Before the start of the final day's celebration, all the spirits gathered inside Mawan Village.
None of the Autumn Giants were there, only small Autumn Spirits and no one else.
At the center of the gathering stood the spirit holding the bottle with the black liquid inside.
The liquid pulsed and shifted within it.
One of the young spirits approached him.
"What is that thing?"
"This is what we will use to awaken the Great Autumn Spirit."
He had already explained his plan to them earlier. He told them that the Great Autumn Spirit had been asleep for many long years and that the elders had hidden the truth from them.
Some did not believe him, but no one dared to object. The reason was painfully simple, the necklace around his neck.
A green gemstone tied with a rope. The necklace that belonged to the elder. Raising it was enough to erase doubt from the eyes of most spirits.
"Today we restore the glory of the Autumn Spirit. Today we stop protecting this pathetic human village."
Some spirits nodded convincingly, some stood silent. Only one spoke.
Tell. Her arms were crossed, and her wings trembled sharply.
"What is this nonsense?"
All the spirits turned toward her. The spirit holding the bottle narrowed his eyes and smirked.
He raised the necklace in front of her face as if flaunting it at her.
"This necklace proves everything. Your father, the elder himself, gave it to me so I could lead the mission."
Tell stared at the necklace, then looked at him with disgust.
"This proves nothing. If anything, it makes everything you said sound even more stupid."
"Do you dare question the elder's orders? It is obvious that your time with that filthy hybrid has made you forget the pride of the spirits."
She punched him hard, sending him rolling across the ground as gasps rose from the surrounding spirits.
"You dare insult me? The elder's daughter? Did you forget who you are speaking to?"
He stood, wiping the orange blood from his lip, then shot her a condescending look.
"I am the next elder of all Autumn Spirit clans. And you? You are just a childish spirit exiled to the human village as punishment. I came here to build greatness, and you..."
She cut him off as she turned away, wings beating irritably.
"What you are doing is stupidity."
Then she rose into the air and disappeared between the trees.
He shouted after her,
"Just don't ruin things this time!"
She did not look back. She could not. She felt furious from how he treated her moments ago, and the fact that he received the necklace instead of her. But beneath the anger was something else, real fear.
She may not have liked humans, and she came to this village during the festival as punishment, but wiping out the humans? Destroying the village? That had never been part of her beliefs.
She knew that if their plan succeeded, it would mean the end of every person here.
The forest monsters only stayed away because of the protection of the Autumn Spirit. If that protection vanished, everything would collapse.
And then there was her father. The elder approving such an idea made her even more uneasy.
For months, he had not been the same. No longer the kind person he once was.
No one noticed it except her. The subtle shift in his personality, how he acted normal yet something darker lurked beneath. She sensed more cunning, more malice.
She was certain what was happening now was connected to him… the bottle… and the lie about the sleeping Autumn Spirit.
For some reason, she felt a small piece of that lie might be true, but there were many hidden details.
Tell sat on a high branch overlooking the village. Her legs shook anxiously, her wings folding and spreading without her noticing. She could not decide.
She didn't want the villagers to die, especially Oliver. But she also did not want to betray her own clan.
The elder's orders were absolute. That was how she was raised. She buried her face in her hands.
And even if she tried to warn the villagers, they wouldn't understand her.
Even if she spoke to Oliver alone and he warned the villagers, they likely wouldn't believe him.
And even if somehow they believed him and tried something…
They were still just humans, unprepared for any confrontation. The only thing they had was their naive respect for spirits.
She remembered that man… the one who saved her and Oliver from the forest beast. That masked man who defeated the creature effortlessly.
At that moment, she felt a spark of hope for saving the village.
She flapped her wings hard and flew quickly until she reached Oliver's window.
She began hitting the glass and shouting,
"Hybrid, open the window right now!"
Oliver was inside his room, lifting furniture and sweeping the floor, grumbling after Eleanor threatened to keep him from attending the final day of the festival if he didn't clean his room.
He opened the window when he heard Tell's voice.
"I thought you had finally left…"
She cut him off.
"There's no time. The village is in danger. We have to move now."
"What are you talking about?"
She explained everything. The spirits' meeting, the black bottle, the lie about the sleeping Autumn Spirit, the plan to destroy the village, her father and everything else.
While she spoke, Oliver's face shifted slowly from curiosity to shock.
"You are the daughter of one of the Autumn Spirit elders? No wonder you're arrogant."
"Is this really the time? I said the village will be destroyed! We need to find that man now."
"The masked man? You think he can stop the spirits?"
"I don't know, but I hope he can."
They left the room in a hurry, Tell flying above him and Oliver running.
"Where do we find him?"
"I don't know! Obviously he doesn't live with the villagers. He looks like someone who lives alone."
Oliver thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers.
"I know someone who might know where he lives."
"Then run! You humans are the ones whose lives are on the line, not me!"
Oliver sprinted toward the tavern. The bartender was just about to lock the door to head out and watch the Autumn Spirit's appearance in the square.
Oliver shouted as soon as he reached him,
"Where does the masked man live? Quickly!"
The bartender blinked in confusion.
"As far as I know, he lives in a small camp near the forest's edge…"
"Thanks!"
Oliver waved as he ran off, Tell flying after him.
The bartender raised his hand and shouted,
"Don't miss the end of the festival! The Autumn Spirit shows up today! That only happens once every twenty years!"
But Oliver had already vanished among the trees.
The bartender had no idea that the Autumn Spirit appearing this year would not be a joyous event.