The bell rang a second time just before dawn.
John was already awake.
He stood beside the window of the Copper Kettle, looking down at the empty street. The village was quiet, its houses still dark, and a thin layer of mist covered the ground near the eastern well. Nothing moved around the bell tower.
Yet John could feel something unusual beneath the ordinary sounds of the waking village.
His Dragon Core had reacted to the bell the previous night. The black crystal had reacted to the witness mark. Now, with the second ring, he could sense a faint trace of ancient mana coming from somewhere in Bellhaven.
It was weak enough that a normal person might never notice it, but John had spent too long dealing with the Great Dragon Legacy to ignore it.
He turned toward the crystal hovering beside the window.
"Is the bell connected to the witness mark?"
The crystal remained dark.
"Are you going to answer me this time?"
Nothing.
John sighed. "I suppose that would be too convenient."
