Aurelia POV
An elderly man stood in the doorway, his frame silhouetted against the morning light streaming in behind him.
I stumbled backward, my hand reaching for anything that might serve as protection, the practical part of my exhausted mind recognized immediately that I possessed nothing capable of defending myself against even the frailest opponent.
"Please," I said quickly, my voice trembling. "I didn't mean to trespass. I'll leave immediately."
The old man didn't move from the doorway. He studied me instead, his eyes traveling across my torn clothing, the scratches and dried blood marking my arms, the obvious exhaustion I couldn't hide despite my best efforts to appear composed.
"You look half-dead, child," he said finally, his voice rough with age but not unkind.
I said nothi
