The sun dipped low, bathing Lumaire’s stone streets in warm orange. Merchants were closing stalls, adventurers were filtering toward taverns, and the city hummed with relaxed, end-of-day noise.

  Team Argent walked loosely around Eis—Ronan in front, Lira beside him, Kael at the back—unconsciously forming a protective formation.

  Eis inhaled deeply, beginning to feel… normal.

  Then she felt the shift.

  Footsteps.

  Too light.

  Too quick.

  Angle approaching—left side, hip height.

  Intent sharp like a needle.

  Before her mind fully formed the thought, her body moved.

  A hand reached for her pouch.

  Eis caught the wrist.

  Pivoted.

  Stepped behind him.

  Guided his momentum down—

  And the thief was face-first on the ground with his arm pinned behind him.

  Gasps rippled through the crowd.

  “Did she—?”

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  “That was fast—!”

  The thief struggled. Eis adjusted her stance without effort, keeping him pinned without pain.

  “Stop,” she said calmly. “You’ll make it worse.”

  He froze.

  She leaned in. “You’re too young for this. Take the lesson and go.”

  “I—I’m sorry,” he mumbled into the pavement.

  Eis released him.

  He scrambled away, disappearing into an alley.

  Silence followed.

  Then—

  “What,” Kael said flatly, “was that?”

  Not accusatory.

  Just stunned.

  Lira blinked several times, as if trying to replay what she saw.

  “You reacted before any of us did.”

  Ronan stepped closer, eyes fixed on Eis’s stance.

  “You didn’t hurt him,” he said. “But you had complete control.”

  Eis readjusted her clothing.

  “It just happened.”

  Kael huffed a quiet exhale. “…Some instincts.”

  Lira approached, her voice gentle but curious.

  “How exactly did your father train you?.”

  Eis stayed calm, controlled.

  “The usual,” she said.

  “Self-defense.”

  Lira studied her a moment longer, then nodded.

  “Whatever your training was,” she murmured, “I’m glad you’re on our side.”

  Kael added softly, surprising Eis with the warmth in his tone:

  “You handled him cleaner than most adventurers I know.”

  Ronan simply said:

  “…Good work.”