GameDev Reincarnated into His Own Creation

Chapter 5.1: Execution Failed

Vel looked at the gray, muted sky from his doorstep. The crisp morning air brushed against his small frame as the first light crept across the horizon.

Part of him still hoped that one morning he would wake up in his own bed, in his own world. But the more he looked around—the wooden houses, the distant smoke from cooking fires, the faint hum of villagers beginning their day—the less likely that hope felt.

He sat quietly, his hands on his knees, while his mind replayed the conversation from last night with Kazar.

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(Vel's flashback)

"We will speak with Kazar first," the Seer had said, his tone calm but resolute. "The villagers hold her words in high regard. If we can convince her, the rest may follow."

Vel followed silently down the dirt path. Kazar's hut stood at the village edge, herbs hanging from its thatched roof. She sat before a low flame; its flicker lit her face.

"Seer," Kazar greeted, voice low and gravelly. "I didn't expect visitors at this hour. What brings you?"

The Seer stepped forward, his presence steady despite his age. "The portal grows unstable," he said, his tone firm. "The adventurers may not succeed. We must prepare the village for what is to come."

Kazar raised an eyebrow, leaning back slightly. "You speak as if their failure is certain. Do you doubt the Guild's competence?"

"It is not doubt but prudence," the Seer replied. "The portal festers. Tir showed me shadow thickening at its rim—what waits within presses closer. If we delay, it will be too late to act."

Kazar rubbed her chin, gaze drifting toward the fire. "We can't abandon our homes just because the wind feels wrong."

Vel, unable to stay quiet, stepped forward. "It's not just a feeling! It's real!" he blurted out, his voice trembling with urgency. "The Chief ran because he knew something bad was coming!"

Kazar's eyes locked on him, sharp and assessing. "The Chief's fear is his own," she said slowly. "And while your concern is admirable, boy, fear alone cannot move a village."

The Seer's tone grew firmer. "This is not mere fear, Kazar. The signs are clear."

Kazar's expression darkened, a flicker of conflict crossing her face. She glanced toward the silent houses, the faint sounds of life within carrying on as if nothing were wrong.

"The villagers are not cowards," she said at last. "But they are stubborn. To move them now, without proof, would bring panic and division. The adventurers are our hope. We must trust their strength."

"And if they fail?" Vel asked softly.

Kazar's gaze softened as she looked at him. "If they fail... then the villagers will listen. But only then." She leaned forward slightly. "Remember this, child: people cling to the familiar, even in the face of ruin. Change comes only when the fire burns too close."

Silence held for a breath. Kazar kept her eyes on the flame; the Seer's beads clicked once. Vel bit back what he wanted to say and stepped back.

The Seer inclined his head. "Thank you for your time, Kazar," he said quietly.