The bells rang out from the direction of the City Lord's Mansion.
One peal followed another, deep and heavy, striking Glory City's blue-gray walls and threading through the streets and alleys into the cracks around every household's windows.
The marketplace, still alive with the bustle of early morning, fell silent for an instant. Then startled cries and footsteps erupted all around.
Peddlers carrying shoulder poles hurried home in a panic. Shop assistants scrambled to put up door boards and close windows. Women in the streets clutched their children's hands and fled deep into the alleys, their voices trembling.
In ordinary households, adults kept the younger children in the inner rooms. Those too young to understand still cried, while the older ones hugged their knees in corners, listening wide-eyed to the chaotic footsteps outside and murmuring prayers for their ancestors' protection.
They had all heard their elders speak of past Beast Tides. They knew the Demon Beasts outside the walls ate people, and they knew that after every Beast Tide, many familiar faces vanished from the city.
No one knew whether they would survive this time. They could only shut their doors tight, brace heavy cabinets against them, and wait for news while clinging to their last shred of hope.
Within the sprawling estates of the Inner City, servants from the various families hurried into the inner courtyards to deliver the news. The sharp clatter of armor mingled with shouted orders as family members assembled, shattering the usual order.
At the Sacred Family's estate, Shen Hong emerged from his study with an outer robe draped over his shoulders, his expression dark as frozen ice. A group of family elders and guards followed him, each footfall heavy against the flagstones.
Shen Fei stood beneath the veranda, his fingertips tightening slightly. He had