Leaving the village chief's house early, Shin and Albert avoided his daughters by going to inspect the land and prepare for the coming day. It was easy to look serious and hardworking, while all they were going to do was sit alone beneath the night sky, watch the stars move, and hope no monster comes out of the woods to eat them.
Albert sighed, sitting on a small stone as his eyes darted from the trees into the distant stars. "This village… It's mad."
Shin looked at him for a few seconds and nodded, this time his face growing darker. "They aren't mad… just unable to do anything else. Defying the dragon means that everyone here would die a slow and painful death, burned alive."
