The Extra Seeks Chaos

CHATTER! CHATTER!

Arin could hear the chatter of the villagers as they walked around.

From the voices he could hear with his enhanced ears, it was obvious that they were more cheerful than ever this evening.

"Hmm, they're preparing for the feast tonight," Arin muttered to himself.

He got up and walked towards the window where Roxanne was standing.

"They sure seem very happy..." Roxanne said.

"Yeah. There's a feast tonight," Arin said, his gaze lingering on the villagers he could now see through the window.

"So, do you plan on heading there now?" Seraphine asked.

Arin sighed as he shook his head.

"Nah... I'll just wait till it's completely dark."

***********

Night came faster than Arin expected, but well, it was time to go because he could already see that the feast was about to start.

"Arin..."

Arin instantly heard Tessa's voice in his head.

"Hm? What is it?"

"I'm outside your room," Tessa replied.

Arin's eyes darted towards the door.

He put on his mask and cloak and wore the bracelet immediately after.

After adjusting his mask, he walked towards the door.

Opening it, he was met with Tessa.

She smiled at him. "The feast is about to start."

Arin nodded. "Yeah. Let's go..."

They both went downstairs and exited the building.

"Ethan, Leon and... Uhm, Miss Riya are already with the other villagers," Tessa said as they both walked towards where the villagers were gathered.

The moon in the sky wasn't full, but it still cast a warm glow.

Arin nodded. "Hmm. We all sort of promised Fang that we would be at the feast."

He added, "but even if we didn't promise her anything, we would have still come."

"That's true," Tessa said. "Moreover, it'll serve as a break for us."

They continued walking forward, and finally, they reached the villagers.

The children were playing under the moonlight, running around, while the senior ones were helping the other villagers set up everything.

Arin could already scent the soup and other food that were being prepared.

There were no chairs, so the villagers would have to stand and eat, maybe sit on the ground, but well, nobody was even concerned about that.

It was just part of the feast.

Arin looked around to his right and he could see Ethan seated on the ground, watching the children as they played.

Though, it looked like he was protecting them more than just watching them, because anytime one of them did something dangerous, he would yell at them, and later comfort them.

Arin just smiled as he looked at the middle of the gathered villagers where he could see Leon at the center, talking about all the wonderful adventures he had been on.

He made sure to make the little things he did sound epic, so as to receive praises from everyone, especially the ladies.

Arin shook his head. 'Bro will never get tired of doing this...'

Tessa was with Fang, helping her carry a few things like the cups and bowls they would use for the feast.

Arin's gaze then averted to the right, and he finally spotted who he was searching for.

Riya was with a few other men and women, and she was helping to start the bonfire.

She was busy carrying long woods to add to the bonfire.

From the faces of the others around her, it was obvious that they really appreciated her help.

Their children were supposed to be helping them do this, but they were too busy listening to Leon's grand tales.

A small smile formed on Arin's face as he folded his arms, observing everything.

After a few minutes, he could see that everything was already put in place, and this was further confirmed when all the villagers made a wide circle around the large bonfire.

The bonfire cast a bright glow, and at least, together with the light from the moon, the villagers were able to see their surroundings.

After forming a wide circle around the bonfire, Fang walked towards the center of the circle, standing directly beside the bonfire.

"EVERYONE!" She began, her voice loud and firm. "We have gathered here tonight for this feast, to celebrate our victory against the Beast Tide. And apart from that, this is also to celebrate our bond that will continue to be strengthened!"

"YEAHH!!"

The villagers cheered with all their strength while the children began jumping.

Fang continued,

"So, tonight, we shall eat, drink, dance, play, and enjoy ourselves! Allow yourselves to get drunk, because we have achieved numerous things with this bond of ours!"

Once again, everyone cheered.

With that, the feast officially began.

The villagers were yet to notice Arin because he was standing at the back of the circle, quite a distance away from them.

Fang was too busy with the villagers so she didn't even bother looking for Arin or anyone from his team.

"Ah... The night breeze is always the best," Arin muttered as he folded his arms and relaxed.

His cloak fluttered lightly as his gaze lingered on the villagers who were cheering.

Suddenly, about five of the villagers went to the center of the bonfire. They were holding cone-shaped... Wood?

Arin could see some thin leaves tied around the wood, and other stuff around it.

"Looks strangely familiar..." Arin muttered.

The five of them sat down on the ground. As soon as the first one hit his wood...

THING!

The wood let out a certain sound... A sound that was pleasant to the ears.

Music?

The others began hitting their own wood, and the sound began increasing, shaping itself into a melody.

Arin squinted his eyes. "I knew it... Those woods looked familiar."

The sound that was produced from the wood further confirmed it.

"They look like talking drums from Earth..." Arin muttered to himself.

The melody continued, and Arin couldn't help but admit that it helped him relax further.

He closed his eyes, enjoying the melody.

A few seconds later, he could hear the sound of someone approaching him, but he was just too relaxed to open his eyes for now.

He felt like if he opened his eyes, he wouldn't be relaxed anymore.

Though, he could feel that the person approaching him didn't have malicious intent, that was why he was even comfortable not opening his eyes.

The person stopped walking, standing beside Arin.

Arin didn't say anything.

"So, you won't say anything? Or maybe you somehow knew it was me?" Riya asked.

"I didn't know it was you," Arin replied. "But I knew it wasn't someone with bad intents."

Riya smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Arin scoffed.

Silence prevailed once again.

Only the sound of the villagers cheering, and the sweet melody from the drums could be heard.

But then, after a few minutes, Riya broke the silence again.

"You're quite selfish, you know that, right?"

Arin furrowed his brows, but he still didn't open his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

Riya turned to look at Arin. "You're relaxed, enjoying this melody and cool breeze, but..."

Arin waited to hear what Riya would say next.

"But what about Roxanne?"

Arin was silent.

'That's so true to the point that I can't even come up with any excuse,' Arin thought.

Roxanne was a Vampire, but it wasn't like if she appeared now, the villagers would instantly sense her.

After all, she wouldn't use any Blood Skill or anything.

"You're right, Riya... That's indeed selfish of me," Arin said. "I have no excuse."

"Hmm, now do the needful," Riya said, her tone playful.

Arin smiled. With his eyes still closed, he removed the bracelet from his wrist and dropped it on the floor.

The next second, Roxanne instantly appeared.

She lowered her head towards Arin, but Arin's eyes were still closed.

She turned to look at Riya and a smile blossomed on her face.

Riya also smiled and without saying anything, they both hugged each other.

"Awwwnnn... It feels like I haven't seen you in a year," Riya said.

Roxanne giggled. "I missed you too."

"Hey Roxanne. Don't forget about me."

Roxanne quickly turned back to look at who spoke, and behold, it was Seraphine.

Arin had also decided to summon her.

"Seraphine," Roxanne smiled as she held Seraphine's hand. "Let's get closer to that fire a bit."

Seraphine's expression paled. "Huh? I'm not sure about that..."

"Just a bit... I want to learn how those villagers are dancing," Roxanne said.

Seraphine was already being dragged away by Roxanne, but she quickly spoke to Arin.

"Remember, this doesn't count as a 'walk'. So you still haven't fulfilled your promise."

"Sure sure," Arin said, waving his hand as if telling Seraphine to shoo.

Eventually, Roxanne successfully dragged Seraphine.

Arin opened his eyes, and he could see the villagers dancing around the guys who were playing the drums.

They were all eating and drinking, and most of them were already drunk.

Even... Leon?

"Wait, Leon is drunk? How?" Arin muttered.

"Is he not supposed to get drunk because of his race?" Riya asked.

"Something like that," Arin replied.

They both stood in silence for a few seconds, but Arin could sense it...

Riya wanted to say something, and knowing Riya, he knew she would say it.