The entire village and its people meandered in a soothing air as Tsubasa and Owain sat and read to the surrounding children. Their voices rang out in perfect harmony as they recited the end of an enchanting fairytale.

"And so, the courageous firebird soared into the heavens, carrying the wishes of the villagers in its fiery wings." They said in unison, their expressions warm and animated. "With the blessings of Goddess Helia and the spirits, their land flourished for generations, a testament to their bravery, unity, and trust in the divine."

It was as if the fantasy book cast a spell of silence upon the group of children—silence that was soon followed by all the children erupting into cheers and applause. Some stood and mimicked the firebird's flight, running around in circles with giddy laughter.

Owain chuckled, his weathered voice carrying over the chatter. "Alright, little ones, settle down, settle down." He said, raising his hands gently. "We're glad you enjoyed the story."

Tsubasa smiled and added, "And now, it's time to let the next part of the festival begin. Everyone, gather around and listen closely!"

As the children and adults alike quieted, Owain rose to his feet, his presence commanding yet kind. Tsubasa joined him, her grace complementing his presence. Together, they joined hands and announced, "This marks the end of the First Phase of the Enohay Spirit Festival. We now begin the Second Phase—the Ceremonial Dance!"

A wave of cheers swept through the crowd of villagers, their excitement palpable. Tsubasa continued, "This is a time to express our gratitude to Goddess Helia and the spirits who watch over us, ensuring another year of prosperity and protection! Let us dance in their honor!"

Owain gestured toward Kina Alder, who stepped forward with a warm smile. She clapped her hands and began gathering the children. "Come along, little ones! While the grown-ups have their fun, we'll have our own fun with the animals and games I've prepared just for you!"

The children all applauded and eagerly followed her to a separate area of the festival, their laughter filling the air as Kina led them toward her farm animals and colorful booths.

Meanwhile, the adults began pairing off, the festive music swelling in the background. Among the mingling villagers stood Himon Koul, his wife Tawa, and their daughter, Mary.

"There goes Mari, thank goodness..." Mary said, sighing as if a burden was lifted off her shoulders.

At the same time, Himon grinned and turned to his wife, bowing dramatically as he extended his hand. "Tawa, my dear, may I have this dance?"

Tawa giggled, placing her hand in his with a playful smile. "Of course, my love."

Mary groaned with a dramatic swing of her head, her face flushing in embarrassment. "Ugh, really? Do you have to do that here?"

Himon chuckled as he straightened, glancing at his daughter with a teasing grin. "You'll understand one day, Mary."

Tawa exchanged a knowing smile with her husband before looking at Mary. "Maybe that day is today," she said softly, "after all, this is her first Spirit Festival where she's old enough to join the dance. Why not find a partner and enjoy yourself?"

Mary rolled her eyes. "Mom, please."

Himon leaned closer, his voice dripping with mischief. "You know," he said slyly, "Dama is your age. Maybe he'd make a good partner."

Mary's cheeks turned a vivid shade of pink at her father's suggestion. "Dad!" She shouted, unable to form a coherent protest.

She clenched her fists and groaned in frustration as her parents laughed, Himon leading Tawa to the dance floor. "I'm going to make him pay for this later...!" Mary muttered under her breath.

Before she could start conceiving an appropriate revenge, her thoughts were interrupted by a soft laugh from behind. "Judging by Himon's laugh, he's the reason you look so tense."

Mary turned quickly, her embarrassment melting into surprise as she saw Alexandra standing there, her smile radiating a calming presence, making Mary forget her anger.

Before Mary could greet Alexandra though, another voice cut through the air—a young man's voice, casual and amused. "I'd say." He quipped, followed by a light chuckle.

Both Mary and Alexandra turned toward the source, spotting Jaden and Moa strolling toward them.

"Yo!" Jaden greeted, raising two fingers in a friendly wave.

Moa followed up with her own cheerful greeting as she ran up to Mary and Alexandra, throwing her arms around them in a warm hug. Mary and Alexandra returned the hug, Mary grinning as she exclaimed, "Sister Moa! How was your booth?"

"It was great!" Moa responded as she hugged Mary and Alexandra tighter. "Though, I gotta say, your booth was something else! The activity, the character, and you in that beautiful dress; all of it just came together so well!"

"Thank you so much!" Mary said whilst burying her face into her big sister figure's shoulder.

Watching the scene unfold, Jaden crossed his arms, a smirk on his face as he addressed Mary. "By the way, what had you so tense, little Mary? Shouldn't you be out there dancing with some lucky lad by now?" A comment that flared up Mary's annoyance once more, especially from being called little by someone in her age range.

Alexandra chuckled softly at Mary's reaction whilst patting Moa's back, then turned her attention to Jaden. "To answer for Mary, I'd guess Himon got on her nerves again by teasing her about finding a partner. Most likely, he mentioned Dama."

Mary's pout and the way she looked away with a slight blush confirmed Alexandra's theory. Jaden and Alexandra chuckled at her reaction, while Mary rolled her eyes again, grumbling under her breath.

Moa, however, perked up at the mention of Dama. "Speaking of that little munchkin, I haven't seen him around in a while!" She said, releasing her hug. "Do any of you know where he is?"

Jaden shrugged. "Beats me."

Mary's expression shifted to one of slight worry, her previous embarrassment forgotten.

In contrast to the others though, Alexandra smiled warmly, cupping her cheek as she prepared to answer. "Oh, he—!" But before she could finish, she felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump a tiny bit.

A calm voice then completed her answer. "He's with Juin at the moment."

Recognizing the voice instantly, Alexandra turned and lit up with joy. "Liam!" She exclaimed, immediately throwing her arms around him in a bright hug.

Jaden, Moa, and Mary echoed Liam's statement in confusion. "With Juin?" They asked in unison, their voices tinged with curiosity and surprise.

Alexandra pulled back from her hug, her cheeks tinted pink from her embarrassing display. "Ah, sorry about that!"

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Liam, however, gave her a rare playful, almost seductive smile. "You of all people don't need to apologize, Alexandra." He said smoothly, his tone causing her to blush even more.

Flustered but smiling, Alexandra turned her attention to Jaden, Moa, and Mary while keeping her arms around Liam's neck. "Dama went to Ronoa's house to fetch Liam since Liam was spending time with Juin!"

Liam chimed in, finishing the explanation. "Now Dama's with Juin in my place, so I could come here and join Alexandra for the dance."

Moa clasped her hands together, her face lighting up. "Aw, that's so sweet of both you and Dama! I should visit Juin in the near future too!"

Jaden ran a hand through his hair with a small smirk. "Yeah, that does sound like Dama. Always thinking of others first."

Mary, meanwhile, remained silent, struggling to keep her disappointment from showing, fidgeting with her sleeves in the meantime.

Just then, the music shifted to a more low and slow beat, signaling the start of the ceremonial dance. Liam noticed the change and slipped his arm around Alexandra's waist, pulling her closer. He bowed slightly to Jaden, Moa, and Mary, his smile warm and apologetic. "We should get to the dance area. I'm sorry for missing the first phase and not visiting your booths, but I have no doubt all three were fantastic. Now that I'm here for the second phase, though, I can't miss this dance with Alexandra."

Alexandra smiled, her earlier embarrassment replaced with warmth. Together, they walked off toward the dance area, leaving Jaden, Moa, and Mary to watch them go.

"Welp, there goes those two lovebrids." Jaden said with a chuckle, folding his arms and sighing in slight longing for the same thing.

Mary cosigned on the statement with a longing-filled, "Yeah..."

Moa however, who had been grasping her chin in thought ever since hearing about Dama, suddenly spoke up. "You know, have either of you noticed something strange about Dama lately?"

Both Jaden and Mary turned to her, their expressions shifting from casual to curious. "Strange how?" Jaden asked, raising an eyebrow.

Moa hesitated for a moment before continuing, her tone slightly unsure. "It's just a feeling. He seems...different somehow. Like there's more going on with him than he's letting on, right? I can't be the only one."

Mary furrowed her brows as she put a hand on her hip. "What do you mean? Has something happened?"

Moa shook her head. "I can't say for certain. Maybe it's just me overthinking, but for a while now, when I see him, I feel like he's carrying a lot more weight than a boy his age should be. Not only that, but he's just been acting weird, ya know?" She said before shaking her head with a chuckle. "N-Not in a bad way, mind you. Just a bit out of character."

Jaden tilted his head, his expression softening. "Now that you mention it... I've noticed he keeps to himself more than he used to. Like he's got something on his mind all the time. Though, I haven't noticed anything strange today. Either way, he hasn't really done anything weird, and he is a boy most likely going through puberty by now, no? I've always thought that was the reason." He said before adopting a sly grin while shrugging his shoulders. "Who knows, maybe the thing that's been on his mind all the time is g—!"

Before Jaden could finish his joke, Moa's hand slammed onto his head, like she was a martial artist karate chopping slabs of bricks.

"OOOUCH! What the hell, Moa!" Jaden said as he stumbled backward, holding both sides of his head as if it was going to split in half from Moa's strike. "That's not cool!"

Moa blew on her hand like it was some smoking firearm, still in a karate chop form. "My little Dama is a pure boy, don't you dare insinuate such a thing! Last thing I want is him becoming like you."

"And what does that mean, huh!?" Jaden shouted back, clenching both hands at his sides.

"Pffft," Moa laughed, a knowing grin on her face as she broke eye contact, "you really think I haven't seen the type of stuff you buy while on your little merchant trips~? She said, a comment that confused Mary, but made Jaden freeze in place, practically his entire body becoming a light shade of red. "Like, for example, a certain magazine by the name of~"

"Okay!" Jaden caved as he outstretched his hands in mercy. "Okay, I get it, damn..."

Moa grin grew three sizes that day from her perceived victory. "A dirty mind and mouth? Sheesh Jaden, I'll have to keep Dama away from you~!"

As Moa laughed at Jaden's expense, Mary piped up from the side. "Hey, we're getting side-tracked here, what exactly did you notice about Dama's behavior that has been strange, sis?"

"Fair point..." Moa hesitated for a moment before continuing, her tone thoughtful. "Well, it's hard to describe. It's not one thing, but a lot of small things I've noticed over the past few months."

Jaden raised an eyebrow, though his annoyance with Moa was still evident on his face. "Elaborate."

"Well, for starters," Moa crossed her arms, "remember how Dama disappeared for almost two weeks a few months ago?"

Jaden scratched his head, trying to recall. "Uh, kind of? Not really..."

Mary, however, nodded. "I do. My dad hiked up to Dama's cabin to check on him. When he came back, he said Dama was 'as fit as a fiddle' and just working on some 'secret project.' That's why he stayed up there the whole time."

Moa nodded back, grasping her chin once more in thought. "That's exactly when I started to get suspicious. And then, after he came back to the village, I noticed two more strange things."

"Like what?" Jaden asked, curious now.

"First," Moa began, putting a finger in the air, "I've seen Dama and Chiefess Tsubasa talking privately a lot more since then."

Jaden stared at her as if she'd grown a second head, then burst out laughing. "That's not strange at all! She is the chiefess, and Dama's told me before how close he is to her. He even said she's the first person he goes to for advice, like most others here. So what's the big deal? Sounds normal to me."

Moa glared at him. "Normal?"

Jaden smirked. "Yeah. Unless you've been spying on them, Moa. In that case," he pointed at here dramatically, "you're the strange one here."

Moa shot him an angry look, but Jaden just smugly looked away, resting his hands behind his head.

She sighed, annoyed, but then nodded slightly. "Okay, fine, you're partly right. Dama going to Tsubasa for advice isn't strange. But you can't deny, the frequency of their talks makes me think there's something more going on."

Jaden shrugged, unconvinced. "If you say so."

Moa then put her hands on her hips, her tone firm. "The next thing, though, is undoubtedly strange. Have either of you noticed that ever since then, he only comes to the village with either Mumu or Nini—but never both? He used to always bring both of them."

Jaden and Mary both paused, their expressions shifting as they thought about it. "You know…" Jaden said slowly. "That is kind of weird." Mary nodded in agreement.

Moa then adjusted her glasses, her voice more confident now. "And here's the real nail in the coffin for me. Last month, when Dama came to the village, I got to talk to him. While we were chatting, I noticed a few small strands of blonde hair on his shirt." She said as she moved her hands and fingers in an almost hypnotic way.

"Blonde hair?" Mary repeated in her head, her curiosity piqued.

Jaden, on the other hand, flicked his wrist dismissively. "And?"

Moa huffed. "And when I pointed it out to him, he panicked as he dusted himself off, then couldn't stop stuttering as he told me how he didn't know how they got there. Tell me, why would strands of blonde hair be on his sweater? All of these little things just tells me he might be hiding something..."

Jaden scratched his ear with his pinky, shrugging. "Uh, there are a few villagers with blonde hair, like Liam. Dama could've been doing something for him or someone else, and their hair just ended up on his shirt. You're overthinking it, Moa. Last thing I want is for you to think spying on Dama in his own house is a good idea and to ring Mary along, especially a boy like himself that needs his privacy." He then chuckled and shrugged. "But hey, that's classic Moa for you. Always coming up with wild conspiracy theories about the village!"

As Jaden laughed at his own joke, he failed to notice Moa stomping toward him. Before he could react, she grabbed both of his cheeks and pulled on them.

"Ow! Moa, stop!" Jaden flailed, trying to free himself.

Moa pouted angrily as she pinched harder. "It's my job as Dama's big sister to worry about these things! Don't mock my observations or call me strange!"

Jaden continued to struggle, shouting for her to let go, but Moa only pinched harder, reprimanding him all the while.

Mary stood to the side, watching the humorous scene unfold. Despite Jaden's teasing and taking his side, she couldn't help but wonder if Moa's observations had some merit.

"Dama..." She whispered softly, looking down at the ground.

-

Next: (Extra Chapter 35) Briarstone's Worrying Silence

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