echoes in the shadows

Chapter 4: Echoes in the Shadows

The mission looked simple on paper.

A beast disturbance had been reported near the ruins of Sable Hollow, a village that had been overrun a decade ago by corrupted wildlife and left to rot. Low-tier threats. Quick sweep. Scout, report, maybe collect some minor cores.

It was a standard D-rank mission. Boring, by Jim's standards. Perfect, by Tory's.

"Just enough to get experience," he told Jim as they moved through the broken trail east of Emberlight. "And quiet enough to avoid attention."

Jim smirked. "You keep saying that like something won't go wrong."

"I'm trying to be optimistic."

"You suck at it."

They weren't alone. Two other rookies from the Silver Dawn guild had been assigned to their group:

Keira – a wind-user with sharp reflexes and sharper sarcasm.

Rohn – a sturdy earth-user, quiet but solid.

Tory stayed silent most of the hike, watching them. He had studied hundreds of combat styles, movement patterns, elemental behaviors through his Reality System's simulated overlays. He was still learning how to act like a normal hunter.

> [Reality System: Cloaking Thread Active]

[Energy Signature Suppressed: 100%]

No one suspected a thing.

---

Sable Hollow was silent.

They arrived just before noon. The air was thick with old rot and buried decay. Cracked homes, half-sunken into overgrown ground, leaned like drunks against each other. The wind carried no birdsong. No beasts. No life.

"Too quiet," Keira muttered, blades drawn.

Rohn tapped the ground with his boot. "Can't feel any vibrations underground. Not even bugs."

Jim raised his spear, scanning. "Something's wrong."

Tory's senses were already flaring.

> [Reality Thread Detected: Corrupted Space Node]

[Analysis: Weak dimensional fracture — probability of mutated beast emergence: 87%]

Tory's eyes narrowed.

"Spread out," Jim said. "Pairs. Keira, with Rohn. Tory, with me. Stay within visual range."

They moved into the ruins.

Tory felt it before he saw it.

The ground beneath the old well in the village center cracked — a ripple of distortion, like glass bending in water.

> [System Alert: Rift Opening]

[Beast Signature Detected: Corrupted Lurker (Stage: Late Awakened → Mutating)]

"Jim—!"

The well exploded.

A black mass burst from the earth — not quite insect, not quite hound, its body stretched and mangled by dimensional energy. Its face split into four jagged maws, shrieking a sound that pierced the soul.

Keira screamed.

Rohn pulled her behind a wall of stone just as a swipe from the creature's talons reduced the house beside them to rubble.

Jim didn't hesitate.

He launched forward with lightning underfoot, flame bursting from his back like wings. His spear crackled, and he struck the beast in the chest — the blow sent it flying into a building, but the thing rose again.

"It's regenerating!" Keira yelled.

Tory stepped forward, calculating.

> [Option 1: Break core through brute force – Success Rate: 32%]

[Option 2: Collapse spatial anchor holding mutation – Success Rate: 87%]

[Option 3: Use reality erasure – High risk of detection. Success: 100%. Concealment risk: Critical.]

No.

He couldn't risk exposing himself—not with the Crimson Flame envoys so close. Not with Jason sniffing around.

He chose Option 2.

Tory reached into his spatial thread—silently, invisibly—and twisted.

> [Spatial Anchor Severed.]

The creature faltered mid-charge. Its form shimmered, then began to destabilize—its limbs deforming, body convulsing. Jim struck again, this time piercing its skull. The beast dropped.

Dead.

Everyone stood in stunned silence.

"What the hell happened?" Keira asked.

"Dimensional backlash," Tory lied smoothly. "It wasn't fully stable yet."

Jim looked at him. Just for a second.

Tory didn't meet his eyes.

---

That night, they camped by the ruins.

Keira and Rohn slept first, exhausted. Jim sat by the fire, silent, sharpening his blade. Tory was a few feet away, pretending to tinker with his gear.

"You didn't just see that thing's weakness, did you?"

Tory didn't answer.

"I know how you think, Tory. You moved too precisely. Like you knew."

Still no response.

Jim sighed. "I'm not asking for secrets. Just… don't get lost in whatever this is. You're still my brother."

Tory finally looked up.

"I know."

> [System Message: Emotional Thread Logged.]

[Updating Host Profile: Anchor—Jim.]

He said nothing, but a quiet warmth stirred inside him.

---

Meanwhile, back in Emberlight—

Jason watched the orphanage from a distant rooftop, fingers twitching.

He'd followed the trail: whispers in markets, orphan kids selling high-quality beast cores, rumors of black-haired boys in the guild.

And now, he'd seen it for himself—Tory walking into the Silver Dawn guildhall like some regular support user.

"Support?" he hissed. "You're not a support. You're a damn godling."

The man beside him chuckled. He wore a red mantle—Crimson Flame insignia blazing on his shoulder.

"He really did hide well. Spatial cloaking. Impressive for a teenager."

Jason's eyes narrowed. "He's dangerous. You said the anomaly leads to him."

The man grinned. "Then let's prepare a net. Tell your friends in Raging Flame. We'll wait until they're isolated. Then we strike."

Jason's fist clenched.

"Tory… you'll regret ever being born."

---

Back at the guild, a notice arrived the next morning.

"Special Mission Request: Mid-tier Beast Lair Recon – Outer Fracture Zone – Team: Jim, Tory, Keira, Rohn. Approval: Guildmaster."

It was unusual. Missions were normally requested by rank, not names.

Jim read the paper, frowning. "Someone's targeting us."

Tory nodded. "We can't back down now. That'll raise more suspicion."

Keira shrugged. "Works for me. Been itching to kill something bigger."

They packed their gear.

And as they headed for the gates, Tory whispered to himself:

"Let them come."

> [System Online.]

[Reality Path: Unfolding.]

[Next Stage Unlocked: Layer 2 – Concept Manipulation.]