One week, he thought, letting his gaze drift to the ceiling. One week since that night.
One week since I saw him die right in front of me.
And still... no answers.
He had been found next morning, barely conscious, by the two city guards. They hadn't been cruel, just cautious. Questions had followed, relentless and sharp-edged and then when they realized he couldn't give them anything useful, they had settled for watching him. Always watching.
The knock came just as the first light of dawn broke through the shutters. Three sharf raps, measured and heavy, like a single rather than a request.
Feste froze.
That's not the usual guard.
The door oppend before he could respond. A man stepped inside.
Tall,
broad shoulder's, black bear and wearing the dark red coat of the city's elite guard.
The insigina on his chest gleamed faintly. Four silver stars arranged in a vetical line. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes... his eyes studied Feste with quiet calculation.
"You've beeen keeping to yourself," the man said, his voice calm but carrying the weight of command. "Thats good. It means you understand the situation."
Feste swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry.
"Who are you"
The man ignored the question, stepping closer, the faint scent of steel and ash clinging to his uniform.
"We need to talk"
He said and for a brief second, Feste swore the man' gaze cut through him like a blade.
Feste didn't move.
His finger s tightened slightly on the edge of the thin blanket, but his gaze stayed locked on the man in front of him.
The stranger's boots echoed softly against the wooden floor as he stepped fully inside, closing the door with a quiet click. For a moment, the silence between them stretched, heavy, suffocating.
"You've been making people nervous," the man said finally, his tone level but sharp.
"A drifter.
No records.
No connections.
And then... his eyes narrowed slightly.
Feste's jaw tightened. He forced himself to
a faint smirk ghosted over the man's lips, gone almost as quickly as it appeared.
The man studied him for a long moment, the silence filling the space between every heartbeat.
"You're persistent," he said finally, his voice quieter now, almost thoughtful.
Feste swallowed hard, unable to fell of that was a warning or an invitation.
"Why are you here?" he asked, trying to keep his tone steady.
The man didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stepped closer until the edge of his coat brushed against Feste's knee. His gaze was steady, unflinching.
"Because," he said, lowering his voice, "people like you don't stay invisible for long. And the more you dig into things you don't understand, the sooner you understand."
Feste felt his chest tighten, his thought's racing.
The man's presence filled the room like a storm brewing, silent but suffocating. Feste forced himself to hold that gaze, even as the weight of it pressed down on him.
"You're not from here," the man said.
"Your accent, your mannerisms. You Don't belong in this city."
Feste clenched his fists beneath the blanket. "so what? that dosen't make me a murder."
"No," the man admitted, tilting his head slightly. "But it makes you... interesting. a
And dangerous man like to watch interesting things."
Dangerous men... The words burned into his mind.
Feste's lips parted, but no words came out. His throat felt tight, every thought tangled into a knot.
"You'll see me again," the man said, stepping back toward the door. "Sooner than you think."
And just like that, he was gone. The door shutting wit a muted thud that left thr room eerily quiet.
For a long moment, Feste didn't move. The room felt smaller somehow, the air heavier.
What the hell was that He rubbed his face with shaking hands, frustration bubbling up beneath his ribs.They watch me, question me and now this.
His gaze drifted toward the small window, the faint light of morning spilling in. Outside, the city hummed to life, indifferent to the chaos clawing at his thought's.
The walls of the small room felt like they were closing in, every creak of the wood and hum of the city outside scraping against his nerves. Feste stood, his legs still aching from the bruises, and reached for his coat.
I can't stay here all day. He thought, slipping the worn boots over his feet.
If I keep rotting in this room, I'll go insane.
The streets greeted him with their usual chaos, vendors calling out their prices, children darting between carts, the clatter of hooves on cobblestone mixing whit the low murmur of voice's. It was a city alive.
Feste kept his head down as he walke, his hands shoves deep into his coat pockets. A barkery in the corner. He bought small laof with the last few coins he had.
Sitting on the bench by the edge of the square, he tore into the bread, the crust rough but comforting.
One week...
one week and i'm no closer to understanding anything. The man... those eyes... They're hiding something. And im stuck here, waiting for someone else to make a move.
Across the street, two city guards leaned casually against a post, talking in hushed voices but never taking their eyes off him.
Feste felt the weight of their stares and tore another piece of bread, his jaw tight.
The square had started to quiet as the morning turned to noon, the calmor of merchants replaced by the steady rhythm of footsteps and distant voice's. Feste leaned back on the bench, chewing slowly, his eyes scanning the crowd without mich thought.
That was when he felt it, a chill, subtle but sharp, like a whisper brushing against his skin.
What... was that?
His gaze darted across the square. Nothing out of place. No one staring. Just the usual blur of stranger's going about their lives. And yet, something was wrong. The air felt heavier, charged in a way that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
Feste stood, the half - eaten loaf of bread still in his hand. He took a step toward the narrow alley that ran between two shops, his instincts screaming louder with each beat of his heart.
That was when the world tilted.
A sharp sting at the side of his neck, so quick he almost thought he imagined it and then nothing. His knees buckeld, the ground rushing up to meet him as his vision blurred into darkness.