The Castle Beckons

The sky was a pale shade of blue.

The village was already stirring—men carrying sacks of grain, women tending to livestock, childrens going to elementary schools.

It was an ordinary morning, yet there was something off about it.

Something that didn't quite settle right in Ed's mind.

Seated on a wooden bench outside a small house, he quietly observed the village head's wife as she busied herself with a basket of herbs.

There was nothing strange about her at first glance—she was just another villager, dressed in a simple, faded dress.

But his mind kept circling back to one thing.

Why had his blessing activated when he touched her?

Memory of the Fallen—it only worked on the dead.

Was it a mistake? A glitch?

His blessing had never misfired before.

Before he could think further, the woman's voice broke the heavy stillness.