The Master of Souls (Ahri x OC)

Chapter 24: A Sacrifice

Ahri stepped into the nearest shop, a place filled with rows of wooden tables displaying things like precious stones, jewelry, scrolls, etc.

Huh, this village doesn't have a lot of shops, Ahri thought.

It was true. The village's market place mostly consisted of wooden stalls for merchants and a few shops.

The owner of the shop, who was standing behind a wooden counter that was placed at the right side of the room, was a short young woman, with raven hair that reached her shoulders and a pair of brown eyes that were filled with ever-day happiness. She'd a positive smile on her face as if it was a great day for her.

"Hello!" The woman greeted Ahri enthusiastically. "What can I do for you today?"

Ahri tightened the gray cloak around her, making sure that her fox ears and the foxtails won't be spotted and turned to face the owner.

"I'm looking for something that might be good for a gift," Ahri said while looking around the shop.

"Oh, a gift!" The young woman exclaimed while clapping her hands once in delight. Then she gave her a sly smile. "Is it for someone . . . special?"

"What?" Ahri blinked. Then, she shook her head violently. "N-No! It's just for a close friend of mine!"

And Jeffric is illegal!

The young woman laughed playfully. "I was just joking! Now . . . I wonder what will be good for a gift . . ." The woman made a thoughtful expression while tapping her index finger on her chin. Then, she snapped her fingers. "I know!" She exclaimed. "How about clothes?"

Ahri thought for a moment. Jeffric was still wearing the brown tunic and tattered gray pants. Yes, he needed new clothes.

"That's a great idea," Ahri said while smiling. "Do you have any clothes that would fit a boy a head shorter than me?"

"I think I have some," the young woman said. "Just wait a second."

There was a wooden closet behind her. The young woman opened its doors and started to rummage through the contents inside it. "It's a good thing that I'd put the closet for the clothes behind me!"

 After making confused noises as if she couldn't find the thing that she was looking for, she finally made a triumphant cheer while pulling out something.

"Do you think your little friend would like this?" The young woman asked while beaming at Ahri.

The young woman was holding a leaf-like green and white robe that was decorated with golden lines that reminded Ahri of vines. It consisted of layers of fabric, and a belt was wounded around the waist section. It looked graceful, and, in Ahri's mind, it'd look perfect on Jeffric, matching his pair of green eyes.

"I think he'd like this a lot." Ahri smiled gratefully at the young woman.

"So, what'd you give me for this robe?"

Ahri was dreading this moment. She knew what she'd to do, but still, it made her feel sad.

She slowly pulled out the twin gemstones that Jeffric had tried to steal from her almost a year ago and showed it to the woman, her hand trembling slightly.

They were the only clues of her origin, but after years and years of searching, she'd found nothing, nothing at all. Whenever she'd thought that she was onto something, it led to nowhere. She didn't find her parents, and that'd made her feel lonely as if she nobody was there which was true. And the fact that she'd killed her previous lover didn't help. But it all changed when she'd met Jeffric. He filled in the empty void of her life, like a puzzle piece inserted into an empty section of the puzzle board. She no longer needed the pair of gemstones, and she didn't need to find her origin anymore.