In Vitality – Edge of the Hollow
Cassian stood at the edge of the Hollow. The light was soft, the silence oppressive. His HUD glowed faintly, the Veil feeding back static-laced data from the masked override deep in the village.
He had buried the anomaly—reformatted the Hollow's anchor point as a protected archive node—but it wouldn't go unnoticed forever.
Then he heard it.
Not the usual sound of birds or wind.
A clicking trill, like a broken song.
He turned.
A pale-feathered bird with glowing eyes perched high in the canopy, watching him.
---
His HUD pinged:
> "Tagged Entity Detected – Synapse Corp Familiar Class: Spectral Kestrel"
"Observation Mode Active – Host Guild: Radiant Chain"
It was subtle surveillance—fitted into the world like any other lore beast. But Cassian recognized the faint pulse from the Veil: a behavioral echo only present in AI-guided tracking familiars.
They were watching.
He didn't move. Just adjusted his cloak, leaned into the shadows, and sent a silent pulse to reroute his trace signature. It wouldn't fool the kestrel forever, but it might redirect whoever was watching.
The bird fluttered once, cried again, and launched into the sky.
---
"That thing wasn't wild," came a voice from the trees.
Cassian didn't draw.
StarViper stepped out, scanning the sky. "It had the look—clean feathers, no erratic flight patterns. One of Synapse's."
"You're getting good at reading them."
"I've had to be."
She walked to his side, then looked toward the village. "This place wasn't here a year ago."
"It was hidden," he said.
She eyed him sideways. "You've been pulling away. Deep dives. Ghost zones. Now familiar tags."
"You tracked me?"
"I noticed you."
---
She didn't move closer to the village.
"Players in there?" she asked.
"Yes."
"They active?"
"...Kind of."
She studied him for a long second. "Are they dead?"
"No."
"Then what are they?"
He didn't answer.
StarViper looked back at the trees. "Synapse doesn't send kestrels unless something expensive is bleeding. That means this village matters. To them. And to you."
"They'll send more," Cassian said. "And not birds next time. Hunters."
"You planning to fight a guild?"
"If I have to."
---
Elsewhere – Radiant Chain Guild Hall
Far from the Hollow, a group of armored players gathered around a divination stone.
The kestrel perched on its edge, data glinting from its beak like light off crystal.
The guild leader—a sleek, silver-eyed player known as Vossbane—watched the replay.
"Location?"
"Emerald Reaches. Obscured node. Unknown player interfering with flagged region."
Vossbane tapped the map and smiled.
"Let the Syndicate and Sentinels play king-of-the-hill. We hunt for bounties."
He motioned to the group. "Pack up. We move at nightfall."
---
Back in the Forest
Cassian and StarViper moved quickly, the Veil scanning for any other familiars.
He broke silence first. "They've seen the Hollow."
"How long do we have?"
"Not enough."
"Then show me why it's worth protecting."
Cassian stopped. Said nothing.
She met his gaze—or rather, the unreadable glow of the Veil.
"I don't need all your secrets. But I need to know if this will burn everyone you touch."
His answer was soft:
"Maybe."
---
Above them, distant cries echoed across the canopy. Familiar calls. But more of them now.
The Hollow wasn't hidden anymore.
Cassian opened a new map node in the Veil—tagged "Risk Tier: Red" and sent it encrypted to one person only.
StarViper received the ping and didn't say a word.
They kept walking—quiet, fast, away from the coming storm.
---
End of Chapter Eight