Theal disliked patterns that explained themselves too easily.
He stood alone in the Resonance Analysis Chamber, sleeves rolled to the elbow, eyes moving across layered projections of the northern territories. Each display showed the same conclusion reached by different methodologies—array feedback, beast-movement vectors, civilian resonance bleed, military response timing.
All of them agreed.
And that was the problem.
"Local failure," Theal muttered, adjusting a filter. "Too clean."
He pulled one projection closer. A skirmish near the Glasmarch—three militia injured, one resonance beast neutralized, no Imperial casualties. The official report was concise, almost textbook.
Delayed response.Improper formation.Beast behavior classified as erratic but natural.
Theal overlaid the raw data.
The beast's core output had spiked before contact. Not in aggression—anticipation. As if it had sensed resistance forming and adjusted accordingly.
Beasts did not do that.
He keyed the chamber to record. "Mark this as anomaly cluster seven."
The system chimed softly.
By midday, rumors had reached the capital.
They came through merchants first—half-formed stories of patrols stretched thin, of beasts appearing where none had been logged for decades. A courier mentioned that House Vayne was issuing local directives without waiting for Aurelin's confirmation.
At the High Council briefing, the response was muted.
"Border exaggeration," one advisor said."The north always dramatizes instability," another added."House Vayne is competent. If it were serious, we'd have a formal escalation."
Keal listened, expression unreadable.
Theal said nothing at first. He waited until the room settled into consensus.
Then he spoke.
"The beast involved in the Glasmarch incident altered its resonance output in response to human positioning," he said evenly. "That is not a natural behavior."
A pause.
Jun frowned slightly. "Could it have been corrupted?"
"That was my first assumption," Theal replied. "But corruption leaves noise. This was… precise."
Keal leaned forward. "Explain."
Theal brought up the projection again, this time isolating the resonance trail. "Human resonance draws from the surrounding field. Beasts draw inward, storing resonance in a core. This trail shows modulation. Something synchronized with the beast without overriding it."
Jun's jaw tightened. "External influence."
"Likely indirect," Theal said. "Not command. Guidance."
Silence stretched.
Finally, Keal exhaled. "The capital cannot redeploy the full array north yet."
"I know," Theal said. "But dismissal carries risk. If this pattern continues, it won't remain a border issue."
"What are you recommending?" Jun asked.
Theal hesitated—just briefly.
"A precision response," he said. "Someone who can observe without escalating. Someone whose presence won't provoke panic or political backlash."
Keal already knew the answer.
"Riven," he said.
Jun looked up sharply. "If this is still unconfirmed—"
"—then Riven is exactly who we send," Keal interrupted. "He doesn't announce himself. He doesn't destabilize a region by existing in it. And if there is manipulation at play…"
He let the thought finish itself.
Theal nodded. "Riven's Codex is uniquely suited to this. He can move through contested zones without disturbing resonance fields. If something is masking itself, he's the one most likely to notice the absence."
Jun folded his arms. "And if he encounters resistance?"
Keal's gaze hardened. "Then we'll know this is no longer a rumor."
That evening, Theal watched Riven prepare.
No ceremony. No questions.
Riven listened as Keal explained the situation in brief, tactical terms. He did not interrupt. Did not argue.
"Observe," Keal concluded. "Confirm or deny external influence. Do not engage unless necessary."
Riven nodded once.
As he turned to leave, Theal spoke. "Be careful."
Riven paused, just long enough to glance back. "I always am."
Theal remained in the chamber long after Riven's departure, staring at the projections.
The northern data updated again.
Another beast sighting.Another delayed response.Another report filed as local instability.
The system flagged it green.
Acceptable. Contained. Non-critical.
Theal's fingers curled slowly into a fist.
"You're hiding," he said softly—to the data, to the unseen enemy, to the fault line forming beneath the Empire's feet. "And you're counting on us to underestimate you."
Far to the north, Riven crossed the border without fanfare, his presence barely registering against the land's resonance.
And somewhere beneath the snow and stone, something adjusted its attention.
Not yet.
But soon.