Lys pushed open the side door and stepped back into the guild hall with Vessa right behind him. The place had grown even busier in the short time they were outside. Staff were moving between new desks, unpacking crates of papers, and arranging chairs.
The smell of fresh ink and cut wood filled the air. A few local adventurers stood in line at the new counter, talking in low voices.
Rhuvia sat at the largest desk near the back, legs crossed, still carving that block of wood with slow, precise movements of her finger. Tiny shavings curled away like smoke.
She looked completely relaxed, like she was sitting in a garden instead of a village sitting on top of a waking dungeon.
When she spotted Lys, her face lit up with a bright smile.
"Welcome back," she said cheerfully. "Did you two lovebirds finish whispering sweet nothings in the training yard?"
Lys froze mid-step. Heat rushed up his neck. Vessa, walking beside him, also stiffened, her usual calm expression cracking as her ears turned red.
"Huh… We were just talking," Lys said quickly, trying to keep his voice steady.
Rhuvia's smile widened. She tilted her head, eyes sparkling with amusement. "Of course you were. How cute." She waved her hand lightly. "Don't mind me. I'm just happy to see young people getting along so well."
Lys met Vessa's gaze directly and gave a small shrug. Vessa just sighs.
Rhuvia watched him for a second longer, then gave a soft laugh. Without saying anything more, she just went back to carving her wood, but the sharpness in her eyes told Lys she had been testing him. And he had apparently passed.
He nodded to her and started walking toward the exit. Before he reached the door, a hand caught his arm.
"Kid, wait a second."
It was Pell. The middle-aged man looked tired. His usual easy smile was missing, and faint lines of worry sat between his brows.
"What's wrong?" Lys asked quietly.
Pell glanced around to make sure no one else was listening, then leaned in. "Two guys I know went into the eastern part of Gaiya this morning for a simple quest. They came back about an hour ago. Empty-handed. Said the forest felt… wrong. Unusual. More than usual. They wouldn't even talk about what they saw. Just turned around and left fast, picking up another quest from the board that isn't inside the forest. One of them is usually steady as a rock. But today he looked scared."
Lys's stomach tightened. He could guess what he was getting into.
Pell squeezed his arm once. "Just… stay inside the village for now, alright? At least until we know more. Don't go wandering out there alone. You are already injured from before. No need to take quests anymore for now."
Lys nodded, feeling a wave of gratitude for the man. "Thanks, Mister Pell. I appreciate you telling me. But don't worry, I wasn't here today to take any quest today."
"Ohhh, then it's good. Go on then. Don't mind me." Pell patted his shoulder and walked back toward the request board, shoulders a little hunched, likely from sitting too long.
Lys stepped out of the guild hall into the afternoon sunlight.
The village street looked normal on the surface. A woman near the market was arguing with a merchant over the price of thread, her voice sharp. Others were doing their business as usual, not knowing the trouble that was brewing on the horizon. The smell of fresh bread drifted from a nearby stall.
But when Lys looked toward the far end of the road, where the dense tree line of Gaiya Forest was visible, something felt off. The forest looked the same as always, yet it didn't.
His mind drifted toward the outer settlement beyond the village walls, the cluster of lean-tos and simple shelters where many people lived. He remembered the hollow looks on their faces when he and Vessa had walked through there before. Remembering them, he felt an eerie feeling for some reason.
A quiet danger. That's what it felt like. Everyone was still going about their day, but the tension was already there, hiding just under the surface.
He shook his head slightly and turned toward Sara's shop. He needed to check in with her and see how things were going on her end.
As he started walking, he heard the guild door open again behind him. Vessa had stepped out. Before the door closed, Rhuvia's calm voice carried out clearly.
"What an irony. The moment this village finally gets a guild, a dungeon decides to wake up. Coincidence or pure luck… who knows."
Lys didn't turn around, as he didn't hear her say it. He kept walking, hands tucked into his pockets, mind turning over everything that was coming.
He pushed open the door to Sara's shop and stepped inside.