Chapter 7 — Shadows on the Roof

The warm lanternlight of the Silver Lantern Inn faded as night settled over Havenbrook Village. Distant crickets chirped, and the occasional clatter of hooves echoed faintly outside as carts rolled back to stables.Inside the small, wooden room, Kai sat cross-legged on his bed, hoodie draped loosely over his frame, mask resting on the nightstand. Emerald-green eyes stared at the faint cracks in the ceiling, but his thoughts were elsewhere.That gaze from earlier…He couldn’t shake it. The sensation of being watched clung to him like damp mist. It wasn’t just curiosity. It felt deliberate. Focused.Darius, sprawled out on the other bed, glanced over lazily. “You’re still thinking about it, aren’t you? Whoever you thought was watching us.”Kai didn’t reply.Darius huffed, trying again. “Relax, kid. It’s probably just a villager curious about newcomers. Lira’s pretty, after all.” He grinned, expecting some reaction.Kai gave him nothing. No smile. No glare. Not even a twitch.“…Tch.” Darius turned over onto his side. “You’re impossible to talk to.”“I’m not here to talk,” Kai muttered quietly, emerald eyes still fixed on the ceiling.

Sometime past midnight, Kai’s light sleep was broken by the softest sound — a faint creak of wooden shingles overhead.Footsteps.His eyes snapped open instantly, the calm emerald glow sharp and focused. He didn’t move immediately, letting his ears confirm the pattern.Two steps. Pause. Another three. Slow. Deliberate.Roof. Above Lira’s room.Darius snored softly across the room, oblivious.Kai slid silently out of bed, slipping on his black hoodie and pulling his mask into place. His hand instinctively brushed against the familiar hilt of his ninjatō at his hip. No unnecessary sound. No wasted movement.With a practiced motion, he eased the door open and slipped into the hall, closing it without so much as a whisper of wood on wood.

Lira’s door was closed, a single lantern flickering faintly within. Kai’s steps were silent as he eased the latch open, sliding inside with barely a breath of air disturbed.The room was dark except for the dying lantern, shadows pooling deep in the corners. Lira slept peacefully on the small bed, her silver hair scattered across the pillow, staff leaning against the wall within arm’s reach.Kai moved without sound, positioning himself in the farthest corner, merging with the shadows. The black hoodie, mask, and faint moonlight spilling through the window made him vanish into the darkness.He waited. Listening. Watching.

The footsteps above were clearer now. Whoever — or whatever — was moving, they were skilled. Not a casual drunk villager, not a wandering cat. The weight was light but calculated, shifting deliberately from beam to beam.Kai’s breathing slowed, every sense sharpening.Are they after me… or her?His gaze flicked briefly to Lira. She seemed undisturbed, soft breaths rising and falling steadily.That only narrowed his suspicion.If they’re watching her, why?

A faint scrape. Dust rained softly from the ceiling.Someone was directly above the window now.Kai’s hand drifted slowly toward his kunai pouch, fingers resting lightly on the handle. He crouched lower, the tension in his frame coiled like a spring.Then — silence.Too silent.Kai’s emerald eyes narrowed behind his mask, instincts screaming. Whoever was outside knew what they were doing… and they were waiting for him to relax.He didn’t.Instead, he waited them out.