his uninvited guest throughout the night. He hadn’t intended to play nurse, but he found himself unable to look away. The patient’s condition was strange.

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According to his companions, he’d been poisoned, but his symptoms weren’t typical. There were no breathing difficulties, convulsions, or vomiting. He simply seemed to be in a deep sleep.

More importantly, he was gradually recovering without any intervention. The deathly pallor and blue tinge to his lips had faded on their own, and he’d recovered enough to move about normally as soon as he woke.

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Perhaps in this land, founded by mages and lenient towards them, death didn’t come easily to their kind.

Even so, he knew mages who had died… Topaz cut off the thought and continued walking.

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“The forest seems more peaceful than I’d heard,” Karjen said, plucking a berry from a high branch and dropping it into his basket. His clumsy picking had stained his fingertips red.

Half of the berries he picked were discarded by Topaz, so the basket filled slowly. But Karjen didn’t seem to mind. He seemed to be enjoying a leisurely stroll rather than foraging.

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“It’s daytime.”

“Is it very different after sunset?”

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“Everything that held its breath in the sunlight comes out to play.”

“Isn’t it difficult living alone in such a place?”

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“I’m capable of protecting myself.”

“How impressive.”

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He was wandering through an unknown forest with a dangerous man, yet he admired him with carefree ease. Topaz wondered if he was naive, foolish, or simply pretending to be.

But then Topaz remembered that despite his gentle appearance, the man before him was a mage. And mages were usually a bit eccentric. A detached sense of reality and an inflated ego were common traits. Topaz accepted this readily and turned to continue their walk.

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