The room stayed silent for a while. Even Tofu, usually buzzing in soft loops above Iuro's head, hovered frozen.
Rick held the glowing card carefully. "Okay... this isn't normal inn guest behavior, right?"
"Nope," Ishi replied instantly, already crouched near the door with his daggers in hand. His eyes scanned the gap under the wood.
Yuuv sat up on the top bunk, blinking away sleep. "Wait, what happened? Did someone curse the soup?"
Izumi whispered, "Some weird people are downstairs. They dropped a glowing card at our door that says: 'Don't go tomorrow.'"
"Ah," Yuuv nodded. "So... cursed soup confirmed."
Lui stood and took the card from Rick, inspecting the faint silver words. "Could be a warning. Or a threat."
"Or a prank," Iuro offered. "But... a really stylish one. That shimmer ink is expensive."
Izumi frowned. "Their cloaks shimmered like starlight, I swear. That wasn't basic illusion magic. It felt... old."
"Alright," Lui said. "We stay alert. No decisions until morning. Don't open the door for anyone."
The others nodded.
Despite the tension, sleep crept in. The glowing bug Tofu dimmed gently, like a living nightlight. But outside their room, muffled footsteps continued. Faint laughter. And once, the sound of glass quietly breaking.
No one slept deeply that night.
except Yuuv ofcourse.
By morning, the inn had returned to its cozy, cheerful self. Smells of buttery bread and herb-roasted roots filled the air again. But the common room had a strange energy to it—like a performance had just ended.
The strange travelers from the night before were gone.
Not a single trace of their presence remained.
Even the card had lost its glow.
"So... do we go tomorrow or not?" Rick asked, chewing nervously on toast.
Yuuv shrugged. "Well, technically they didn't say 'don't go today.' So we can eat breakfast."
Izumi frowned. "What if they meant something bad happens on the road ahead?"
Lui rubbed his temple. "We don't have enough information. Until we know more, we stick to the original plan. But we'll be cautious."
Ishi sipped his tea slowly. "Whoever they were... they didn't attack. Maybe it was a favor."
"Or a trap," Rick muttered.
Just then, the innkeeper floated by on her broom, her tone overly cheerful. "Breakfast refills?
After breakfast, the Celestars lingered a bit longer than planned. A few locals came in—miners with glowing pickaxes, a couple of tinker-mages debating over tea, and a merchant testing out a carpet that walked on its own.
The group split up around the inn, listening in, trying to gather hints. But no one seemed to know anything about the mysterious cloaked group.
Yuuv sat on the porch step, letting the morning sun hit his face. Tofu buzzed nearby. A small girl walked by with a wooden doll that giggled on its own.
"So many little magics," he mumbled.
Inside, Iuro chatted with a carpenter who used vines to build chairs that adjusted to your mood.
Izumi got cornered again by the old tea-plant duo.
Riggi drew faces on toast with syrup until a cat ate one of them.
Lui kept an eye on everyone from near the fireplace.
Ishi, as always, watched in silence.
By sunset, the forest breeze was cooler. The Celestars gathered their gear, cloaks fastened tight.
"No more cards, no more visitors," Iuro confirmed. "Maybe it was just one of those weird magical warning dreams."
"Except it was real," Lui said, holding the now-dull card one last time before slipping it into his pack.
Yuuv glanced at the trees swaying gently outside. "Well... if something wants to stop us, they'll have to try harder."
Tofu buzzed once in agreement.
They stepped out into the evening mist.
The road waited.