The early morning mist clung tightly to the village, coiling through the narrow alleys and settling on rooftops like a ghost that refused to leave.
Kaen stood in silence outside the elder's hall, the faint echo of Elira's last words still hanging in his mind. His hands trembled slightly—not from fear, but from something unfamiliar brewing deep within his veins. A subtle throb. A soft call.
It wasn't the seal. This was something older… hungrier.
Inside the hall, whispers rose and fell like waves crashing against the stone walls. The village elders debated endlessly. Some demanded tighter restrictions, while others feared provoking something they did not understand.
No one mentioned the failed Blood Rank test again. But the silence around it felt louder than accusations.
Kaen turned, eyes scanning the fog-shrouded trees in the distance. Something was off. The usual forest sounds—the chirping birds, the rustling leaves—were gone. A stillness had taken over. Too perfect. Too quiet.
Then… a flash.
A brief flicker, like a red spark deep in the mist.
Kaen blinked. Gone.
"Maybe I'm just tired…" he muttered, but even he didn't believe it.
Behind him, a figure approached—slim, hooded, eyes hidden under a dark veil. The stranger didn't speak. Just stood still at the edge of the path. Watching.
Kaen's breath caught in his throat.
And then, just as suddenly, the figure turned and vanished into the fog, as if it had never been there.
---
Kaen didn't know it yet,
But the mist wasn't hiding the danger.
It was the danger.
---