Detective.

Elias shuffled out of his room, a blanket draped over his shoulders like a tattered cape. His hair was a mess, and a yawn stretched his face as he stumbled into their living room. His eyes squinted against the early morning light filtering through the window, and he blinked sluggishly at the sight before him.

Rael stood in front of a board, its surface covered in a web of hastily scrawled notes and lines connecting various names and symbols. Words like Golden Token, Rite of Sovereignty, and Misdirection? stood out among the organized chaos.

Elias rubbed his eyes, staring at the board as if it might rearrange itself into something more sensible. "Morning..." His voice trailed off before he straightened, his brows lifting. "Whoa. Did I wake up in the 18th century or something? You look like you're about to solve the murder of the Duke of Wherever."

Rael glanced over his shoulder, a marker still in his hand. "Just piecing together what happened at the church."

Elias took a step closer, still clutching his blanket like a makeshift robe. "Alright, Sherlock, what's going on?"

Rael recounted the events at the church—the mysterious group's attack, the theft of the Golden Token of Vash'kar, and the unsettling implications of their precise retreat. His voice remained even, but the weight of the situation pressed into every word.

By the end of the retelling, Elias's expression had transformed from sleepy curiosity to wide-eyed disbelief. "Wait, wait, wait—hold up." He dropped the blanket, fully awake now. "They have the Token already? The Token of Vash'kar? The thing we were planning to get so we could rule this place?"

Rael nodded, tapping the marker against the board. "That's right. And from the looks of it, they've planned this move for a while. They were too organized, too clean."

Elias ran his hands through his hair, his face a picture of exaggerated panic. "But what about our plans to dominate Vash'kar? To become the superpower of this place? I had dreams, Rael! Big dreams!" He clutched his chest, gasping melodramatically. "How am I supposed to extort—cough—impose law and order on the other NPCs and players now?"

Rael's lips quirked into a faint smirk. "We're not out of the game yet. The Token only works if they perform the Rite of Sovereignty in the church."

Elias perked up, hope springing into his eyes. "So, you're saying there's a chance? Like, an actual chance?"

"More than a chance," Rael said, his voice steady. "As long as the Rite isn't completed, the Token is just a trinket. We just need to figure out their real plan and strike before they do."

Elias nodded vigorously, his energy snapping back into place. "Alright, then. Time to put on my best 'imposing officer of the law' face and get to work." He jabbed a thumb at himself. "This city isn't gonna dominate itself."

Rael turned back to the board, his expression hardening as new connections formed in his mind. 

His mind churned through the details. The heist at Vash'kar had been a calculated strike, but what truly gnawed at him was the precision. The mysterious group had slipped through the Order's fingers with the Golden Token, but why? They couldn't possibly claim the city, any attempt at the Rite of Sovereignty would be crushed by the Order. Their strength was unparalleled, especially this early in the game.

Elias scratched his head, his earlier theatrics fading as he matched Rael's serious tone. "So, that's why you were up all night? Trying to piece this together?"

"Yeah." Rael nodded at the board, where strings of thought connected suspicious guilds, supply chains, and the fake cult's recent surge of resources. "Whoever they are, they've got a wide reach. The operation at the church wasn't a cheap stunt, they threw serious resources into this."

"Maybe that explains the shortage," Elias said, his voice dropping. "All those items disappearing from the markets, stuff that suddenly became hard to find. You think it was them?"

"It fits," Rael said, his expression unreadable. "And if they've been feeding those fake cultists and pushing market trends, they've got a lot more power than we thought."

He circled a spot on the board, his marker squeaking against the white surface. "But at least the theft will throw the city into a stalemate," he said. "The Order will dig in, and everyone else will think twice before making a move. Less pressure means we can take our time, strengthen our position."

Elias opened his mouth to respond, but a sharp, high-pitched noise cut him off. His phone. He glanced at the screen, his face going blank before his eyes widened with disbelief.

"Holy moly!!" The exclamation burst from him, an unfiltered mix of shock and panic.

Rael turned, and Elias thrust his phone forward. The screen displayed the game's forums, the top posts all variations on the same theme.

Golden Token Stolen!

Thieves Escape with the Golden Token of Valcrest!

Chaos in Hildebrand: Sacred token Missing!

Another Heist? Elysford's Golden Token Vanished!

Three cities in total, each reporting the same calamity. The Golden Tokens, the very keys to ruling the cities, had been stolen in a synchronized strike.

Rael's pulse steadied, his thoughts aligning with a razor-sharp focus. "So it's not just Vash'kar. This is bigger, much bigger."

Elias's voice dropped to a whisper, the weight of it crushing his usual levity. "What the hell are they planning, Rael?"

Rael didn't answer immediately. His eyes moved back to the board, the tangled web of clues and suspicions. He didn't have the full picture yet, just fragments, half-truths, and questions. 

* * *

Cipher sat comfortably in his high-backed chair, shadows pooling in the dimly lit room. His fingers drummed a slow, steady rhythm against the armrest as he listened to the voice on the other end of the call.

"You were right," Krieg said, a mix of awe and irritation coloring his tone. "That guy actually saw through the distraction."

A faint smile played on Cipher's lips. "Of course he did. The Vash'kar operation had a few gaps. Just enough for a sharp mind to notice. But it's fine, Plan B wasn't necessary, so everything went smoothly."

Krieg's voice held a note of caution. "When do we proceed with the next phase?"

"Not yet." Cipher's reply was measured, unhurried. "Let them stew for a bit. We're not in a rush. The more they try to piece things together, the more opportunities they'll give us."

There was a brief pause before Cipher's voice took on a thoughtful edge. "By the way, has the diary shown any changes?"

"No," Krieg responded, his tone steady.

Cipher's fingers stilled, a hint of curiosity threading through his expression. "Hmm. Keep a close eye on it. Let me know the moment anything shifts."

"Understood." The call ended with a quiet click.

Cipher remained motionless, the silence wrapping around him. His gaze drifted to the board on the wall, pages pinned neatly, their edges worn. They formed a quiet mosaic of notes and patterns, each piece part of a larger, hidden part.

He sighed, "No fun if I have all the cards," he murmured. His eyes glinted with something between amusement and anticipation. "A game needs fairness. Otherwise, where's the challenge?"

The room offered no response, but Cipher didn't mind. He was patient. He could wait for the pieces to move, knowing he already controlled the board.

* * *

Rael settled into his pod, the familiar hum of the machinery surrounding him as he prepared to log into his secondary account. The system chimed softly in his ears, the interface enveloping his vision as the world of Ascent loaded in.

[Welcome back, EzPz4040]

Rael's lips curled into a wry smile at the username. He'd chosen it on a whim, back when he'd needed a quick cover to avoid revealing his main account to Sabrina. Playing the noob had been part of the plan, and the silly name had fit perfectly.

He sighed, then shook his head. Maybe it was time to change it, if only to spare himself the secondhand embarrassment.

The world around him crystallized into focus. It had been a while since he'd logged into this account. The last time had been with Sabrina, back when they'd been farming mobs together. His fingers moved automatically, opening his friends list. Her name appeared, still highlighted as online: Level 36. She'd been grinding, it seemed. Good to see. His own level, a modest 20, looked almost out of place next to hers. He'd barely touched this character, but now it served a new purpose.

Rael had logged into this account for three reasons.

First, he needed information. The Golden Token's theft had thrown Vash'kar into chaos, but it wasn't the only city affected. The coordinated heists across multiple Order cities pointed to a larger plot, and Sabrina, being an Ashford, might know something the public didn't. Her family's influence could grant insights others lacked, and Rael needed every scrap of intel he could find.

Second, this account offered him a degree of freedom. Without the ever-present "Noctus" hovering above his head, he could move through crowds, listen in on conversations, and gather information without attracting attention. Noctus had become a name to watch in Vash'kar, and slipping under the radar as EzPz4040 would make things a lot simpler.

Lastly, there was the simple truth that he wanted a break. His main account bore the weight of expectations, strategies, and the constant push toward their guild's ambitions. This character was different. It had Dragonrite, offering a unique and fun opportunity to test the skill without the heavy mantle of leadership.

He tapped Sabrina's name and sent a quick message, something casual about catching up. He expected a delay, but her response came within minutes. She sent him coordinates, and Rael mapped them instantly.

His destination: Kahinor, the largest western city under the Order's control. It was far enough from Vash'kar that no one would connect him to the chaos unfolding there.

Rael moved swiftly to the nearest teleport node, his steps quiet and deliberate. The low-level armor on this account felt light, almost flimsy compared to his usual gear. His weapon, the old bow he'd bartered from a fisherman, hung at his side.

As he approached the node, his mind ran through his objectives. Sabrina first, get the lay of the land, see what she knew. Then, he'd begin tracing the trail of the group behind the heists. The sheer scale of their operation suggested deep resources and connections. The fake cult, the suspicious guilds, the items they'd been offloading, all pieces of a larger puzzle.

And Rael intended to solve it.

The light of the teleport node enveloped him, and with a soft rush of wind and a shift in perspective, Rael vanished.