In an instant,
the courtyard, which just moments ago had been filled with laughter and boisterous celebration,
fell silent as if an invisible hand had pressed a mute button.
All the noise stopped abruptly, and a deathly quiet spread like a surging tide.
Only the bonfire
would occasionally let out the abrupt CRACKLE of burning wood,
like a startling thunderclap in the dark, briefly shattering the silence.
With every crackle, a few glittering sparks would eagerly leap out,
tracing faint yet glaring lines of light through the air.
Then, as if losing all their strength, they would fall limply to the ground, instantly swallowed by the merciless darkness,
leaving behind only a faint wisp of smoke as proof they had ever existed.
"How am I supposed to know if you're telling the truth?"
Sparrow had been comfortably nestled in his chair,
leisurely enjoying some delicious roasted meat, but the relaxed expression on his face instantly froze over, replaced by a grim frost.
