Thud! Thud!
"Haa… Haa…"
Footsteps echoed sharply against the cobblestone streets of Arulian City, bouncing off the quiet buildings still basking in the soft glow of early morning.
A boy, no older than seventeen, raced down the path like a man possessed.
His breaths came in ragged gasps, each one loud and desperate, as if his lungs were trying to escape his chest.
"Haaaf… Haaaf…"
He wasn't sprinting for fitness. This was a panic-fueled dash, the kind that made your ribs ache and vision blur at the edges.
His slightly messy black hair clung to his forehead with sweat, and his deep obsidian eyes darted ahead.
His frame was lean.
A large backpack bounced violently against his shoulders with every step, stuffed to the brim with who-knows-what.
He was dressed in the academy uniform. One of his shoes was half untied. He didn't care. There was no time to stop.
"Shit, shit, shit…!" he muttered between breaths, almost tripping as he turned a corner.
