The moment the elder told everyone to step back, the crowd finally listened.
Not reluctantly.
Not slowly.
Immediately.
That alone told me everything I needed to know about how serious the situation had become.
The loose circle around us widened, giving us more space, but no one actually left. They just… stayed there, watching, like they were afraid to look away.
Which, honestly, made me feel like I was about to explode or something.
"…Okay," I said, glancing around. "So what's the plan here? Because standing in the middle of the village while everyone stares at me like I'm about to transform into something is not very reassuring."
The elder didn't answer right away. She was watching Mira.
Carefully.
Measuring something.
"…We're moving this discussion," she said finally.
"Great," I replied. "I'm a big fan of moving discussions."
Mira's grip tightened slightly.
"He's staying with me."
"…I had a feeling you were going to say that."
The elder nodded once, like she expected it. "He will come with me."
"No."
That was immediate.
Flat.
Final.
The air shifted again.
Not as violently as before, but enough to make everyone tense.
"…Mira," the elder said, her voice calm but firm, "this is not a request."
Mira didn't move.
She didn't raise her voice.
She didn't show any obvious emotion.
But something about the way she stood there made it clear she wasn't backing down.
"He's mine."
"…We're still saying that," I muttered.
Still ignored.
The elder exhaled slowly, then looked at me instead.
"…Ren," she said, "you need to come with me."
"Do I?" I asked.
"Yes."
"…And if I don't?"
She didn't hesitate.
"Then this situation will escalate beyond what anyone here can control."
I glanced around.
Everyone was still watching.
Still tense.
Still affected.
Then I looked at Mira.
She hadn't taken her eyes off me.
Not once.
"…Okay," I said slowly. "I'm starting to understand that I don't really have a good option here."
"You don't," the elder confirmed.
"…Great."
I rubbed the back of my neck, thinking for a second before speaking again.
"If I go with you," I said, "this doesn't turn into something worse, right?"
"That depends," she replied.
"…That is not comforting."
"It's the truth."
Fair enough.
I sighed.
"Alright," I said. "I'll go."
Mira's grip tightened instantly.
"No."
I glanced at her. "Mira—"
"No," she repeated.
Her voice didn't rise.
But the pressure in the air did.
"…I'm not leaving," I said. "I'm just going to talk."
"No."
Same answer.
Same tone.
Same problem.
"…Okay, this is getting difficult," I muttered.
The elder stepped forward slightly.
"Mira, listen carefully," she said. "If you continue like this, you will lose control."
"I won't."
"You already are."
That made her pause.
Just for a second.
Then her grip tightened again.
"I don't care."
"…That's exactly the issue," I said under my breath.
The elder's gaze sharpened.
"Then we will proceed differently," she said.
"…That doesn't sound good."
"It isn't."
She raised her hand.
Not aggressively.
Just enough to signal something.
Two of the villagers stepped forward.
Slowly.
Carefully.
"…Okay," I said immediately. "Let's not do anything dramatic."
"We are trying to prevent that," the elder replied.
"Yeah, but this feels like the start of something dramatic."
Mira moved.
Not fast this time.
But deliberate.
She stepped slightly in front of me again, her body shifting just enough to block them.
"Don't," she said.
The two villagers stopped instantly.
"…This is exactly what I meant," I said.
The elder didn't respond.
She was watching Mira again.
Then—
She made a decision.
"…Ren," she said, "you will walk with me."
"…While she's still attached to me?"
"Yes."
"…That actually might be the safest option."
Mira didn't respond.
But she didn't say no either.
Which, at this point, counted as progress.
"Alright," I said. "Let's try that before anyone gets thrown across the village."
The elder nodded once and turned.
"Follow me."
And just like that, we started moving.
---
Walking through the village like that was… uncomfortable.
Very uncomfortable.
People moved out of the way immediately, creating a clear path for us, but they didn't stop staring. If anything, being closer made it worse.
I could feel it again.
That strange pull.
That attention.
"…Yeah, I don't like this," I muttered.
Mira stayed right next to me the entire time, her hand still gripping my sleeve, her presence… steady.
Too steady.
It wasn't frantic anymore.
It wasn't chaotic.
It was focused.
Which somehow felt more dangerous.
"…Mira," I said quietly, "you're still okay, right?"
"Yes."
"…You don't sound okay."
"I am."
She didn't elaborate.
Of course she didn't.
We reached a larger building near the center of the village, clearly more important than the others. The elder stepped inside without hesitation.
"Inside," she said.
I followed.
Mira followed me.
Still attached.
The door closed behind us.
And for the first time since this started…
It was quiet.
Really quiet.
No villagers.
No crowd.
Just the three of us.
"…Okay," I said, exhaling slightly. "This is better."
The elder turned to face me.
Now that we were alone, her expression changed.
Less controlled.
More serious.
"…Ren," she said, "I need you to listen carefully."
"That usually means I'm not going to like what comes next."
"You are not just affecting individuals," she continued. "You are altering the emotional balance of this entire area."
"…That sounds like a big problem."
"It is."
I nodded slowly.
"Okay. So what's the solution?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Instead, her gaze shifted slightly.
To Mira.
"…First," she said, "we separate you."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then—
"No."
Mira's voice cut through the room instantly.
And just like that—
The pressure came back.
Stronger.
Heavier.
More focused.
"…Yeah," I said quietly. "I had a feeling that was going to be the problem."
The elder didn't look surprised.
"…Then we don't have much time," she said.
"…Time for what?"
Her gaze returned to me.
"To stabilize you."
That didn't sound good.
At all.
And something told me…
This was only the beginning of a much bigger problem.