"We were..." Kael began, then stopped. He needed to be careful. Very careful.
Tanya had reached Aren and was examining him for injuries. "Sweetheart, what happened? You look terrified. And what was that sound?"
Aren opened his mouth, then looked at Kael. Even in his traumatized state, he understood that they needed to be strategic about what they revealed.
The Village Head approached the two boys and behind him, Arthur followed, but his face was carefully neutral—too neutral, perhaps, for someone whose village had just experienced a mysterious explosion.
"Boys," the Village Head said in his authoritative voice, "we need to know what happened. The entire village felt that explosion. If there's danger—"
"The old shop," Kael said quickly. "Henrik's shop. We were... we were curious about the strange energy Aren had sensed earlier. We went to investigate."
"And?" Alaric prompted when Kael hesitated.
"Henrik..." Kael swallowed hard. "Something's wrong with Henrik. He's... he's not himself anymore. And there are others. In the shop. People we didn't recognize."
This was technically true, though it barely scratched the surface of the horror they had witnessed.
Arthur stepped forward, his expression showing just the right amount of concern. "Others? What kind of others? Bandits? Merchants?"
Kael met Arthur's eyes briefly and felt a chill run down his spine. There was something calculating in that gaze, something that was evaluating how much Kael knew and how much of a threat he posed.
"We couldn't tell," Kael lied smoothly. "It was dark, and when we realized something was wrong, we ran. That's when the explosion happened."
"What kind of explosion?" one of the village guards asked. "Magical?"
Kael hesitated. He couldn't very well explain that he had concentrated his mana into a devastating punch that had literally disintegrated Henrik's undead puppet.
"We don't know," he said finally. "We were already running when it happened. Something behind us... something dangerous."
The Village Head frowned deeply. "This is serious. If there are intruders in our village, possibly hostile ones, we need to investigate immediately."
"I agree," Arthur said, stepping forward. "Father, let me take a team of guards to check the area. If there's a threat, we need to neutralize it quickly."
Kael's blood turned to ice. Arthur leading the investigation? That was the last thing they needed. Arthur would make sure any evidence was destroyed, any witnesses silenced. But he couldn't object without revealing his suspicions, and he had no proof beyond what he had overheard in that nightmare chamber.
"Good thinking, son," the Village Head nodded approvingly. "Take Marcus and Emil with you. Armed and ready for trouble."
As Arthur began organizing his "investigation team," Kael caught Aren's eye. His friend was still shaking, but there was understanding in his gaze.
The question now was: what could two teenage boys do against a conspiracy that reached into the very leadership of their community?
And how many more villagers would disappear before they could find a way to stop it?
Alaric's expression darkened as he processed what Kael had said. He turned to the Village Head, his mind connecting dots that others might miss.
"Is this related to the rogue mage?" he asked grimly, his voice carrying across the suddenly quiet gathering. "The boys mentioned seeing someone they didn't recognize. That would explain the disappearing villagers we've been trying to ignore."
A heavy silence fell over the celebration. Several villagers exchanged worried glances, and more than a few mothers instinctively pulled their children closer.
The Village Head's weathered face grew even more grave. For weeks now, there had been whispers—people going missing from outlying farms, travelers who never reached the next village, strange lights seen in the forest at night. But they had all hoped it was just coincidence, bad luck, maybe bandits.
"You think it's connected to the reports we've been receiving?" the Village Head asked, though his tone suggested he was already drawing the same conclusions.
"What reports?" Tanya asked, her voice tight with worry as she continued to examine Aren for injuries.
Alaric looked around at the gathered villagers, then back to the Village Head. "There have been... incidents. Throughout the region. People vanishing without a trace. Always someone with magical potential—mages, knights, anyone with significant mana reserves."