Chapter 428: The Hooded Man in Sunrise Village
he Hooded Man in Sunrise Village
The dawn’s initial caress of light seeped painfully along the edge of the horizon, dyeing the world in melted gold and dull orange. Shadows swept along the cobble streets as the sun rose higher, its heat driving the dampness of the night aside. Birds were the earliest to wake, wings fluttering against the air, their song blending into a muted chorus. Then the noises of life—groan of shutters flung wide, solid clang of boots against stone, and low murmur of voices as the village awakened gradually.
Sunrise Village—one of the humble frontier cities of Vellore—was anything but splendid. It did not have the riches and beauty of the capital, but it possessed a quiet dignity of its own. The houses were constructed to last and not to impress, stone and wood put together with the sure fingers of those who had survived generations here. Roofs had meticulous patches, walls had the tales of storms and seasons, and curtains, however faded by the sun, still blew softly in the windows. This was no luxury place, but each house stood with purpose, exhaling the essence of individuals who lived not to display, but to persevere.
The alleys were tight, winding between the homes and the shop stalls that merchants were just starting to arrange for the day. The atmosphere was thick with the warm weight of bread baking in ovens and the wisps of smoke rising from newly lit fires. A butcher stroked his knife over a whetstone, the rasping of metal so soft in the stillness of morning. A woman with a powerful arm hoisted a bucket from the well, water spilling down her apron as she toiled. Young children passed behind her with sleepy laughter, their bare feet slapping the stone road, and a stray dog yapping overexcitedly, dodging between the maze of legs.
Gradually, the town’s heartbeat became louder. Merchants unrolled their bundles of fabric, fingers moving swiftly and confidently as they cut out lengths with the practiced ease of long habit. Grain was weighed, baskets rearranged, and voices lifted with the first excited cries of commerce. Farmers from the fields plodded in, their backs bent with toil but their faces raised in pride, bearing turnips, potatoes, and beans recently unearthed from the earth. Coins soon started to exchange hands, a metallic clang ringing through the air, incorporating itself into the increasing hum of the crowd.
But the other side of the village rippled with another sort of energy. Outside the marketplace, by the eastern road, five wooden carts waited. They were wide, heavy wagons, pulled by thick-necked horses whose braided manes flowed with every restless swing of their heads. They transported passengers directly to Vellore’s capital. Although the station was minimal—little more than a cleared area and a signpost—it was perpetually alive with activity. Every morning, individuals congregated here: villagers in their parcels, hooded figures grasping morning cold, merchants balancing baskets, all filled with the subdued excitement of journeying.
The queue stretched far down the narrow street, and the shuffling never ceased. Step by step, people inched forward. They were mostly locals or merchants, eager to earn coin in the capital. Some sported the dented armor of adventurers, others the grim expression of mercenaries seeking work. And then there were those who stood out—not through noise or hue, but through silence.
A few hooded men hung around in the crowd. Low-hung cloaks kept their faces in shadow. They neither spoke nor complained of the wait, and they made no attempt to become one with the agitated buzz surrounding them. They stood like stone—immobile, weighty, intentional. At the line’s far end towered the tallest among them, his presence unwritten yet unavoidable, a shadow clashing with the light of the morning.
The slow advance of the queue moved them closer to the carts. Villagers approached the stationed checker one by one—a broad-shouldered man with a jagged scar across his cheek, a heavy ledger under his arm. His duty was routine, almost mechanical. Take a glance at the papers. Check the seal. A curt nod of the head, a wave of the hand, and another passenger was on board. He had done it so many times his eyes barely lingered on faces anymore.
But when the tall hooded figure finally stepped forward, something in his movements—or perhaps the sheer weight of his silence—made the man pause.
The man was constructed differently. His height alone was impressive, but what really disturbed the gaze was the unspoken strength in the manner he moved. His shoulders squared, his pace measured, every step considered—like a hunter camouflaging its strength within the folds of fabric that hid him.
The checker’s face firmed up, but not in aggression. He raised a hand, palm upturned in wordless insistence. "Your permit?
The hooded man pushed one hand into his cloak. No fumbling, no hesitation. His hand came out—wide, steady, fingers long and confident—holding out a folded piece of paper. The checker took it and dropped his eyes. The seal was unbroken, the ink unbroken, the stamp of Vellore’s entry documents marked cleanly across it. Official. Proper. Nothing that should be cause for concern. And yet...
A prickle crawled up the checker’s spine. There was something about the man that didn’t feel quite right. He caught his own eyes drifting back to him, discomfort curling tight in his stomach.
"Odd," he breathed softly, as if to himself only and the wind.
His brow furrowed tighter before he stiffened, voice more pointed now. "Pull your hood up. Just a moment.
The hooded man’s head tilted, barely enough to indicate a secret confidence. His voice came next—low, smooth, and resonant. "And if I decline? Will you refuse me passage?
The checker stopped short, taken aback by the weight borne in that voice. It wasn’t loud, nor was it biting in terms of threat, but something within it caused his chest to tighten and his shoulders to straighten as if driven by habit. That voice didn’t command—it merely didn’t leave any leeway for disagreement.
"I didn’t say that," the checker grumbled,