CHAPTER FOUR — Whispers Over Ravel
The morning started with stillness—one so unnatural that even the birds refused their usual songs. A thick mist rolled into the village, clinging to the houses like something alive.
Eyron stepped outside, Analyse quietly humming beneath his consciousness.
Everything was… sharper today.
Edges clearer.
Truths thinner.
Like the world itself was becoming easier to dissect.
He watched the fog drift between the huts, and for a moment, he thought he saw shapes inside it — faint silhouettes of wings.
But when he blinked, they were gone.
Analyse flickered:
[Anomaly Detected]
[Source: Unclassified]
[Intent: Observation]
Eyron's eyes narrowed.
He wasn't imagining this.
Something was watching.
By midday, the mist had lifted enough for the villagers to gather in the center. Someone was shouting, drawing a crowd.
A horse stood near the well, its rider adjusting his cloak. The emblem on his leather armor shimmered faintly—a golden lion pierced by a spear.
Eyron's father stiffened.
"That crest…" he whispered. "It's from Valtheris."
The capital.
His uncle's domain.
The messenger cleared his throat loudly.
"I bring word from the capital. The king requires updated census lists from all border villages. Every household must report its members. The decree is urgent."
The villagers murmured.
Urgent?
The kingdom hadn't performed a census in years.
Eyron watched the messenger closely.
Analyse ignited, colder than before.
[Emotion: Concealed stress / Fear / Discomfort]
[Intent: He is lying about the purpose.]
[Secondary Intent: Identify individuals matching secret criteria.]
His heart beat once, cold and deliberate.
They weren't counting villagers.
They were hunting someone.
His family.
When the crowd dispersed, the messenger approached their household.
Eyron's mother answered the door, warm but cautious.
"Welcome. How can we assist?"
The messenger forced a smile.
"Routine questioning. The king simply wishes to know who lives here."
Analyse sharpened:
[Lie Detected]
**He knows something.
Not everything, but enough.**
Eyron stood behind his mother, pretending to hold onto her dress shyly, though his eyes glowed faintly with calculation.
The messenger leaned down.
"Well aren't you a cute little fellow."
Analyse responded immediately:
[Emotion: Unease.]
[Intent: Evaluate his appearance. Searching for resemblance.]
Eyron smiled innocently.
And then he spoke quietly, voice small—yet perfectly placed:
"Sir… your horse was limping when you arrived."
The man blinked, startled.
"What?"
"You must've ridden hard," Eyron continued. "From the capital? Or… somewhere more dangerous?"
His eyes widened.
"How did you—?"
"I listen well," Eyron whispered.
The messenger swallowed hard.
Analyse flickered:
[Messenger: Alarm / Suspicion / Confusion]
Intent Shift: The boy is odd. Dangerous. Perhaps… significant.
Good.
He wanted the man confused, off-balance.
Children who seemed too clever made adults uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable adults made mistakes.
Eyron's father ended the conversation quickly, sensing the tension.
The messenger left, unsettled.
But Eyron watched him go, Analyse tracing the man's emotions like threads.
That man will report something.
Not the truth, but enough to draw attention.
For two days, the village remained tense.
Animals refused to graze.
Dogs barked at empty air.
Babies cried without reason.
Eyron felt the air vibrating—subtle pulses like heartbeats in the sky.
On the third day, he woke before dawn, gasping.
A dream.
No—a vision.
He stood in a field of white feathers.
Not falling… rising.
Pulled upward by invisible currents.
Above him loomed a colossal shadow, wings stretching across the sky like a second horizon.
A voice, distant and smooth as marble, whispered:
"The debt remains.
Blood calls to blood."
When Eyron woke, his hands were trembling.
Analyse surged against his mind, overwhelmed.
[Unknown Divine Signature Detected]
[Proximity: Closing]
[Classification: Hostile / Binding / Ancient]
He sat up slowly.
"They're coming."
He didn't know who "they" were yet.
But he knew what direction the threat pointed to—
His parents.
And the reason they fled.
---
Family Fissures
That morning, during breakfast, he watched his parents closely.
Analyse slowly painted them:
[Mother: Emotion — Deep anxiety / Protective urgency / Dread]
[Intent: Move the family soon.]
[Father: Emotion — Resignation / Fear / Readiness]
[Intent: Hide the truth from the children.]
Eyron set down his spoon carefully.
"You're planning something," he said softly.
The table fell silent.
The twins froze.
Arian sat upright.
Sera's eyes widened.
His mother forced a smile.
"Eyron, love… no, we—"
Analyse: [Lie.]
Eyron leaned forward, voice low and sharp.
"You're still running… aren't you?"
His father's hand tightened around his cup.
His mother trembled.
Sera looked between them desperately.
Arian whispered, "What is going on?"
But no answer came.
Not yet.
---
The Angelic Stirring
Later that night, Eyron stepped outside alone. The sky was unusually bright, stars like shattered diamonds across black velvet.
He closed his eyes.
The presence was closer now.
He could almost hear wings beating somewhere far above.
Analyse surged uncontrollably.
[WARNING]
**This presence is not observing the village.
It is observing you.**
His breath stilled.
Then—
A single feather floated down before him.
White.
Perfect.
Glowing faintly.
When it touched the ground, the dirt sizzled.
Eyron stared.
This was no coincidence.
This was a message.
He whispered into the wind:
"…You finally found us."
---
The Evolution Begins
Suddenly Analyse pulsed violently, as if something in him responded instinctively to the divine pressure.
His vision blurred—then sharpened beyond anything he'd felt.
New text burned into existence before him.
---
[ANALYSE — EVOLUTION TRIGGERED]
Requirements Met:
— Exposure to divine presence
— High mental stability under hostile observation
— Hidden potential resonance
Evolving…
Evolving…
Evolving…
---
Eyron gasped, clutching his head.
His mind felt like it was splitting open—yet expanding at the same time.
When the pain finally subsided, new words appeared:
---
[ANALYSE LV.2 — Insight of the Veil]
You can now detect:
— Divine intent
— Threat levels
— Hidden contracts
— Lingering traces of supernatural entities
---
And then one final line appeared:
[Imminent Threat Approaching: 7 Days]
Eyron froze.
Seven days.
Something was coming for them.
And this time…
It wouldn't be something he could outwit with childish tricks.