The sun had dipped lower in the sky by the time Alex and Elyra returned to the main village.

There were blood drops and splashes on their clothes from the fight with the demonic creature. That was why the villagers, who always looked at them with happy smiles, were looking at them with curious expressions.

Yes, curious.

They didn’t seem scared or panicked.

‘I knew it would be like this,’ Alex nodded to himself.

Both he and Elyra were the focus of the villagers right now, but even with the fact that one person almost died to a demonic creature and that they had just killed that creature, the villagers didn’t seem interested in that.

They seemed to be interested in something else.

“Are they headed to the elders’ abode?”

“Seems like it.”

“What could they want from the elders?”

This is what they whispered among themselves, wondering why Alex and Elyra wanted to meet the elders.

Alex noticed it all but kept his expression neutral. Elyra, however, strode confidently through the square, her usual smirk firmly in place.

Alex was sure that she could hear the whispers as well, but she didn’t seem to be affected by them.

Soon, they reached the elders’ hall—a modest stone building adorned with carvings of ancient symbols.

‘Another strange thing…’ Alex noted as he observed the walls.

Similar to the luxurious mattress in the run-down inn he was staying in, the elders’ hall was more advanced than any other building in this village.

Elyra glanced at Alex, and seeing him nod, her grin widened. She pushed the hall’s doors open, which creaked as it revealed the inside of the hall.

Three elders sat in a semicircle at the far end of the room, their faces lined with age but their eyes sharp and piercing. They were dressed in simple robes, their hands resting on intricately carved staves.

“Ah, the hero and his companion,” the middle elder said, his voice smooth and warm like honey. He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “What brings you here?”

Alex stepped forward, his posture straight and commanding. “We encountered another demon in the eastern woods. This is the fourth time the barrier has failed in as many nights. I need answers.”

The elders exchanged glances, their smiles widening in unison. It was unnerving—too practiced, too perfect.

“Patience, young one,” the left elder said, his voice carrying a soothing cadence. “All will be revealed in due time.”

Alex frowned a bit at that. He had thought that they would just wave him off by calling him an outsider, but they didn’t. The question, however, was why?

Why were they even answering him?

There was a short silence in the room before Elyra crossed her arms. “That’s not good enough,” she spoke, her heterochromatic eyes narrowing. “We’re risking our lives out there, and you’re telling us to be patient?”

The right elder chuckled softly. “Bravery and impatience often walk hand in hand. But there is no need for alarm. The barrier is not failing; it is… evolving.”

Those words brought another bout of silence. Both Alex and Elyra waited, expecting the elders to explain more, but nothing else was said by those old men, so Alex decided to speak up.

“Evolving?” Alex repeated, his tone sharp. “That doesn’t explain why demons are slipping through.”

“Or why you’ve done nothing about it,” Elyra added, her voice laced with irritation.

The middle elder’s smile widened further. “All your questions will be answered tomorrow at the festival. It is the way of things.”

Alex frowned, his instincts telling him there was more to this than they were letting on. “What festival? No one’s mentioned this to me.”

Elyra gave him a confused glance but didn’t say anything. She was sure that she had told him about it, but since Alex didn’t want to reveal that, then she would let it be that way.

The elders exchanged another glance, their smiles unwavering. “The Festival of Renewal,” the left elder said. “It is a sacred tradition, held once every decade. Tomorrow, as the sun reaches its peak, the village will gather to celebrate. You will understand everything then.”

“That’s not good enough,” Alex said, his voice firm. Alex wasn’t really sure if this trick would work or not, but he added, “If this barrier is evolving, then you must know how and why. If you want my help, I need more than vague promises.”

He was risking it to check something.

The middle elder tilted his head, his gaze thoughtful. “You are a protector, Alex. That much is clear. But even protectors must sometimes wait and trust in the wisdom of others.”

[We can now be sure that this is a trial.] Sophie commented as soon as the elder replied.

‘Yes. There was no other reason for them to take my words lying if not for that,’ Alex agreed with that, nodding inwardly.

His last words were rude and self-serving. It was as if he was showing them that he was being generous by helping them.

If it wasn’t a trial and was a normal village, they would’ve either begged for his help or kicked him out of there. But none of them happened, hence proving Alex’s theory.

Elyra opened her mouth to argue, but Alex placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. He could see they weren’t going to get anything more out of the elders tonight.

“Fine,” Alex said, his tone clipped. “We’ll wait for this festival. But if something happens between now and then, I’ll expect answers—and fast.”

The middle elder inclined his head. “You have our word.”

As Alex and Elyra turned to leave, the middle elder’s voice echoed behind them. “Rest well, hero. Tomorrow will be… enlightening.”

‘So it’s tomorrow, huh?’ Alex’s eyes sharpened as he heard those words, but all he did was nod and leave.

[Yes. It seems the trial is tomorrow.] Sophie, sitting in the dream space, nodded as well, a thoughtful expression on her face.

[But there’s still one piece missing, isn’t there?] She asked, at which Alex turned to Elyra, who walked ahead of him.

‘Yes, we still don’t know what her role is,’ Alex replied.

[From what I can guess, she is probably the one you will have to save or who will die in the trial you will go through.]

Sophie’s words caused Alex’s eyes to sharpen, but he didn’t say anything in reply. Nothing was sure yet, so all he could do was wait for the festival.

As both of them walked to the village square, it was quiet; the only sounds were the rustling of leaves and the distant murmur of villagers preparing for the festival.

Elyra was frowning, her steps quick and sharp as she moved back and forth the square.

“They’re hiding something,” she said, her voice low but seething. “I don’t care how wise they’re supposed to be. That whole ‘evolving barrier’ thing is bull.”

She had always felt that those elders had something going on, but today she became sure of it.

“I know,” Alex replied, his tone calm but grim. “They’re either lying or withholding something important. Either way, we’ll find out tomorrow.”

Elyra stopped walking, turning to face him. “And if we don’t?”

Alex met her gaze, his eyes cold and determined. “Then we make them tell us.”

Elyra studied him for a moment before smirking. “Now that’s the hero spirit I like to see.”

Alex shook his head, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips despite himself. “Let’s get some rest. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”

Biding their farewell, both of them went back to sleep. They needed enough rest to be ready for whatever they would face tomorrow.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep