Chapter 13: The Hidden Village of Veilstead
The village of Veilstead was no ordinary village. Tucked deep within the lush canopy of the Whispering Forest, it was said to house secrets older than Valerion itself. But as Hiroto, Luna, and Riku stepped onto its borders, they realized this visit was going to be anything but ordinary.
The first hint was the eerie stillness that permeated the air. The trees, usually rustling with whispers, stood silent. In the village's entrance, its residents appeared to be frozen in time, engaged in their daily activities.
Riku tilted his head, his ears twitching. "Uh, did we step into a painting or something?" he telepathically whispered to Hiroto, eyeing a child mid-jump, suspended in the air while playing catch.
Hiroto's interface blinked, signaling an alert. "It's a status effect!" he exclaimed, then turned to Luna. "It seems the entire village is under some kind of magic-induced stasis."
Luna knelt, examining the ground, her fingers tracing over intricate patterns barely visible to the naked eye. "This is old magic," she murmured, her brow furrowed. "I've read about such spells in Valerion's ancient texts, but I've never seen one in action."
Feeling adventurous, Riku swatted at a nearby floating water droplet, causing ripples to spread across the air, distorting the scene before them. "Whoops," he mused cheekily, his tail swishing playfully.
As they made their way towards the heart of the village, the massive, glowing rune in the village square was hard to miss. Luna gasped softly. "That's the source!" she whispered. At its center stood a regal-looking woman, her eyes closed, hands raised as if she had been mid-chant when the stasis took effect.
But before they could approach, shadows emerged from the village's periphery. Not everyone was frozen in time. A band of villagers, their eyes wary and weapons drawn, encircled the trio. "You! You did this to our village!" one of them accused, pointing a shaky finger at Hiroto.
Trying to defuse the tension, Hiroto raised his hands, "Look, I might've messed up my taxes in my previous life, but freezing an entire village? That's way above my paygrade!"
Luna stepped forward, her voice calm, "We mean no harm. We're here to help." Beside her, Riku, ever the distraction, chased after a villager's floating feathered hat, trying to pounce on it.
Using the brief moment of distraction, Kei and Luna combined their magical energies. The air crackled with power as the massive rune began to flicker. Slowly, its magic began to dissipate, and the regal woman at its center began to stir.
As the final remnants of the rune vanished, the village chief, as Luna recognized her to be, blinked her eyes open. Taking in the scene before her - Hiroto in a comical defensive stance, Luna with her staff poised, and Riku now proudly wearing the feathered hat - she sighed in relief.
"You might not be the heroes we expected," she began with a grateful smile, "but you're certainly the ones we needed."
The chapter ended with Hiroto's gleaming eyes looking at the Village Chief, "So, about that rare herb..."
**End of Chapter 13.**