It was Erica’s voice that finally cut through the silence. “If that damaged my hearing in any way, we’re going to need a lawyer,” she muttered, her voice still a little shaky despite her attempt at indignation.

The comment, mundane as it was, seemed to break the tension. People shifted, straightened, and began cautiously testing their footing. The fire still burned steadily, the tables and chairs remained in place, and nothing appeared to have changed.

And yet… There was a heaviness in the air now. Something subtle, but unmistakable. The tavern felt different, quieter in a way that had nothing to do with sound. The cozy warmth from earlier had thinned, replaced with something more uncertain.

Amanda glanced slowly around the room. “I guess the game has officially begun?”

“It would appear so,” Kyrie agreed quietly.

They moved slowly at first, collecting themselves. David retrieved a glass that had tipped over near the hearth, while Alicia dabbed at a small spill on the table with a cloth she found behind the bar. Conversation resumed in low, cautious tones, as though no one quite wanted to raise their voice again.

Kyrie drifted along the edge of the room, her gaze wandering as she passed beneath the balcony. Something caught her attention. She paused and looked up at the clock. For a moment, she couldn’t place what seemed different. Something about it felt… changed.

Then she heard it. Tick. Tick. Faint. Subtle. Almost lost beneath the crackling fire. The clock was moving. She leaned slightly closer, watching the minute hand creep forward. It was already nearing twenty past twelve.

“Hey,” Kyrie said, pointing upward. “The clock is working now.”

The others gathered beneath it again, craning their necks to listen. Sure enough, the faint ticking continued, steady and normal, like any ordinary clock.

“Well… that’s new,” Casey murmured.

“And unsettling,” Amanda added quietly.

They exchanged uncertain glances, the mystery only deepening.

Jennifer stifled a yawn, the tension of the moment giving way to fatigue. “It’s late… and too dark to do anything anywhere else.”

Patrick nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “Probably smarter to get some rest and start fresh tomorrow.”

The others gradually agreed. The evening had already delivered more than enough strange occurrences, and exhaustion was beginning to set in.

Phillip, however, looked reluctant. He held the strange book they had found, flipping carefully through its pages. “I think I’m going to stay up a bit longer,” he said. “See if I can figure out anything else in here.”

“I’ll stay with you,” David offered, already pouring himself another drink. “No point everyone turning in at once.”

Phillip nodded appreciatively.

David settled back near the fireplace, adjusting a log with the poker as flames danced higher, while Phillip spread the book and the map of Esora across one of the tables.

One by one, the others headed upstairs. Footsteps creaked along the wooden floor, doors opened and closed, and the tavern gradually quieted again.

Kyrie paused briefly at the top of the stairs, glancing back down.

Phillip sat hunched over the strange text, lips moving silently as he tried to decipher it. David leaned back in his chair, drink in hand, watching the fire with a thoughtful expression.

The clock ticked faintly above them. Tick. Tick.

Kyrie turned and headed toward her room, stepping inside and closing the door behind her.

Outside, the forest pressed close in the darkness. Inside, the tavern settled into uneasy rest. And somewhere in the night, the game had truly begun.