No one spoke.
The faded crystal rested silently on the table. Its once brilliant blue glow had become little more than a faint shimmer.
Elder Veyron gently turned it over in his hands.
"I inspected it myself. There is no crack. No curse. No corruption. It simply..."
He frowned.
"...lost power."
Lucien stepped forward.
"May I?"
Veyron handed him the crystal. The priest closed his eyes. Golden light flowed into his palms. Unlike the previous night... His holy magic remained stable.
For several seconds. Then—
The crystal rejected it. A sharp pulse burst outward. Lucien stumbled back.
"...!"
The crystal fell. Kaelith caught it before it reached the floor. Silence. Lucien slowly flexed his fingers.
"They're resisting restoration."
Selara folded her arms.
"Barrier crystals do not resist anything."
"They did."
"They cannot."
"They just did."
Vorak scratched his beard.
"...Perhaps they're stubborn."
Several people looked at him.
Vorak shrugged.
"...Everything else has been strange lately."
"...Fair."
Even Selara couldn't argue with that. Rin wasn't listening anymore. Not completely. His thoughts had returned to the note hidden beneath his pillow.
Do not trust the System.
If the warning was true... Then who had written it? And why couldn't the System even see it?
Unless...
A terrible possibility entered his mind. What if the note existed...Outside the System?
Just like—
"The Observer..."
The words escaped before he realized it.
Everyone looked at him.
"...Observer?"
Elder Veyron repeated. Rin immediately regretted speaking aloud.
"...Ji-ho mentioned it."
Kaelith noticed the hesitation.
"What are you thinking?"
Rin hesitated.
"I..."
He couldn't tell them everything. Ji-ho's warning echoed inside his head.
"Never tell them everything you know."
Someone... Was always listening.
"I just think..."
He chose his words carefully.
"...the darkness and the barrier crystals might be connected."
Not technically a lie. Just... Not the whole truth. Veyron slowly nodded.
"A reasonable assumption."
Kaelith, however... Continued watching Rin. His expression didn't change. But Rin knew. He wasn't convinced. The meeting continued. Reports arrived one after another.
No villages had been attacked. No monsters had crossed the borders. No magical disturbances had been detected beyond the fortress.
Everything... Was normal. Which made everyone even more uncomfortable.
Finally—
A young scout hurried inside. He knelt before Kaelith.
"General. We searched the western cliffs."
"And?"
"...We found tracks."
"What kind?"
The scout swallowed.
"...None."
Silence.
Selara frowned.
"You found...tracks without footprints?"
"Yes."
Everyone stared. The scout looked deeply uncomfortable.
"The snow was disturbed. But nothing touched it."
Rin blinked.
"...That's impossible."
"So we thought."
The scout unfolded a rough sketch. The snow had parted. Not walked through. Not melted. It looked... As though something had moved beneath reality itself.
Lucien quietly whispered,
"I dislike this."
Vorak nodded.
"I preferred ordinary monsters."
"So did I."
The meeting ended shortly afterward. Mostly because no one had any answers. As the commanders left...
Kaelith remained behind. So did Rin.
Neither spoke immediately. Veyron quietly gathered his scrolls before glancing toward the General.
"I'll leave the two of you."
The old mage disappeared through the heavy doors. The chamber became quiet. Kaelith rested both hands on the table.
"You lied."
Rin sighed.
"...You're very direct."
"I prefer efficiency."
"I noticed."
Kaelith wasn't accusing him. He simply stated a fact.
"You are hiding something."
"...Yes."
"You have a reason."
"...Yes."
"I will not force you."
Rin looked up.
"...You're... not curious?"
"I am."
"...Then why—"
"Trust."
The answer came immediately.
"If you are keeping a secret..."
Kaelith met his eyes.
"...I believe you have a reason."
"..."
"When you are ready...you will tell me."
The words landed harder than any interrogation could have. Because they were genuine. Rin suddenly felt guilty. Very guilty.
"...You're making this difficult."
"I have been informed."
Rin laughed despite himself.
"...You really have."
For the first time that morning...Kaelith's lips curved. Only slightly. But unmistakably. A smile. Small. Almost invisible.
Still...A smile.
Rin blinked.
"...There it is."
Kaelith tilted his head.
"What?"
"You smiled."
"...Did I?"
"You absolutely did."
"I wasn't aware."
"You should do it more often."
Kaelith considered that.
"...Noted."
Rin couldn't help laughing. Outside... Unfortunately... Someone else had noticed.
Two soldiers stood beside the training yard. One elbowed the other.
"...Did you see that?"
"I did."
"The General smiled."
"...He smiled at the human."
"...Again."
"...Again?"
"I counted three times this week."
"...We're doomed."
"No."
"I think they're becoming friends."
The first soldier looked horrified.
"...That's somehow more shocking."
Nearby...
A third soldier quietly unfolded a notebook.
"The betting pool has officially been updated."
By lunchtime... The entire fortress somehow knew. Not only that the General had smiled... But apparently—
He had smiled warmly.
At sunrise. While sharing a deeply emotional conversation. Involving bread. None of those details were accurate. Rin learned this when a kitchen worker handed him soup.
"...It's nice seeing the General so happy."
Rin nearly dropped the bowl.
"...Happy?"
"Oh yes."
"I heard he laughed."
"...He what?"
"And held your hand."
"...HE DID NOT."
The cook frowned thoughtfully.
"...Maybe that was yesterday."
"It was never!"
A nearby baker looked up.
"I heard wedding bells."
"..."
"..."
"...What."
The baker blinked.
"...Too soon?"
Rin buried his face in his hands.
"This fortress is impossible."
Far above... Hidden behind drifting clouds... Something watched.
No face. No body. Only two pale white eyes opening within endless darkness.
Watching.
Waiting.
Listening.
Then...Very softly...
It laughed.
The sound never reached the fortress.
Yet somewhere deep inside the walls...
The oldest protective rune cracked.
Just a little. Almost too little to notice.
Almost.