Garric's POV
The streets of Aelthorne pulsed with life, yet Garric felt each pulse as a knife against his patience. Lanterns, tethered to the air with tiny rune chains, swayed gently above the cobblestones, casting golden halos across the worn stones. Street carts glided silently, their wheels humming with faint mana, while merchants shouted prices over the occasional burst of sparks a child's spell had left in the air. Garric's boots struck hard against the cobblestones, shield clanking against his back, each step a silent testament to his mounting frustration.
Ahead, Kaden strode with perfect control. Shoulders squared, gaze forward, every motion deliberate, detached. Garric's jaw tightened. Does he even see it? Does he care?
Selene walked quietly beside Liora, hands occasionally flicking out to steady a teetering crate or calm a floating tray of fruits. Children darted past, leaving trails of harmless sparks behind, and Garric's fingers twitched. All of them moving around like this… as if the world hasn't just taken someone from us.
A cart rattled beside them, and Garric's elbow bumped the edge. The merchant caught it with a polite bow. Garric grunted. Polite bows won't fix what he did.
He stole a glance at Kaden. No change. Nothing. No guilt, no recognition. Only calm precision, as if the chaos of battle and its consequences were irrelevant to him. Garric's hands curled into fists, but he forced them to unclench. Let Selene's quiet gestures soothe herself—he couldn't. He could barely look at the children without thinking of Daren's fall.
"The boy," Garric muttered under his breath, "he wouldn't have made it if Kaden hadn't… if Kaden had done—" He broke off, inhaling through clenched teeth. No words could capture the frustration. Only the simmering tension, coiled like a spring ready to snap.
Selene's voice, soft, almost whispering, reached him. "Garric… don't let your anger show too soon. Let him see us calm, measured. Let him hear us before he reacts."
He shot her a sharp glance, then looked forward. Kaden had already reached the main street, walking as if the morning's devastation hadn't happened. Garric's chest tightened. Measured. Calm. Bullshit. That's what he calls calm.
The city itself seemed oblivious to the tension. Floating lanterns drifted above narrow streets, glowing softly. A baker shook a wand and a row of pastries wobbled slightly before a fine line of stabilizing runes kept them from falling. Children chased sparks and motes of mana, some trying to cast little illusions of animals or toys, others laughing as their spells fizzled harmlessly in the air.
A pair of apprentices argued softly beside a fountain, testing a spell that caused water droplets to shimmer with colors. Garric noted it, teeth grinding, while Kaden's eyes flicked in their direction—not with interest, not with care, but noting each mana fluctuation with almost clinical observation.
The streets smelled of baked bread, rain-soaked stone, and a hint of ozone from residual magical discharges. The combination made Garric's teeth clench. He hated how normal it all looked, how life could go on around him when his best friend had died that morning.
Selene bent slightly, catching a child as they tripped over a stone. Her hands glowed faintly, and the child righted themselves, eyes wide with awe but unharmed. "Easy there," she said gently. "Watch the stones, little one."
The child giggled and ran off, leaving a faint trace of residual sparks that hovered momentarily before fading. Liora, glancing around nervously, muttered softly, "People just go about their days… as if nothing happened.
The Gilded Griffin loomed ahead. Its sign swung lazily, gilded feathers catching lantern light, shimmering faintly as though alive. Through the open doors, laughter spilled out into the street. Waitstaff balanced floating trays, carrying drinks that bobbed gently above their palms. A harpist played a hovering instrument, the notes visible as sparkling trails of color. Patrons laughed, leaning on tables with mugs floating inches off the ground, stabilized by tiny, subtle enchantments.
Garric stopped abruptly, planting his boots firmly. Kaden had walked ahead, expression calm, shoulders squared, eyes scanning the room as though evaluating a target rather than seeing the people.
"Do you even realize what you did today?!" Garric's voice snapped, cutting through the hum of magic and conversation. Heads turned. A patron set down a floating mug with a soft clink.
Kaden rubbed his face with a hand, jaw tightening slightly, body stiffening. He didn't answer. Not yet.
"You left Daren!" Garric continued, pacing slightly. "He trusted you! He gave everything—and you just—"
Kaden's fingers flexed lightly against his side. "He didn't survive. That's the reality. I did what was necessary."
Selene stepped between them, voice soft, careful. "Kaden… you can't ignore it. You can't pretend it didn't cost him everything…"
Liora's hands twisted around her staff, eyes darting nervously. "We risked ourselves today, but you… you moved like nothing happened. Like it was all a puzzle to solve."
Garric's shoulders tensed, fists clenched. "A puzzle?! He bled out right in front of you!"
Kaden's posture remained rigid, jaw tight, eyes forward. Every muscle a taut wire. Patrons stole glances from their hovering drinks and floating plates, sensing the sharp tension radiating through the small corner of the bar.
Selene stepped closer to Garric, placing a tentative hand on his arm. "Let him hear it, Garric… but let's not force him to break."
Garric growled low in his throat, restraining himself. Liora's shoulders shook slightly. Kaden's hands tapped the edge of the table. Tension simmered. Every floating mug, every sparkling rune, every flickering candle seemed to vibrate in the air.
"You don't understand!" Garric hissed finally. "You don't realize what it feels like to see someone you care about die while you stand there thinking you did everything right!"
Kaden's eyes narrowed slightly, a subtle, almost imperceptible twitch in his jaw. Physical tells. No words. Just the flex of fingers, the set of shoulders, the rigidity of stance. Garric noticed them, felt the faint tremor of restrained energy radiating outward. The first threads of real tension were visible, tiny sparks before a fire.
Patrons whispered softly, casting curious glances. "Adventurers…" one muttered. "That must be Kaden."
Another said, "I heard Daren was on that mission too. Shame about him…"
Magic hummed in every detail. Floating plates, stabilized mugs, glowing runes, sparks from children—mundane, woven into everyday life. Some people were born with more energy than others, capable of controlling and manipulating mana beyond the ordinary. Swordsmen like Kaden relied on precision, skill, and training. Combining magic and swordsmanship was rare, legendary even.
Selene whispered softly to Liora, "The city doesn't notice because it's used to magic, but Kaden… he's not a mage yet. He only has his skill. That's what makes him dangerous."
Liora nodded quietly, eyes tracking every subtle motion, every twitch, every glance Kaden threw in their direction.
The team walked through the quieted city, lanterns floating above, casting soft light on worn stones. Night air was cool, carrying the faint scent of baked bread, smoke from distant fires, and the faint hum of residual magic in the streets.
Garric's stride was tense, fingers flexing against his shield. Kaden walked ahead, shoulders rigid, eyes forward. Liora's gaze lingered on him, cautious. Selene moved quietly, her hands occasionally flicking to steady a passing tray or a lantern swaying too close to the pavement.
Every slight magical interaction—the shimmer of a floating coin, the wobble of a lantern, a child's tiny burst of fire motes—seemed to echo against Kaden's controlled tension. His jaw flexed, shoulders tightened, fingers tapped lightly at his sides.
Garric stole a glance. He's cracking, he thought. Not yet, not fully, but the tension was there, coiling like a spring.
The city around them hummed and breathed, oblivious. Floating lanterns glimmered, carts glided silently, street performers made magic dance for coins, and children laughed, leaving trails of sparks behind them. Kaden's eyes flicked toward the horizon, narrowing slightly. Something at the edge of awareness tugged, faint but unmistakable. The first brush of what was to come.
The weight of the morning's battle, the simmering confrontation at the Gilded Griffin, and the silent, lingering tension of the team settled over them like fog. Trust was fractured, unspoken guilt lingered, and every step forward reminded them that nothing would be the same again.
And Kaden, though calm, though precise, though entirely in control for now, felt the faintest pressure begin to coil inside him, a tension he did not yet recognize—but one that would not let him remain untouched for long.
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This was a bit longer, I hope you guys are starting to kinda maybe perchance almost get what is starting to happen! Some world building is happening....