Gabriel returned to Eldenreach at dusk.

The gates were open as they always were until darkness crossed the sky. Guards stood against the wooden wall, spears resting loosely in their hands.

They straightened when they saw him approach, eyes lingering longer than usual on the black hair, the dark robe, the faint red glow that never left his irises.

They didn't stop the demon-eyed adventurer. Only whispered to one another after he passed.

The air felt thinner. Each time someone met his gaze, whispered, or bowed their head as he passed, the woman's voice replayed in his mind on a loop.

They listen.

They remember names. Faces. Habits.

The words slid through his thoughts with the same calm certainty they had carried in the fog. Not a warning. A statement.

Gabriel moved deeper into the streets, hooves striking the frozen ground in a steady rhythm. People stepped aside without being asked. Conversations dipped as he passed, then resumed too quickly.

A merchant paused mid-sentence, hands hovering over a stack of crates. His eyes flicked to Gabriel, then away. A pair of hunters near the well fell silent entirely, grips tightening on their bows until he was gone.

All the usual behaviours he had experienced over the last four years drew his attention.

Not from fear. It was more awareness.

Torches were being lit along the main street, their flames wavering despite the lack of wind. The smell of oil and smoke hung heavier than usual, clinging to the air. Somewhere, a door closed softly.

The crimson haze stirred faintly in his chest, responding to something he couldn't see.

He passed the square where children usually played until dark. It was empty now. A single wooden toy lay abandoned near the well, tipped onto its side.

Gabriel's jaw tightened.

"They listen," he murmured under his breath.

For the first time since he'd known it, Eldenreach didn't feel safe.

The guildhall loomed ahead, its broad timber frame lit by lanternlight. Warmth bled from the windows, the familiar glow of fire and noise pushing back against the quiet that had settled over the streets.

It should have felt comforting.

Gabriel guided his horse toward the hitching pole, the animal snorting softly as he dismounted. He took the reins and tied them around the post, fingers moving out of habit rather than thought. The leather creaked quietly as he tightened the knot.

The horse shifted once, testing the slackened reins, then stilled.

Gabriel rested a hand briefly against its neck before turning away.

The guildhall stood ahead.

As he crossed the threshold, the noise inside didn't stop. But it changed. Conversations dipped, then resumed a fraction too quickly. Boots shifted. Someone cleared their throat.

Gabriel stepped fully inside.

The heat from the hearth brushed against his face, carrying the familiar scents of wood and old ale. It was the same as it had always been, yet the air felt tighter, as though the room had been filled past its limit.

Gabriel didn't slow.

He let his gaze scan the hall instead, taking it all in. Not the faces, nor expressions, but posture. Weight distribution. Where hands rested. Who watched the door instead of the room.

He was actively seeking the wolves.

Hanitz sat at his usual table near the back, broad shoulders squared, thick arms folded across his chest. A tankard rested before him, untouched. He wasn't drinking. He wasn't talking.

The giant was doing the same.

Their eyes met across the hall.

No greeting. No relief. Just a brief, shared understanding that didn't need words. Hanitz's gaze flicked once toward the bar, then toward the contract wall, subtle enough that no one else would notice.

Gabriel noticed.

He altered his path without hesitation and crossed the guildhall. Chairs scraped softly as people shifted aside, giving him space without being asked. Conversations bent around him, voices lowering as he passed.

He stopped at Hanitz's table.

Up close, the tension was clearer. The giant's jaw was set, breath slow and measured, every line of his body held ready. This wasn't how he sat in the guild drinking. This was how he waited for trouble.

Hanitz spoke without lifting his voice.

"How did the bounty go, lad? You're back later than I thought you'd be."

Gabriel rested his forearms on the table, eyes still roaming the hall as he answered.

"Something happened—"

Gabriel felt a pull on his shoulder.

He was on his feet before the word finished leaving his mouth.

His chair scraped hard against the floor as he turned, hand snapping out in a sharp, practised motion. His fingers closed around a throat, grip precise and crushing, lifting the person off their feet just slightly

The guild hall fell silent as everyone cast their gaze towards him.

His eyes widened, and he released instantly.

Tess stumbled back a step, boots scraping as she caught herself, one hand flying to her throat. She sucked in a breath, coughing once,

Her eyes were blazing as soon as the air returned to her lungs.

"What is wrong with you, freak?" she snapped, voice hoarse but furious.

Gabriel stepped back at the same time, hands already open, palms away from her. "I thought-"

"You thought what?" Tess snapped. "You'd kill me?"

"Enough."

Hanitz's deep voice cut through the room.

The effect was immediate. Conversations resumed. Tankards lifted. Eyes snapped back to contracts, to ale, to anything that wasn't happening at the table. Whatever interest had sparked died just as quickly.

"Both of you sit."

Hanitz didn't raise his voice.

Gabriel obeyed immediately, lowering himself back into the chair.

Tess hesitated half a heartbeat longer, then sat as well. Brow furrowed towards the demo-eyed adventurer.

The giant leaned forward, forearms resting on the table. His gaze never left the room as he spoke.

"Gabriel," he said evenly, "I want you to go to Mera's. Collect your things. Anything you've left there. Don't linger."

Gabriel frowned. "Now?"

"Now."

Hanitz's eyes shifted briefly, searching the room to see if any wandering stares were cast towards the table.

Hanitz's Gaze came back to them.

"Yes, Ennu's set up a bed for you upstairs, you'll stay here for the time being."

"Because if I'm right," he said voice calm. "That woman is not who she pretends to be."

Gabriel froze as realisation struck.

"Some wolves heal people," he murmured, the words barely audible.

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