When Auren finished speaking with Gareth, the group made their way to the village inn where they would be staying. Everyone gathered in Auren's room, where he sat on the bed and asked, "Alright, you all have a rough idea of what's going on, right?"
"Right. Just some backwater folks scared out of their minds and hoping the boogeyman disappears," Erika said, placing a hand on her hip. This wasn't her first time being welcomed with fake smiles while they were left to deal with some supposed Starfiend threat. Sometimes it turned out to be a real danger, but other times, it was just a petty criminal stirring up trouble.
"We'll need to check on the Ward and the Lumenbloom tree in the village first. Then we should visit Mira's house," Alwyn added. "Even if she's already missing, we might find some clues there."
"What do you think, Han?" Auren asked. "You heard what the villagers said about her. Do you think she's dangerous?"
"She was infected as a child, right? Wouldn't it be best to kill her?" Han replied bluntly.
The answer stunned both Alwyn and Erika. Until now, they had seen Han as the kind-hearted type who wouldn't hurt a fly. Yet here he was, suggesting Mira be killed, without hesitation. His voice was steady, and the serious look in his eyes made it clear that he meant what he said.
"Wow. I didn't think you'd be the cold and pragmatic type," Erika said.
"But isn't that the most reasonable choice?" Han asked, tilting his head. The warmth in his gaze had been replaced with a chilling seriousness.
"We need to figure that out first, don't we?" Auren said with a small smile. "Alright, pop quiz. Tell me, Han. How do Starfiends replicate?"
Han jolted at the question, then quickly stammered, "They replicate by infecting other living beings with their aether. Most cases happen through wounds caused by a Starfiend."
"Good. Now tell me the types of transmission that usually occur," Auren continued.
"Um, there's Necrotic, Transformative, and Latent," Han said, raising three fingers. "Necrotic is the most common. The host usually dies because their body rejects the foreign aether. Transformative causes the infected to mutate into a new Starfiend. Latent is the trickiest. It also leads to transformation, but the infected shows no outward signs. That makes it harder to detect, and the resulting Starfiends are even more dangerous since they retain some intelligence and self-awareness."
Auren clapped. "Great answer. You really have been reading the books I gave you. Now, let's say Mira is infected. What type of infection would she have?"
"Um... Latent?" Han guessed. It seemed the most likely since the village head said Mira had lived with the others for years, even if she had been an outcast. She must have still looked human.
"But that wouldn't work," Auren said. "Do you know why?"
Han looked uncertain. After reading so much in the past few days, all the information was starting to blur together.
"Because of the time frame," Alwyn said, stepping in. "According to the village head, Mira's only possible contact with a Starfiend happened when she was still in the womb. But she survived, grew up, and has lived for years without changing. That kind of latency doesn't exist."
"Exactly," Auren said. "Even latent infections usually show results within weeks or months. There has never been a case where it took years or decades. Unless she was attacked again recently, it doesn't make sense."
"But the village head said there were marks on her skin. Doesn't that mean she's at least a little infected?" Han asked, pressing his lips together.
"That is definitely something worth noting," Auren said, tapping his chin. "You'll need to observe her closely to see if she's stable. Mira surviving birth even though her mother was infected is rare. From what I've read, children in similar situations usually don't live long."
"Why not?" Erika asked.
"Some sort of mental instability. Most of them ended up taking their own lives," Auren said calmly.
"But Master, even if the chance is small, wouldn't it be safer to just kill her now?" Han asked, frowning.
"Damn, you really want her dead, huh?" Erika said, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe I shouldn't call you a goody two-shoes after all."
"It's just... she could be a threat. Shouldn't we neutralize her before it's too late?" Han asked. He didn't like the idea of letting a potential danger roam free. Something deep inside urged him to end it quickly, to kill her and be done with it. After all, death seemed preferable to becoming a Starfiend.
"Neutralize, huh," Auren murmured. "Well, if you think it's necessary, you're free to do so."
"Oi oi oi! Is that something you should be saying, master?" Erika said. "Aren't you supposed to stop this guy from doing something stupid?"
"Why would I do that?" Auren shrugged. "I'm not your parent, and I'm not here to control your actions. Ultimately, you need to grow into well-rounded, capable Starvanguards. Developing strong critical thinking and sound judgment is one of the most important parts of that. If I just hand you the answers, you won't learn a thing." He fixed his gaze on Han. "That said, Han, you're free to do whatever you want; just make sure you think it through. And don't make choices you'll regret."
Han nodded.
Auren then kicked them out of the inn and told them to investigate the case thoroughly before reporting back to him. The three teenagers set out to explore Hollowrest, heading toward the large Lumenbloom tree at the center of the village. Its purple leaves whispered softly in the breeze. Colorful cloths hung from the trunk and branches, no doubt placed there by the villagers. At the base of the tree, offerings and candles were arranged respectfully.
"We need to make sure the tree's healthy," Alwyn said as he pulled a device from his spatial pouch. It was about the size of a pocket watch, encased in smooth obsidian and etched with glowing, rune-like circuits.
"This scanner checks the condition of a Lumenbloom tree. Master lent it to me. It's not as reliable as an expert, but it's good enough for a quick checkup." He pressed the device against the tree's trunk, and it latched on with a soft click. Lines of light spread across the bark as the device pulsed brightly for several seconds before shifting to green.
"So, it's okay?" Han asked. Green usually meant good.
Alwyn nodded. "Yeah, the tree's healthy. That means the Ward around the village is less likely to be compromised. Still, we should inspect everything carefully."
The Ward itself was mainly sustained by the great Lumenblooms at the center of each Ward dome. However, the smaller Lumenblooms around it provided additional support, strengthening the nearby sections of the barrier. When one of these trees fell ill, it usually signaled a weakening of the Ward in its vicinity.
The three finally exited the village and made their way toward the barrier, which was located several kilometers away. Since Han was new to this, he stuck close to Alwyn, while Erika veered off on her own to inspect the other side. She stared at the softly glowing runes etched into the ground and the shimmering veil that marked the boundary between the Wastes and the world within the Ward. How many times had she gone through the same dull checkups, ensuring there weren't any breaches? It was frustrating.
"Ugh, system, can't you do something useful?" Erika muttered.
"Answer: this system can assist the host, but the response remains unchanged. With the current system condition, I can only perform a basic scan. This will take time and may cause a visible light distortion, potentially attracting attention," the system said in its flat, mechanical voice.
"Tch. Still useless," Erika muttered, rolling her eyes before returning to her inspection.
On the other side, Alwyn was showing Han what to look for when checking the Ward. "See how the runes glow steadily? That's how it should be. If you find one flickering, that usually means something's wrong. Cracks in the veil are another bad sign, but those are rare. A crack usually means a serious breach."
"Oooh!" Han nodded, squinting at one of the runes. "Come to think of it, Alwyn, can't you use your summons to scan the area? Like those birds from before?"
Alwyn shook his head. "They wouldn't help. I can create them, but they're not truly independent. I have to control them directly, and they can't go too far from me."
"Shame," Han said, frowning a little. He knew he should be focused on learning, but his thoughts kept circling back to Mira. He just wanted to see her again, to know the truth for himself.
"The faster we finish this, the sooner we move on," Alwyn said, snapping him out of it.
They continued their patrol, carefully examining each glowing symbol along the barrier. The work was slow and repetitive, but every few steps, Han couldn't stop glancing toward the village in the distance.
By the time the sun dipped low, the three regrouped near the outskirts.
"No breach on my side," Erika reported, brushing sand off her hands.
"Same here," Alwyn said. "Everything looks stable."
"So, we're heading to Mira's place now?" Han asked, his tone just a little too eager.
Erika smirked. "Wow, you're really set on killing that poor woman, huh?" she teased. There was something sharp in her tone, but she was watching him carefully. That flicker of determination in his eyes surprised her. Maybe he wasn't as soft as she had thought.
Though they could have ended the day there, the group decided to visit Mira's home before resting. After asking a villager for directions, they were led toward a small house near the riverbank at the edge of town.
The place looked worn out. The roof sagged on one side, and the wooden door creaked under the lightest push. Inside, the air smelled faintly of herbs and old wood. Shelves lined the walls, crowded with jars, boxes, and dried plants.
Han stepped in first, scanning the dimly lit room. Alwyn and Erika followed, spreading out to search. Most of what they found were books and notes on herbs, recipes, treatments, and bits of local gossip.
Alwyn moved into the small bedroom and was about to leave when something caught his eye. One of the floorboards near the corner didn't quite fit right. The gap between it and the next plank was wider than the rest. He pushed a basket aside and pried it up.
Beneath was a narrow hidden compartment holding a single object, a small, worn notebook.
It looked like a diary.
Alwyn opened it and began to skim through. Most of the entries were simple: daily routines, local chatter, and notes about remedies. But then, deeper in, the tone changed. Mira began writing about whispers beyond the Ward, voices calling from outside the boundary.
That made Alwyn's stomach tighten. Given what they knew, those whispers could only mean one thing. Starfiends.
Had Mira inherited more than just scars from her mother's infection?
Alwyn skipped to the most recent entries. His eyes narrowed as he read:
"More and more travelers and merchants heading to our village are going missing. Nobody is saying anything."
"Alric also went missing. Good gods, why isn't the village head doing something?"
"I tried to speak up, but no one listens. Everyone detests me. They wouldn't care what I think."
"I have to go. I need to get to the bottom of this. I'll head into the Wastes."
"Find something interesting?" Erika asked, stepping into the room.
Alwyn looked up. Both Erika and Han were eyeing the diary in his hands. He handed it over, and Erika snatched it eagerly. As she read, Han leaned in to peek over her shoulder.
"Check the entry dated Fifth Moon, Twentieth Sun," Alwyn said. "The one about Alric."
Erika flipped through the pages. Her expression darkened. "Alric... wait, wasn't he the Starvanguard assigned to this village? This says he went missing two months ago."
"That's strange, isn't it?" Alwyn said. "The village head told us Alric disappeared recently along with other villagers. But the diary says otherwise."
"Darn it, why didn't she write more?" Erika grumbled as she skimmed the remaining pages. "She scribbled pages of village gossip but barely anything useful about the case."
"She probably feared being caught," Alwyn replied. "If she suspected foul play, writing anything down would have been risky."
Han's face turned pale. "Wait, is this saying the villagers might be involved?"
"That's what it looks like," Alwyn said.
A/N: Of course things can't be so simple! Please comment and like the chapter if you enjoy it!