The evening settled into a quiet rhythm as the envoy gathered for a simple dinner at the inn. The village of Brenden still carried an eerie stillness, as if there was an unseen threat hanging in the air.
Adrian ate quietly, his thoughts constantly drifting back to the map in his pocket, to the temple that lay just beyond the village's borders.
Medea sat across from him, her sharp eyes scanning the room for anything unusual. Though they had been greeted with polite words and hospitality, neither Adrian nor Medea was foolish enough to believe that everything was as it seemed.
The village's tight security, the guarded stares of the villagers—it all screamed of something darker lurking beneath the surface.
As the evening wore on, Adrian leaned over to Medea in a low voice. "We can't wait for the council to give us answers. If the temple's as close as the map says, we need to check it out ourselves."
Medea nodded. "Agreed."
