The town was going feral.
Lanterns with floppy rabbit ears hung off every rooftop. The streets overflowed with villagers—people who used to live under fear and desperation, now laughing, drinking, dancing like maniacs, finally free of their old chains.
The air was thick with grilled meat, sweet dumplings, and carrot wine. Fireworks went off overhead. Kids shrieked and tore through the crowd with fake horns strapped to their heads. Music boomed so loud it shook the forest outside the walls.
"Praise be!"
"Praise be the Bunny!"
The chant rolled through the plaza like thunder. Louder. Louder. Until it felt like the whole town was about to come apart. This wasn't just celebration. It was devotion. Madness. Triumph. All rolled into one.
At the center of it all was the shrine's altar, dressed up like a holy stage. Standing there, bathed in firelight, was Nyx, the shrine's priestess. White robes flowing, eyes blazing, voice rising until it cut the chaos like a blade.
"Everyone! Tonight we give thanks to the one who saved us!" she cried. "The Horned One who shields our town! The rabbit who leapt against the darkness! The eternal protector who watches over the Frontier—our beloved Guardian!"
The crowd went insane. Some cried. Some dropped to their knees. Others just howled at the sky.
"Praise be!"
"Long live the Guardian!"
"His horn shines brighter than the sun!"
"With a single leap he crushed the darkness!"
Nyx turned, arms wide, pointing toward the altar.
And there he was.
The Guardian himself.
…A rabbit. Just a rabbit.
Golden fur shone under the lantern light, his horn tied with a shiny red ribbon. To the crowd, his stillness looked like divine poise. To him, it was sheer panic.
The noise died. The entire town leaned forward, breathless, waiting for their Guardian's holy words.
"…I-I… will, uh… continue to… hop bravely."
His voice cracked halfway through.
Silence. A heartbeat. Then—boom. The plaza detonated like a firework shoved into a barrel of fireworks.
"Truly fearless!"
"Even his hops are divine!"
"Hop bravely! Hop bravely!"
Nyx collapsed in tears, clutching her chest. The crowd stamped and screamed until the whole town shook, chants rattling the sky.
"Guardian! Guardian! Guardian!"
And so, that night, the legend of the Rabbit Guardian spread across the Frontier. To his followers, it was the dawn of a new age.
[Festival was successful]
[You have gained +100 Divine Points]
…To the Guardian himself, it was the start of a very, very long nightmare.