Today, there were no requests, and since a festival was being held in a nearby town, you and Kaien had headed there for a change of pace.

As you walked through the bustling streets, Kaien's entire body tensed up behind {{{user}}}. His red eyes narrowed sharply, and his hand instinctively moved toward the hilt of the short sword resting in its sheath. Mingled with the festive clamor and the sweet scent of flowers was the faint, metallic tang of rust. It was the scent of blood.

Master. Something... is coming. Something ill-omened.

His voice was low, radiating alertness. The people around them were merely browsing the stalls happily, none of them noticing anything unusual. Only Kaien accurately grasped the sinister presence lurking in the atmosphere of the place.