The sunlight burned away the last remnants of the night's fog, casting long shadows across the landscape. Ezra stood at the edge of the camp, watching the distant hills as the echoes of his fight with Meliodas and Escanor still rang in his ears. His body was sore, bruised, but his spirit had been sharpened. That trial had shown him something crucial: the real fight wasn't against the enemies he would face—it was against the version of himself that the system tried to impose.
But as the battle ended and the tension eased, something new had begun to stir in the air. A sense of unease. The Watcher. The countdown.
[Countdown to the Main Story: 135,393 Hours]
Ezra couldn't ignore the feeling that the system wasn't just preparing him for battle. It was preparing him for something far more intricate—something that didn't just involve him, but everyone around him. He could feel the subtle shift in the atmosphere as if something—or someone—was watching from the shadows.
Merlin approached him, her eyes scanning him with a sharp, analytical look. "How do you feel?" she asked, her tone devoid of judgment.
"Alive," Ezra answered simply. "But... I think I've only scratched the surface."
She smiled faintly. "That's the right answer."
Behind them, the others were preparing to move out. The air felt charged, and Ezra could sense the intensity that had settled over the group. They weren't just a team—they were a force. And each one of them had something to protect.
The remnants of their last battle still lay before them: the scorched earth where Escanor's power had collided with Ezra's resolve. The ground was scorched, a reminder of the destructive potential that lay dormant in all of them.
Meliodas walked up to Ezra, clapping him on the shoulder with a playful grin. "That was a good fight. You held your own. But don't get cocky. We've got bigger things to worry about."
"What's the plan?" Ezra asked, though he had a sinking feeling he already knew the answer.
"We head north," Meliodas replied. "There's a village near the border—Liones is still a few days away, but this village… it's been left untouched. For now. We need to find out why."
Ezra nodded, though a shiver ran down his spine. The unease he had been feeling was growing. The Watcher. The unknown force that seemed to be pulling strings behind the scenes.
[System Notification: New Side Quest Unlocked] [Title: The Watcher's Eye] [Objective: Investigate the Source of Surveillance Activity] [Reward: ???]
Ezra's eyes widened as the notification appeared before him. The Watcher's presence was no longer a theory. It was real. And it was watching him—watching them all. He knew, deep down, that this was just the beginning.
"We move out in an hour," Meliodas said, clapping Ezra on the back. "Get ready. And if you have any doubts about this trial, leave them behind. We're not just fighting for ourselves anymore."
Ezra turned back to the others. Escanor, who had remained silent during the preparations, locked eyes with him. For a brief moment, there was something in his gaze—something that was more than just the cold calculation of a warrior. A hint of something darker, something buried deep.
"I've got your back," Escanor said quietly, as if reading Ezra's thoughts. "But you need to know: you're not alone in this. Whatever comes next, we'll face it together."
Ezra nodded, feeling a warmth spread through him, even as the coldness of the unknown pressed against his chest.
The journey north took most of the day, the landscape gradually shifting from dense forest to open fields and rugged terrain. The village they were heading toward was tucked away between two mountain ranges, a place that had once been a hub for trade and communication. But now, it was isolated. And that made it all the more suspicious.
The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon as they arrived at the village's outskirts. It was eerily quiet. No sounds of animals, no voices from the houses. Just an unsettling stillness that filled the air.
Meliodas surveyed the area, his expression darkening. "Something's wrong," he muttered.
"We've seen this before," Ban said from behind him. "Another ghost town."
Merlin nodded. "And it's not just the lack of life. It's the way it's been abandoned. Too clean. No signs of struggle. No chaos."
Ezra's instincts kicked in. "No blood. No magic traces. Whoever did this… they knew exactly how to cover their tracks."
Escanor stepped forward, his golden armor reflecting the last light of the day. "We need to investigate. And fast."
The group fanned out, entering the village cautiously, each of them on high alert. Ezra's hand tightened around the hilt of his sword as his senses heightened. His system hummed faintly in the background, as though the Watcher's presence had triggered some form of surveillance.
[System Notification: Observation Activity Detected]
It wasn't just him anymore. The Watcher was still here, lingering in the village like an unseen predator, observing their every move. The hairs on the back of Ezra's neck stood on end as the feeling of being watched intensified.
"Ezra," Merlin called softly from a nearby building, "over here."
Ezra hurried over, finding Merlin standing in front of an old stone well. Her face was grim as she pointed to the ground. There, beneath the surface, a faint outline of what appeared to be a symbol—a dark, arcane sigil—was inscribed into the stone.
"What is that?" Ezra asked, kneeling beside her.
"It's a ward," Merlin said, her voice low. "But not like anything I've seen before. It's designed to hide something. To conceal it from… well, from us."
Ezra's heart raced. This wasn't just about a destroyed village. This was about something much darker—a force actively concealing itself from their eyes. And the Watcher was at the center of it all.
[System Notification: New Main Quest Unlocked] [Title: The Hidden Truth] [Objective: Investigate the Dark Sigil and Uncover the Source of the Watcher's Power] [Reward: ???]
Ezra looked at the sigil once more, and for the first time in a long while, he felt the weight of the countdown.
Whatever was hidden here, whatever the Watcher was guarding, they were about to uncover it. And Ezra knew, deep in his gut, that the answers would not be what they expected.
[Countdown to the Main Story: 135,388 Hours]