The fireworks ended.
But the noise didn't.
The festival slowly shifted.
Less shouting. More voices.
Laughter continued across the academy grounds.
To everyone else—
it was still a celebration.
But for them—
something had already changed.
They stepped slightly away from the crowd.
Not far.
Just enough to speak without being overheard.
Jude let out a breath.
"…Alright."
"…We're talking about that, right?"
Lunivara folded her arms lightly.
"…Yes."
Leontius stood beside them, quiet as ever.
Jude glanced between the two.
"…They weren't trying to hurt us."
"…Right?"
"…No," Lunivara said.
"…If they wanted to, they would have."
"…Then what was that?" Jude asked.
A pause.
"…They were checking us."
Jude frowned.
"…Checking what?"
Leontius answered.
"…Our response."
Jude exhaled.
"…That's not reassuring."
Silence settled for a moment.
"…The docks," Jude said.
"…This started there."
Lunivara nodded slightly.
"…Yes."
"…And it didn't end there."
Jude ran a hand through his hair.
"…Okay… but why us?"
The question lingered.
Lunivara didn't answer immediately.
[In the original story… this never happened.]
[The festival was peaceful.]
[No watchers. No incident.]
Her gaze lowered slightly.
[So something has already changed.]
A quiet breath.
"…We were there," she said.
"…At the docks."
"…That's enough?" Jude asked.
"…It is," Leontius said.
Jude looked at him.
"…Enough for what?"
"…To be noticed."
Jude paused.
"…So now we're on someone's list?"
"…Possibly," Lunivara said.
"…Great," Jude muttered.
Leontius shifted slightly.
"…There's something else."
They both looked at him.
"…Their movement," he said.
"…It was too clean."
"…Clean?" Jude repeated.
"…Planned," Lunivara said.
Leontius gave a small nod.
"…Yes."
Jude frowned.
"…So… trained?"
"…Not officially," Leontius said.
"…Then someone's organizing them," Jude said.
A pause.
Lunivara's gaze lowered again.
[If this is different…]
[Then the change didn't start today.]
[It started earlier.]
"…They knew where to be," she said.
"…And when."
Leontius's expression hardened slightly.
"…Which means they had information."
Jude went still.
"…You're saying…"
"…someone inside might be involved?"
Neither of them answered.
And that silence said enough.
Jude exhaled slowly.
"…That's worse."
A group of students passed nearby, laughing.
Talking about the fireworks.
Normal.
Unaffected.
Lunivara looked toward the lower grounds again.
Quiet. Distant.
[In the original timeline…]
[Leontius was supposed to meet someone else.]
A brief pause.
[Not like this.]
"…We can't assume everything yet," she said.
"…But we can't ignore it either."
Leontius nodded.
"…Agreed."
Jude crossed his arms.
"…So what's the plan?"
A short silence.
Lunivara lifted her gaze.
"…We watch."
Jude sighed.
"…Again?"
"…More carefully this time."
Leontius added.
"…And we keep this limited."
Jude raised a brow.
"…You think it's that serious?"
"…Yes," Leontius said.
No hesitation.
Jude looked at them both—
then let out a breath.
"…Alright."
"…Then I'm in."
He pointed slightly between them.
"…Just don't leave me out of it."
Lunivara gave a small nod.
"…We won't."
Leontius didn't speak—
but his agreement was clear.
The festival continued around them.
Lights glowing.
Voices alive.
Everything looked the same.
But it wasn't.
Because now—
Lunivara knew.
[The story is changing.]
And this time—
they were already part of it.
End of Chapter 29