Chapter 72: Discovered Storm Aether silently continued gathering around Riven.
Invisible currents of wind gradually converged toward his trembling body, as although he remained completely oblivious to the strange phenomenon unfolding around him, the loose dust scattered throughout the alley had already begun swirling around his feet while the dark clouds above steadily thickened with every passing heartbeat.
Riven, however, noticed none of it.
His entire attention remained fixed upon the satchel dangling carelessly from the thief’s hand.
’I need my diary back...’
He thought desperately, as his trembling fists slowly tightened by his sides.
The two thieves, meanwhile, exchanged another amused glance.
"Well?"
One of them smirked.
"Have you thought of an answer yet?"
He asked, before the smile slowly disappeared from his face.
His eyes suddenly shifted past Riven.
"...Ah, shit."
He muttered beneath his breath.
His companion frowned.
"What?"
He asked, before instinctively turning his head in the same direction.
The moment he did...
His expression also changed.
Standing quietly at the entrance of the alley was a Stoneville town guard dressed in his dark blue uniform, one hand resting casually upon the hilt of the sword hanging at his waist while he silently observed the scene before him.
Unlike the two thieves, Riven still had his back toward the guard.
He hadn’t noticed him yet.
"So..."
The guard said calmly.
"Am I interrupting something? Lowlife brother thugs?"
He asked, as silence fell over the alley.
The thieves looked at one another.
The guard looked at the satchel.
And only then did Riven slowly realize... that someone else was also present at the scene.
’Huh?’
He wondered, turning back as the Storm Aether around him instantly dissipated, while the two thieves threw his satchel to the ground and made a break for it.
StepStep
The two thieves ran with all their might, as the guard pretended to give chase for a couple steps before stopping, as he raised his voice and said—
"Yeah... you’d better run back to your hideout, you little rats. One of these days I’m going to tear your whole organization apart, starting with your leader, Darrow."
The guard warned, as the echoes of the two thieves’ hurried footsteps gradually faded into the distance until the alley finally became quiet once more.
Only then did he slowly walk forward.
Without saying another word, he bent down and picked up Riven’s satchel from the dusty ground before brushing the dirt from its worn leather surface with the palm of his hand.
Satisfied that it was clean enough, he turned back toward the young boy.
"Here, little one."
The guard said, extending the satchel toward him.
"Your belongings."
A wave of relief immediately washed across Riven’s face.
"Thank you!"
He said sincerely, as he reached forward with both hands to take it.
However, just as his fingers wrapped around the leather strap, he suddenly realized that the satchel was not moving.
"Huh...?"
Riven muttered in confusion, instinctively pulling a little harder.
The guard, however, did not let go.
Instead, he quietly tightened his grip around the strap while continuing to watch the boy without changing his expression.
For several long moments, the two remained like that, each pulling gently from opposite sides of the satchel.