Chapter 16.9: The Lantern Festival Incident
The next night, the city felt almost… alive. Strings of glowing paper lanterns floated above the streets, carrying soft light like drifting fireflies. Music and laughter spilled from every corner.
Gia's eyes lit up. "Festival?"
Felix nodded sagely. "Street festivals are the perfect cover. No one notices three strangers when everyone's busy eating fried dough and watching jugglers."
Kyle crossed his arms. "And we're doing this… why?"
"Because," Felix said, already weaving into the crowd, "you've been brooding since we got here, and brooding makes you look suspicious. Also, I want dumplings."
The Contest We Didn't Sign Up For
They'd barely made it three stalls in before a cheerful woman grabbed Kyle by the wrist.
"You're just in time for the Lantern Chase!" she said.
Kyle blinked. "The what—"
Felix shoved him forward. "He's in."
The rules were simple: catch one of the enchanted floating lanterns before it drifted too high, and you win a prize. The catch? The lanterns ran away from you.
Kyle found himself sprinting down a side street, chasing a stubborn blue lantern that dodged like it had combat training. Gia and Felix were laughing so hard they nearly dropped their skewers of candied fruit.
Chaos Ensues
Felix decided to join in, leaping off crates to grab a green lantern, only for it to zip through Gia's sudden portal and bop him in the back of the head.
Gia, competitive streak fully awakened, tried to corner a gold lantern but tripped over a basket of festival masks, sending them spilling into the street. A passing troupe of drummers started wearing them mid-performance.
Kyle finally snagged his blue lantern with a whip of blood—then realized half the crowd was staring at the sudden crimson arc in the air.
"Subtle," Felix muttered, snatching the lantern from him before anyone could connect dots.
A Hint of the Hunter
They returned to the main square, arms full of festival prizes—dumplings, skewers, and Felix's questionable "fortune paper" that promised "An unexpected visitor soon."
As fireworks bloomed overhead, Kyle glanced down a narrow alley. For just a heartbeat, he saw it—tall, skeletal, unmoving. A thin vertical slit of red light, half-hidden in the shadows.
Then the next firework lit the sky, and it was gone.
Kyle didn't tell the others.
Chapter 16.9: The Lantern Festival Incident
The next night, the city felt almost… alive. Strings of glowing paper lanterns floated above the streets, carrying soft light like drifting fireflies. Music and laughter spilled from every corner.
Gia's eyes lit up. "Festival?"
Felix nodded sagely. "Street festivals are the perfect cover. No one notices three strangers when everyone's busy eating fried dough and watching jugglers."
Kyle crossed his arms. "And we're doing this… why?"
"Because," Felix said, already weaving into the crowd, "you've been brooding since we got here, and brooding makes you look suspicious. Also, I want dumplings."
The Contest We Didn't Sign Up For
They'd barely made it three stalls in before a cheerful woman grabbed Kyle by the wrist.
"You're just in time for the Lantern Chase!" she said.
Kyle blinked. "The what—"
Felix shoved him forward. "He's in."
The rules were simple: catch one of the enchanted floating lanterns before it drifted too high, and you win a prize. The catch? The lanterns ran away from you.
Kyle found himself sprinting down a side street, chasing a stubborn blue lantern that dodged like it had combat training. Gia and Felix were laughing so hard they nearly dropped their skewers of candied fruit.
Chaos Ensues
Felix decided to join in, leaping off crates to grab a green lantern, only for it to zip through Gia's sudden portal and bop him in the back of the head.
Gia, competitive streak fully awakened, tried to corner a gold lantern but tripped over a basket of festival masks, sending them spilling into the street. A passing troupe of drummers started wearing them mid-performance.
Kyle finally snagged his blue lantern with a whip of blood—then realized half the crowd was staring at the sudden crimson arc in the air.
"Subtle," Felix muttered, snatching the lantern from him before anyone could connect dots.
A Hint of the Hunter
They returned to the main square, arms full of festival prizes—dumplings, skewers, and Felix's questionable "fortune paper" that promised "An unexpected visitor soon."
As fireworks bloomed overhead, Kyle glanced down a narrow alley. For just a heartbeat, he saw it—tall, skeletal, unmoving. A thin vertical slit of red light, half-hidden in the shadows.
Then the next firework lit the sky, and it was gone.
Kyle didn't tell the others.
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