The cheers gradually died down as the villagers returned to their conversations. Kael could feel dozens of eyes still glancing his way—some admiring, others calculating. He shifted uncomfortably under the attention.
"You look like you're about to run away," Aren whispered beside him, a hint of his old humor returning despite the earlier tension.
"I'm considering it," Kael muttered back, taking a sip of his drink. "All this talk about kingdom scouts and legends... they're going to expect me to slay dragons by winter."
Aren chuckled. "Better than what I'm expecting to find at midnight."
Before Kael could respond, a familiar voice cut through their conversation.
"Well, well. Look who's suddenly too important to say hello."
They turned to see Eva approaching, her blue mana glow apparently having given her a confidence boost. She wore a playful smirk, but Kael caught the genuine pride in her eyes.
"Eva," Kael grinned. "Congratulations on the blue. Though I have to say, I'm a little disappointed you didn't try harder."
She punched his arm lightly. "Oh please. Not everyone can be a show-off with mysterious purple talent. Some of us are happy with honest blue."
"Honest blue," Kael repeated, laughing. "Is that what we're calling it now?"
Eva's cheeks flushed slightly, but she maintained her composure. "At least I didn't nearly blind everyone when the stone started flickering like a broken lantern."
Aren shifted beside them, still glancing periodically toward the village center. Eva noticed his distraction.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked, studying Aren's face. "You've been jumpy all evening. Even during your own testing, you looked like you'd seen a ghost."
Aren's eyes darted to Kael, who gave him a subtle shake of the head. Not here. Not with Eva.
"Just... tired," Aren said lamely. "The excitement, you know?"
Eva wasn't buying it, but before she could press further, Tanya's voice called out from across the gathering.
"Eva! Come here, dear. Mrs. Helene wants to congratulate you properly."
Eva sighed. "Duty calls. But don't think this conversation is over," she said, pointing at Aren. "You're terrible at lying."
As she walked away, Aren let out a shaky breath. "She's right. I am terrible at lying."
"Good thing we're not lying about midnight," Kael said quietly. "We're just... postponing the truth."
The feast continued around them, but Kael found his attention drifting toward the village center. From here, he could just make out the outline of the old shop Aren had mentioned. It looked perfectly ordinary—weathered wood, a single window with cracked glass, tools and supplies stacked haphazardly outside.
But now that Aren had pointed it out, Kael couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching them from that direction.
"The energy," Kael said suddenly. "You said it started three days ago. What else happened three days ago?"
Aren frowned. "Nothing unusual. Market day was normal. The Miller's cow had her calf, but that's not exactly mysterious. The traveling merchant came through, but he always does this time of month..."
He paused.
"Wait. There was something. Old Henrik who runs the shop—he was acting strange. Normally he's rude but friendly enough. But when I walked past three days ago, he was standing in his doorway just... staring. Not at anything in particular. Just staring ahead with this blank look."
"Blank how?"
"Like he wasn't really there. Like someone else was looking out through his eyes." Aren shuddered. "I thought maybe he was just tired, but thinking back on it now..."
Kael felt that familiar chill crawl down his spine. The same sensation he'd had in the ruins, right before they'd found the hanging corpse.
"We need to be careful tonight," he said quietly. "Whatever happened in those ruins, it might not be as contained as we hoped."
Around them, the village celebration continued, lanterns casting warm light in the growing darkness. But in those darkness, the shadows seemed deeper than usual.
And from somewhere in that darkness, Kael could swear he felt something watching.
Waiting.
The celebration grew louder as the night deepened. Voices became more cheerful, laughter more frequent, and the clinking of mugs more rhythmic. The adults had settled into their drinking, their attention focused entirely on their conversations and the warmth of the fire.
Kael caught Aren's gaze and gave a subtle nod toward the edge of the crowd.
It was time.