The wind at the frontier garrison carried the kind of cold that seeped into bones before a man even realized he was shivering. As night settled over the half-built fort, Li Wei wrapped his thin cloak tighter around himself. The day had been spent hauling timber, measuring angles, and assisting the foreman with reinforcing the southern wall. He was exhausted—but his mind stayed sharp, refusing sleep's pull.
Because of her.
The woman from the previous night—the one who had approached him near the supply shed—had disappeared again as though she were never there. No one mentioned her. No one seemed to know her. Yet her warning gnawed at him:
"Talent is more dangerous than incompetence."
She had said it with a certainty that came from experience, not guesses.
He scanned the garrison carefully as he walked, watching how workers moved, how soldiers acted when their commanders weren't looking. The atmosphere was tense, coiled. Something simmered beneath the surface, something waiting to shift.
The system pulsed softly.
[Unknown Entity Detected: Observation Active]
[Caution Recommended]
Unknown entity.
Was she watching him?
He exhaled, moving toward the worker barracks. Lanterns flickered weakly inside, illuminating men who were already asleep or pretending to be. He claimed an empty space on a wooden platform, leaning against the wall. He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing.
Footsteps approached.
Not heavy—light. Deliberate.
Not a soldier.
He opened his eyes just as she appeared beside the platform.
"Resting?" she asked.
"Trying to," he said, voice low.
She sat without permission, arms folded, gaze drifting across the barracks. "You settled quickly. Most newcomers flinch at the cold, complain, or break their fingers trying to lift the wrong beams."
"I observe first," he replied. "Then move."
"Good," she murmured. "Because this place doesn't forgive mistakes."
Silence stretched before he spoke again. "You're not a simple worker."
She smirked faintly. "Neither are you."
Her eyes glinted in the dim light—sharp, perceptive, and dangerous. She leaned forward slightly. "Tell me, Li Wei… do you know why the northern fortifications are being rushed?"
He frowned. "To defend against the tribes?"
"To defend against what the court fears," she corrected softly. "The First Emperor has demanded aggressive expansion. The northern garrisons are stretched thin. Commanders whisper of attacks that wipe out entire scouting units. And now… someone in the court has taken interest in you."
His heart tightened. "Me?"
"Yes."
She tilted her head, studying him. "A slave laborer who can read, calculate, command, and build? That attracts attention."
He felt the truth hit like an arrow: whoever noticed him could make or destroy him.
She continued, "And attention this early is dangerous."
"Then why approach me?" he asked.
Her voice dropped. "Because I don't want the north to collapse."
Li Wei stared at her.
She stood. "Meet me behind the northern scaffold at dawn. If you truly wish to survive—and rise—you'll come."
Then she slipped away into darkness, as quiet as a ghost.
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Teaser:
Dawn brings answers—but also the first glimpse of a powerful secret hidden within the northern garrison.
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