Ethan drew a quiet breath, and his mind snapped awake like someone had just flipped a switch. The energy here was… invigorating. The kind that made your blood run warmer and your thoughts sharper.
Then, without warning, a man with blue skin sprang out at the village entrance.
He gripped a long spear, and a strange pressure rolled off him—thin, sharp, almost like it could slice right through you.
He moved insanely fast. His gaze cut across Ethan and Feylora like a blade.
"Who are you?" The man's voice was packed with hostility, his eyes flashing with vicious intent.
Ethan's brow furrowed. Confusion rose up immediately—because this guy looked ridiculous in the most unsettling way. His head was like an elephant's, but the rest of him was human. And on his back—an enormous pair of wings.
It was shocking to look at. And somehow even more wrong the longer you stared.
"Are you locals?" Ethan asked coldly, meeting his eyes head-on.
The man didn't answer.
