The three strangers were all male: two middle-aged men and one elderly man. Although none wore the Seer Association staff uniform, the two middle-aged men had Seer Association badges pinned to their chests.
The highest-ranking of the three middle-aged men was a full Twelfth Ring, while the other was an Eighth Ring. As for the elderly man in his fifties, he was probably around the Fourth Ring.
But when Shade saw him, and the old man saw Shade, Shade experienced a very strange feeling.
The other man's eyes seemed to see not the surface of the Material World, but something deeper within.
Shade felt that he knew who these three people were:
"Doesn't this combination look familiar? When the Shadow of Herm dealt with the Infinite Snake, the three Seer Association Prophets who entered the Sacrificial Ground seemed to be these very people, according to the Elders' description."
He thought to himself. The three Prophets, who had arrived in the village before Shade and Sivie, were equally surprised to see someone else appear.
The three briefly stopped, then walked toward them.
Shade gave Sivie a look, and the Great Witch of Light took a few steps to stand behind him and slightly to the side.
The Prophets stopped thirty meters away. Both sides carefully observed one another, but neither spoke first.
Thirty meters was a very delicate distance, close enough for Ring Arcanists with powerful senses to gather more information—for example, Shade.
The Prophets appeared merely to be silently watching the two strangers, but in truth, all of them were divining.
The proof came thirteen seconds after both sides stopped.
A muffled bang came from the Eighth Ring Arcanist's pocket.
Calling it an explosion would not have been accurate. It sounded more like some kind of glass object shattering.
Perhaps