The city of Eldros had changed, though few could see it clearly.
Whispers had become habits. Merchants shifted their wares nervously, children paused to glance at shadows that weren't there, and even guards found themselves hesitating before speaking of the Watcher. Influence spread quietly, subtly, like water seeping through cracks in stone.
Arin Vale observed it all from a rooftop, his cloak drenched from the morning rain. He didn't need to move among the streets. The city was already bending to his presence. Small acts, small choices, all feeding the invisible power he had begun to accumulate.
Riven arrived, carrying reports in hurried notes. "Kael has been effective," he said. "Rumors spread, but no one suspects him. Even the temple is beginning to worry—they can feel something, but they don't know what."
Arin nodded. "Good. That is how influence works. Fear without understanding is a seed. Belief without direction is a forest. We will shape both."
Meanwhile, in the temple, the elders argued fiercely.
"This is unacceptable!" one shouted. "The man lives, and yet our control is slipping. People speak of him as if he is a god!"
"Do not underestimate him," another said, voice low. "He is quiet, patient… but that is what makes him dangerous. He grows in the shadows."
Back in the city, Kael carried out his first real instructions. He approached markets, spoke to merchants, and subtly guided conversations to highlight the Watcher's "presence" in the city. Nothing overt. Nothing that could be traced. Only small nudges that made people curious, fearful, and willing to listen.
By evening, Arin surveyed the results. Every whispered conversation, every glance in fear or awe, was recorded in his mind. Patterns formed. People's actions became predictable.
Authority +18
He allowed himself a faint smile. The first ripples had spread further than expected. The temple could feel it, but they still had no idea who truly controlled the tide.
Riven, standing beside him, dared to ask, "When will you make your move openly?"
Arin shook his head. "Not yet. Open display is unnecessary now. Influence grows silently. By the time they see, it will be too late to resist."
The wind carried the distant sounds of the city—the laughter of children, the merchants' bargaining, the temple guards' uneasy steps. And above it all, unspoken and unseen, Arin Vale existed not as a man, but as an idea. A force. A whisper that shaped the world without anyone noticing.
Tonight, the Watcher did nothing and yet did everything.
Silence had begun its first ripple.