"Who are you clowns?"
The words landed heavy, as if the mountain air itself had decided to carry them farther than Kaiden intended.
For a heartbeat, the gathering ground froze.
Conversations cut off mid-sentence. Boots stopped crunching against gravel. Even the fluttering banners seemed to still, caught in an awkward suspension as dozens of awakened turned their attention toward the source of the disturbance.
Shock rippled outward in visible waves.
The ash-blond man's eyes widened first, his smug expression cracking just enough to betray genuine disbelief. Beside him, the three women stiffened, their alert stances sharpening as they quickly reassessed Kaiden. He visibly went from a useless loser to a rude, useless loser in their eyes.
"You…" the blond man began slowly with incredulity bleeding into his voice, finding it hard to accept that this was reality. "You really don't know who I am?"
Kaiden tilted his head. "Should I?"
That did it.
