The bell still echoed in their bones.
Twice. Low and slow.
Aisu Erlic stood frozen, a half-joke dying on his lips as the others rose to their feet one by one beneath the willow tree. The sunlight seemed thinner now, as if it too were holding its breath.
Theo was the first to move, stepping ahead like a drawn blade. "It's not the market bell," he said again, softer this time. "That means something's wrong."
"North ridge," Kaela muttered, eyes narrowing. "That's the direction it rang from."
Aisu's heart thumped louder than it should have. Not in panic—yet—but in instinct. A hush had fallen over Clova, the kind of hush that came before something broke.
They turned toward the road leading into the forested ridge. And then they saw it.
A cart—no, a blur—raced past the village gate, wheels biting into the dirt as the driver screamed warnings over his shoulder. Dust rose behind him like a fleeing ghost.
Theo's voice cut through it all. "Get back."
Too late.
From the trees beyond the ridge came a stumbling figure—alone, cloaked, limping.
The man was young, but worn beyond his years. Mud streaked his clothes. Blood darkened one sleeve. His breathing was ragged, wheezing with every step. He collapsed just outside the village, one hand still reaching as if trying to claw his way forward.
Renji took a step back. "What the hell…"
Then the stranger moved.
Fast.
He surged up, faster than anyone that wounded had a right to move. One moment he was on the ground, the next, in front of them—arms tense, wild eyes scanning them like prey.
Theo stepped forward. "Stop right there!"
The man raised one trembling hand. A crackle of light sparked along his palm—barely restrained power.
"Don't come closer!" he snarled. "Don't—don't get in my way!"
"Wait, we don't want trouble," Aisu said, holding up both hands. "We're not—"
But the man's panic was sharper than reason. He swung his arm and the wind itself twisted unnaturally, pushing the group back with invisible force.
They staggered.
Theo alone stood firm, planting his feet. Aisu watched in awe as his friend's body shimmered faintly—barely perceptible, but it was there. The presence of aura.
"Theo," Hiro muttered, shaken, "this guy's an aura wielder, right?"
Theo didn't look away from the threat. "He's no ordinary one."
And in that same breath, the man charged.
He aimed not to warn, but to kill.
Aisu saw the killing intent in his eyes. The desperation. The madness. This wasn't a bandit or a rogue. This was someone running for his life—and willing to trample others to keep it.
Kaela grabbed Aya and pulled her back. Renji shoved Aisu to the side.
Theo met the man head-on, aura flaring just enough to block a strike that bent the air itself. Dust exploded from the impact.
But Theo wasn't trained for this. He was awakened, yes—but this man fought like someone who had survived wars.
Aisu could only watch, helpless, as Theo was knocked backward, skidding across the grass.
"No!" Aya cried.
The man advanced, teeth gritted. "I said don't follow me—!"
And then the sky cracked.
A blur descended, fast as thunder. The ground shook with a single, silent step.
A cloaked figure landed between them and the attacker—calm, composed, without a trace of effort. A pale-blue crest burned briefly on their shoulder.
Another followed. Then a third. Then more.
Dark cloaks. Steady gazes. Presence like looming storms.
The Arbiters had arrived.
The attacker stopped, frozen mid-step. "No," he breathed. "No, no, no—"
One of the Arbiters stepped forward. A woman with silver hair tied tight behind her, eyes sharp as frost. Her voice was soft and deadly. "Ferran Malk. By the Code of Chains, you are under arrest."
Aisu stared. They don't even draw weapons, he thought. They don't need to.
Ferran—if that was his name—screamed and lunged forward, aura exploding outward in a last, frantic surge.
The Arbiter caught his strike with a single raised palm.
No technique. No posture.
Just will.
Ferran's attack shattered, splinters of power scattering like broken glass across the air. He collapsed instantly, unconscious before he hit the dirt.
Silence again.
Only now, it was earned.
The silver-haired Arbiter turned toward the group, scanning each of them. Her eyes settled on Theo, who still stood with trembling shoulders.
"You're awakened," she said.
Theo nodded, cautiously.
She looked to the others—ordinary kids who'd just witnessed something far too close.
"You're lucky we arrived in time," she said. "He wasn't choosing his targets anymore."
Aisu stepped forward, voice dry. "You… you stopped him like it was nothing."
She glanced at him with something like curiosity. "He was already broken. Exhausted. Still dangerous, but not what he once was."
Aya stepped beside Aisu, her voice shaking. "What… what was he?"
"Someone who once believed power meant freedom," the Arbiter said, turning away. "He learned otherwise."
And with that, the Arbiters lifted the unconscious man and vanished into the forest like ghosts bound by justice.
Only dust remained in their wake.
---
The group stood in silence beneath the willow.
Renji exhaled slowly. "Well… I vote we go back to pretending this was a normal day."
Kaela sat down hard on the grass. "Seconded."
Aisu looked toward Theo, who hadn't moved since.
"You okay?" he asked.
Theo nodded once. "We were in real danger."
They all knew it.
Aisu sat down, arms around his knees. For the first time, the world felt… bigger. And far less safe.
Still, he looked at his friends and said, "I don't know what that was—but I'm glad we were together."
And under that tree, the six of them sat in silence. Not as children anymore.
But as those who had seen the shadow of the world begin to shift.