The settlement was smaller than Kaito expected. A cluster of wooden palisades rose against the smoky night, enclosing a scattering of huts, and watchtower lit by torches. Beyond it walls, the forest stretched endlessly, the burned parts still smoldering faintly under the starlight.
As Lyra led him through the gates, tired guards gave her nods of recognition, but their gazes lingered uneasily on Kaito. He caught whispers, stranger, outsider, cursed eyes.
He lowered his head, trying to avoid their stares, but Lyra's voice cut through the murmurs,"He's with me. See that no harm comes to him."
That was enough to silence them. For now.
They stopped at a long wooden hall at the center of the settlement. Smoke rose from its chimney, and the smell of roasted meat reached Kaito's nose, making he's stomach twisted with sudden hunger. Inside, the hall was warm, lined with maps, weapons, and banners of green stitched with silver leaves. Dozens of hunters set at long tables, some drinking, some sharpening blades.
"This," Lyra said," is the Verdant Guild. We keep the Wilds at bay. Or at least we try to."
Kaito tried not to look out of place as she guided him to sit neat the fire. He hadn't realized how cold he was until the heat touched his skin. He hands trembled slightly as he reached for the cup of water a servant placed in front of him.
Lyra set across from him, eyes sharp even in the soft glow. "Eat. Drink. You'll need your strength tomorrow...I'll test your eye."
Kaito froze. "Test it?"
She leaned forward. " The Asterion-Eye isn't just foresight. Legends say it evolves, changes with its bearer. But every gift has a limits. You need to know yours, or it'll kill you."
Kaito touched his right eye unconsciously.
The faint trob was still there, like a heart beat beneath his skin. "I've only used it once..I saw the wolves before they struck me...I saw you."
"And it drained you, didn't it?" Lyra asked.
He nodded slowly his body still ached, evey muscle taut with exhaustion.
"That's the first lesson," Lyra said. "The eye shows you possibilities, but your body has to keep up with it. See too far, keep using it too often, and you'll brake."
Her words settles of him like a weight. A power this great...but fragile.
For a long moment, the hall was fill with clatter of dishes and the low murmur of hunters. The Lyra's tone softened, "Rest tonight. Tomorrow, I'll take you outside the walls, if you survive the Trial the Guild with shelter you. If not..well fate will have decided."
Kaito stared into the fire, the flame reflected into the star mark of his eye. He had no idea what tomorrow would bring. But he knew one thing, this world would let him stay a bystander.
The Asterion-Eye had chosen him. And now the Verdant Guild would decide if he was worthy to keep it.