Casiel

Cassiel walked down a dark alley, scanning the shadows as usual. Suddenly, a girl burst out of an archway, tripped, and nearly fell, but he managed to catch her by the elbow.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was running!" she gasped, stepping back.

"It's not safe here. Was someone following you?" Cassiel asked, not letting go of her hand.

“I felt someone’s gaze… then I heard footsteps,” she admitted, glancing sideways at the dark opening.

A tall figure with unnaturally fluid movements emerged from the archway. Cassiel silently stepped forward, blocking the girl's view, and gripped the hilt of his hidden blade tightly.
The creature froze, sniffing, and then retreated, dissolving into the shadows.

*When everything died down, the girl was still clutching a piece of brick in her hand.

“Are you okay?”* she asked, as if she wasn’t the one in danger. *

“I’m fine,”* Cassiel nodded. *“And you?”

“Now, yes,”* she finally exhaled and smiled slightly. *

“I’m Cassiel.”

“And I’m Kira.”

• And at that moment, it suddenly seemed to him that this chance meeting was not just an episode, but the beginning of something important.