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Within the next few minutes, Evan reached an important milestone in his pet parent journey calledWhat It’s Like Being a Dog Dad.

Sweat dripped down his nape as Evan chased behind his pet, never leaving sight of the white fur, yet somehow, he was so fast that Evan couldn’t keep up—being out of shape as he was—and the dog vanished.

Panting and huffing his way around the area, Evan called out to his buddy, peeking behind trees and rummaging through bushes, but couldn’t even spot his pawprints in the dirt.

I should have made a leash to go with that collar.

What had the dog seen that made him break into a sprint suddenly, or was that just how dogs were?

Scratching his head, Evan continued calling out to his buddy as he approached the riverbank. On one side of the dry trail were trees lining the route to town, and on the opposite side, the sacred Del flowed tranquilly. A breeze blew across him and dried a bead of sweat trickling down his nape, making Evan shiver involuntarily.

The Del flowed through Emberlyn in many forms. Cold streams winding deep through the forest, a gushing river under the main bridge connecting the town to the outside world, and this quiet riverbank that stretched around half the Emberlyn like a crescent.

Evan had chosen to live close to the Del and away from the bustle of the town for his own peace of mind. And although the view was beautiful, ever since he’d moved there, the number ofpeople coming to stroll by the river, or to lay down blankets for a family picnic, or to simply sit and watch the sunset, had steadily dwindled.

Day after day, Evan watched people turn away, whispering about the exorcist who’d taken residence nearby. Over the years, it had reached a point where no one came that way anymore, not if they could help it.

In their defense, wandering in an area close to an exorcist’s house was superstitiously a bad omen.

So, it was more surprising when Evan rounded a tree and found a flash of a white shirt standing at the edge of the concrete gabion built around the riverbank, a mere inch away from slipping to his death.

Evan halted in his tracks.

The youth stood with his eyes closed, a look of immense serenity clouding his features as his soft silver hair blew rhythmically with Del’s currents. In a simple white shirt and pants that looked a size bigger on his slender figure, he gave off the impression of a runaway youth who was just realizing how big the world truly was.

Evan stared at him suspiciously for more than a few reasons.

First, people were scarce around this area. Second, he had never seen that face—a damn gorgeous face at that—before. And third, Evan’s dog was presently pressing close to that youth’s leg like they were long-lost cousins.

Upon finally laying eyes on his dog, relief flooded Evan. He jogged towards the two silver heads. He was just about to call out to his dog when he heard a gentle voice, rubbing like softened butter against his eardrums.

“He seemed lost,” the youth said, still facing the river with his eyes closed. “So I kept him company.”

Evan’s brows arched.

How did he know someone was behind him? Even if he’d heard footsteps, how did he know it was the owner of the dog?

“Thanks…” Evan said, studying the youth’s form. There was no malice or evil radiating from his aura, just sheer tranquility. Subtly trying to quench his curiosity, which usually never surfaced, Evan said, “I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

At that, the youth finally turned. Pale, smooth skin and crystal blue eyes the shade of summer sky greeted Evan. Was that his natural hair color? Even his eyebrows and eyelashes were silverish white. Such beauty couldn’t be all God-given, because if it was, that would be unfair to the average masses, and Evan had some words to exchange with the heavenly creator.

“Don’t worry about it,” the youth said, a smile blooming on his lips as he strolled down the slope of the concrete gabion towards Evan. “I’ve always lived here. Just never left home.”

So, he reallyhadfled his house. Or was he just spitting bullshit?

Evan’s suspicious eyes snapped down when he felt soft fur brushing against his calf. He pressed his lips in a thin line. “Hey, why’d you run off like that? You almost gave me a heart attack.”

The dog wiggled his bushy tail, staring up at Evan with his mouth wide open and eyes gleaming. Evan couldn’t keep his frown intact and melted with a sigh before crouching to hug his buddy. “Don’t you dare scare me like that again. If you wanna play, we’ll play together.”

The youth, who’d been watching the scene play out with a smile all along, let out a chuckle. “He is adorable. Does he have a name?”

Evan paused mid-embrace, glancing up. “Uh…not yet.”

“Are you having a difficult time picking a name?”

“Kind of,” Evan continued scratching the dog’s neck, receiving wet nose boops and full-face licks in return as he contemplated a question lingering at the tip of his tongue.

This person was a stranger. If he really did live around and had run away from home, he’d either go back or move far away, so Evan might never run into him again. Asking him should be fine, right?