Suddenly, the sound of footsteps snapped Kaya out of her thoughts.
She turned sharply, her eyes narrowed, heart still heavy.
But when she saw who it was, her shoulders relaxed just a little.
"Oh, you," she muttered.
It was Rean—the shopkeeper boy. He looked completely out of breath, sweat clinging to his forehead as he bent over, hands on his knees, panting hard.
"You! You—do you even know how long you've been gone?" he huffed. "We've been searching everywhere for you!"
Kaya blinked, taken aback. She looked up at the sky instinctively… and realized it was already dark.
Her brows furrowed in confusion. When did that happen? How had she not noticed?
Then it hit her.
"…Right. The cloth on my eyes," she mumbled, touching the edge of the blindfold as if it could give her back the lost time.
She sighed softly. "I didn't realize… I must've lost track."
Rean straightened up, still breathing heavily. He looked both annoyed and worried.
