The farther we went along the left road, the more it felt like the forest was trying to swallow us whole.
The trees crept closer together, branches knotting above our heads and slicing the sky into thin strips.As the path narrowed, even the horses' steps grew cautious.
⟪SYSTEM⟫[ROUTE ANALYSIS – LEFT PATH]
– Chance of encountering patrol tracks: Very low.– Chance of meeting "normal" travelers: Very low.– Chance of unexpected events: High.– Chance the Host would choose this path: Unnecessarily high.
Note:– A "shortcut" is rarely actually short.– Most of the time, it's just more expensive.
"Thank you," I muttered. "Exactly what I wanted to hear."
Serene glanced at me from the corner of her eye.
"You talk like you're arguing with your System," she said. "People say muttering to yourself is an early sign of madness."
"I'll ignore the 'madness' part," I said. "But I'll admit the 'early' part fits. Very early."
After a while, the road began to slope gently upward.Between the trees, rock outcrops and small stones began to show.
One of the horses suddenly whinnied and jerked back.
Bran raised his hand at once.
"Stop," he whispered. "There's something ahead."
My hand went to my sword on instinct.In the shafts of light slipping between the tree trunks, I could see shapes on the road up ahead.
As we drew closer, they came into focus.
A small wagon.Not ours.
It was tipped on its side, wheel shattered, cargo spilled.A few meters away from it lay two—no, three bodies.
The silence suddenly grew heavy.
Halden's face went chalk white.
"There wasn't supposed to be a patrol on this route," he said. "At least… not officially."
Torren stared at the corpses.
"Which means," he said, "something unofficial was out here."
We circled the wagon and the bodies carefully.
Bran crouched and turned one of the soldiers over.On the breastplate, I recognized Veldan's crest—but beneath it, another small mark caught the eye:
A stylized shield drawn in fine lines.In the center of the shield, a tiny star, barely visible.
"These aren't… standard patrol," Bran said. "Internal Security unit.You almost never see them, even inside the city."
Torren frowned.
"So the council," he said, "was watching the left road too.They just didn't think we needed to know."
⟪SYSTEM⟫[PATTERN DETECTION – UPDATE]
– Points:• City symbols and carved markings.• Hidden patrol on the road to Elvur.• Ambushed convoy.• Crates carrying "crack reports."
Interim Conclusion:– Someone is hunting not only the cracks themselves,but also the information about them.
Note:– Some of that "prey" is currently headed in the same direction as you.
"Great," I thought. "I was really hoping to feel like a walking target full of classified documents today."
Serene bent over one of the bodies.
"Not completely cold yet," she said. "A couple of them died recently.This attack wasn't long after our ambush."
She pressed her fingers lightly against the soldier's neck, feeling his skin.
Then her tone changed.
"This one is breathing."
Bran moved to her side at once. Torren stepped back to keep watch on the surroundings.
The third body on the ground was letting out faint groans beneath his armor, though his eyes were still shut.
"Don't turn him over yet," Serene said. "He might have broken ribs or spine. Move him wrong and you'll speed up internal bleeding."
Bran clenched his jaw but backed off.
"So what are you going to do?" he asked.
Serene opened a small pouch at her hip.She pulled out several thin, bone-like needles and a small knife.
For some reason, the combination didn't comfort me.
"That's… a healer's kit?" I asked. "Or something else?"
"Both," Serene said. "Healing doesn't always have to be gentle."
Her fingers pressed into specific points on the soldier's back. Then she slid some of the needles in, parallel to the muscle lines.The soldier's breathing sped up for a moment, then settled into a slightly steadier rhythm.
⟪SYSTEM⟫[BODY ANALYSIS – WOUNDED SOLDIER]
– Ribs: Fractured.– Lung: Light damage.– Internal bleeding: Limited.
Serene's intervention:– Attempting to redirect blood flow.– Reducing pain and stabilizing breathing.
System Note:– Method approaches category "brutal healing."
"Is he going to be okay?" I asked, more seriously than I expected.
Serene tapped one of the needles lightly.
"He has a chance to leave this place alive," she said. "But he won't be walking far.You either carry him…or you leave him."
"Leaving isn't an option," Bran said. "If he's breathing, he's coming with us."
The soldier forced his eyes open.His pupils flickered, not quite focusing on us, but somewhere in the space between.
"Hey," I said. "You're here.What's your name?"
"Kael…" he whispered. "Inner Line… Division…"
Serene brought a finger to her lips.
"Don't tire him," she said. "You can ask one or two questions.Then you shut him up, or he'll tear himself apart from the inside."
"You sound way too comfortable saying that," I said.
"I've seen many caught between life and death," she answered. "You learn to hurry."
I leaned closer to Kael's mouth.
"Who attacked you?" I asked. "Who did you meet on the road?"
For a heartbeat, his eyes focused.
"No… mask…" he rasped. "Just… one… smiling…"
Something tightened inside my chest.
"A smiling person?" I said. "What kind?"
"Woman…" he breathed. "Looked wounded… asked for help…We took her into the wagon… then…"
His voice dissolved into a low buzz.The rest of his words melted into incoherent mumbles.
⟪SYSTEM⟫[CRITICAL PHRASE CAPTURED]
– "Wounded woman" → Brought into the wagon.– After that: Subject is no longer able to speak clearly.
Possible Scenarios:– Sabotage from the inside.– Consciousness manipulation.– Or just a very well-played role.
"A smiling woman…" I repeated inwardly, cutting my eyes briefly toward Serene.
Right then, the System panel flickered.
⟪SYSTEM⟫[WARNING – PERCEPTUAL BIAS]
– Serene =? "Smiling woman"
Note:– It's possible to hold two different possibilities in mind at once.– But for now, you have no concrete proof.
Suggestion:– Direct accusation → Very bad idea.– Silent observation → Perfectly aligned with your current Path.
It didn't make me feel better,but at least I could cross "draw blade immediately" off the list for now.
We cobbled together a makeshift stretcher for Kael from the broken wagon boards.Halden grumbled.
"The load is heavy, the road is rough," he said. "Now we're hauling a person on top of that."
Bran shot him a sharp look.
"You didn't complain about the weight of the crates," he said. "But for one man, you do?"
Halden clenched his teeth and stayed quiet.Serene drew a small symbol next to the soldier's head: a circle, with two short lines rising from its top.
It caught my eye.
"That… another symbol?" I asked. "I thought my symbol quota for today was full."
Serene hesitated briefly.
"This," she said, "is a sign healers use.It means 'Come back here—there's still breath.'"
⟪SYSTEM⟫[SYMBOL DETECTED]
– Shape: Half-sun or forked circle.– No direct resonance with the Cracked Brand.– But… overlaps with another record.
[OLD RECORDS – PARTIAL ACCESS]
– In some regions, healer guilds use their own "civil marking systems."– The same sign can mean something entirely different elsewhere.
Note:– No symbol belongs to just one story.
I nodded.
"Lesson of the day: even symbols gossip."
By the time we set off again, the light had dimmed even more.The sun hid behind the trees, shadows tangling together across the road.
Kael groaned faintly on the stretcher, while Serene checked the needles now and then, adjusting the pressure.
"If you like," she said, "I can take a bit of weight off your shoulder.You look tired, Ethan."
"The weight on my shoulder isn't the problem," I replied. "It's the one in my head."
"You're right," she said. "Bodies are easy to carry.Minds are harder."
Deeper in the forest, even the birds stopped singing.
Something else took their place.
A strange kind of silence.
Sometimes silence is peaceful.This kind only said: something is wrong.
Torren suddenly lifted his hand.
"Stop," he said. "Listen."
Everyone fell quiet.
At first, I heard nothing.Then, from somewhere far away, a muffled… howl.
It sounded like a wolf.But the tone was off, as if there was a stone lodged in its throat.
⟪SYSTEM⟫[DANGER SCAN – LIMITED]
– Sound source: Likely wolf-type creature.– Natural?: Doubtful. Waveform irregularities detected.
Extra Note:– Some creatures don't stay the same after the cracks.
"This is not good," I said. "Not good at all."
Bran drew his sword.
"Move the wagon to the side of the road," he ordered. "Calm the horses.If something comes, it hits us first."
Serene sighed lightly.
"Want to know what I think?" she said. "That sound… isn't just a wolf."
"What else?" I asked.
"There are… two rhythms in it," she said. "Like something has climbed on top of something else."
Torren frowned.
"The more poetic you get," he said, "the more nervous I become."
It didn't take long before the darkness between the trees started to move.
First I saw two yellowish eyes.Then four.Then six.
Three wolves slipped out from the shadows and stopped at the roadside.
Their fur was dark gray streaked with black veins.Something beneath their skin seemed to… shiver.
"Hold," Bran said. "Don't strike unless they do.Maybe they'll just pass."
One of the wolves tilted its head.
It was the kind of motion a normal animal might make.But in its eyes, I saw something that didn't feel animal at all.
Recognition.As if it had seen my face before.
⟪SYSTEM⟫[Instant Alert – Yellow]
– "Unnatural resonance" detected.– Brief alignment between the creature's gaze and your watch.
Suggestion:– Remove from category "normal predator."– Close contact not recommended.
"It's even in the wolves," I thought. "Perfect."
One of the wolves suddenly lunged.
Not at the wagon… but straight at me.
I jumped back on reflex; there wasn't even time to raise my sword.
Then a sharp ringing sound cut the air beside me.
The metal rings at the tip of Serene's staff slammed together; the note they made rippled strangely through the air.
The wolf hit something invisible a few inches from my chest and was thrown aside.It crashed to the ground, ears pinned back, snarling.
Serene's smile looked colder this time.
"For now," she said, "I told you my knife wasn't pointed at you.Seems my shield… is with you for the moment, too."
"Do you always talk like that?" I asked. "Or is this your special-occasion mode?"
"I like mixing the two," she answered.
The other two wolves paused for a heartbeat, then darted off to either side, trying to circle around.
This time Bran and Torren moved.
Bran charged the one on the left, his blade cutting a line parallel to the ground.Torren crouched in front of the rightmost wolf, raising his shield to meet the charge.
As I scrambled to my feet, the System flared again.
⟪SYSTEM⟫[MICRO QUEST – YELLOW]
Quest: Crack-Hunters
Description:– The creatures before you have slipped out of the natural cycle.– They've likely been touched by "something" leaking from the cracks.
Objectives:– Disable at least one creature.– Force the others to retreat or flee, if possible.– Convince yourself not to get bitten.
Failure:– Scar: Lifetime.– Your connection to the cracks: Deepens more than you want.
Reward:– Extra experience.– New micro-talent for the Flesh Branch (Reflex or Pain Threshold).
"I'll try to convince them," I said. "But I think the wolves get a vote too."
The wolf in front of me was still snarling, readying for another attack.
This time I had a little breathing room.
I gripped my sword with both hands, bent my knees slightly.I tried to copy the basic stance Bran had been drilling into my skull all morning.
"Don't always run," he'd said. "If you always run, you never learn how much you can endure."
When the wolf lunged again, I didn't back off.Just a small sidestep, a short thrust, wait for it to shift its weight forward…
⟪SYSTEM⟫[Sense of Dangerous Points – ACTIVE]
– Wolf's center of mass: Too far forward.– Front paws: Leave a weak spot open.
Suggestion:– Low, sideways strike → Max effect, minimum broken bones.
Every part of my body screamed: Run.
This time, my feet didn't listen.
As the wolf snapped at my throat, I swung upward from below.The blade bit into the inside of its leg; the creature howled and toppled sideways.
Its jaws closed on empty air, right where my face had been.
I dropped to one knee, lungs burning.
"That was… planned," I told myself. "I think."
Bran slashed the second wolf back; Torren used his shield to keep the third at bay.After a few more snarls and feints, the two remaining wolves suddenly broke off and retreated,melting back into the forest like they'd heard some silent call.
The only one left was the wolf I'd wounded, dragging itself weakly across the ground.
Serene lowered her staff and looked at me.
"You're improving," she said. "You don't just run now—you sometimes strike back."
"Is that a compliment," I asked, "or a new kind of insult?"
"Depends on the day," she said.
⟪SYSTEM⟫[SIDE QUEST COMPLETED – YELLOW]
Quest: Crack-Hunters
Status: SUCCESS.
Results:– At least one creature neutralized.– Others driven away.– Host: Still in one piece.
Reward:– Experience: Slight increase.– Flesh Branch: "Pain Threshold I" acquired.
[Pain Threshold I]:– Reduces panic response to small and mid-level hits.– "Does not erase pain, just sends it to your brain a bit later."
"Great," I said. "Now I'll feel the pain later.Which means I'll be able to commit to stupid decisions for longer."
The wounded wolf's gaze locked with mine once more.
There was none of the pure animal fear or anger you'd expect.Instead… something mixed: recognition, reproach, and… almost a strange waiting.
Just as I raised my sword, the watch on my chest trembled.
⟪SYSTEM⟫[INSTANT INNER DIALOGUE PROMPT]
– Option A: Kill the creature immediately.– Option B: Observe it closely, then kill it.– Option C: Let it go.
Note:– Option C appeals to the typical "hero instinct."– It may also lead to future moments of "I should've killed it when I had the chance."
I sighed and hovered between A and C.
"B," I said at last. "Short observation, then… a quick end."
I knelt and took a closer look at the wolf.
Along its side, hidden beneath the fur, I saw a faint mark.
Not three lines.Not exactly a crack.
More like thin black veins under the skin, curling slightly at one point into a half-circle shape.
⟪SYSTEM⟫[PATTERN DETECTION – NEW MARK]
– This mark does not fully match the Cracked Brand.– But it's very likely spread from the same source.
Summary:– The cracks are not limited to stone. They're seeping into living tissue too.– And sometimes, they don't kill what they touch… they just change it.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. "Not for the world I came from…for the thing you turned into."
I brought the sword down.
The strange light in the wolf's eyes faded for a moment, then was gone.
Serene watched me for a breath.There was no judgment in her gaze, no approval either.Just a silence that said, you had to do it.
The convoy regrouped.
Kael's stretcher was lashed more securely to the back of the wagon.Halden checked his crates; Serene stilled the rings on her staff.
Bran stared at the left road for a while, then shook his head.
"Sometimes," he said, "a shortcut just means you spill the first blood earlier."
"If we'd stayed on the main road," I answered, "other things might've blown up later—and bigger.At least now we know what we're dealing with a bit sooner."
⟪SYSTEM⟫[LEVEL PROGRESSION STATUS]
– Overall Experience: Approaching Level 3 threshold.– So far:• First ambush.• First "outside world" combat.• First encounter with a creature marked by cracks.• One surviving witness from a hidden unit.• Suspicious but useful new companion (Serene).
Note:– A story may begin in a city…but it becomes itself beyond the city walls.
The road began to slope gently downward.
Through the trees, a shape appeared in the distance:Low stone walls, a simple gate, smoke rising from chimneys…
Elvur Outpost.
As we drew closer, I could make out the banner fluttering on the watchtower, and the figures of guards on the walls.
But there was something else.
Right next to the outer wall of the outpost, at the edge of the forest, stood a small structure of gray stone.Half-ruined, but still standing—a shrine, or perhaps a monument.
Serene hesitated as she looked at it.
"It's not just the caravan being summoned here," she said quietly. "Looks like… something else is being called to Elvur as well."
"Like what?" I asked.
For a moment, her green eyes darkened.
"The past," she said. "And unfinished debts."
⟪SYSTEM⟫[GLOBAL PATTERN – MINI-MAP UPDATE]
– Veldan: First act.– Elvur Outpost: Beginning of act two.– Forest shrine: Marked as "first trace of old cracks."
Comment:– The shortcut didn't just bring you faster… it brought you deeper.– At this point, going back isn't just changing roads.Some things have left marks on you that won't allow a clean return.
As our steps quickened toward Elvur's gate,I realized the world truly wasn't limited to Veldanand that the cracks I'd seen so far were only scratches on the surface.
Beneath it, something much larger was waiting.
And I, the "Host" carrying a watch on his chest,was getting closer to waking it upwith every single step I took.