Whisper Protocol

🏰 The Capital — Inner Circle Chamber, Midnight

The chamber was carved into obsidian, its walls inscribed with silent-seal runes that blocked scrying and memory retrieval.

Twelve men and women sat around a crescent table.

The Crown's inner circle.

An illusion played above them—replaying the duel between Achilles and Prince Asrael in ghostly light.

They watched the boy—silent, sharp-eyed, barely moving—as he dismantled fourth-circle spells mid-flight.

> "No aura signature. No mana circuit flare. No verbal spellcasting."

"He operates below our detection line."

"A threat?"

Silence.

Then a woman in silver robes leaned forward.

> "Or a tool."

---

🧾 Royal Directive: Whisper Protocol

Whisper Protocol was enacted at dawn.

Not war. Not exile.

Just quiet shadows assigned to observe Achilles Verentis indefinitely.

Orders:

No contact unless permitted by the Emperor.

Track spell behaviors, mana signatures, and social affiliations.

Record all anomalous activity.

Initiate Containment Phase only upon confirmation of autonomous system evolution.

One phrase was repeated in every document:

> Do not approach. Do not engage. Do not let him see you.

---

🕵️ In the Shadows: Agent "Bell"

A new agent was dispatched.

Codename: Bell

Rank: Whisper Operative

Directive: Observe Verentis from within House Aldren and intercept all outgoing magical correspondence.

Bell blended easily—posing as a groundskeeper, then a junior steward. Her eyes missed nothing.

Every spell cast by Achilles was recorded.

Every movement during training, every page he read, every conversation—filed and categorized.

And yet…

> "He knows," she whispered one night. "He knows we're watching."

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🧠 Meanwhile… Achilles

In his room, Achilles stared at the ceiling, fingers interlocked behind his head.

He didn't smile. He didn't speak.

But the System flickered quietly beside his vision.

> >>> Surveillance Layer Detected

>>> Proximity: 11 meters

>>> Audio relay active — one-way

>>> Response protocol: None.

He could dismantle it.

Block it. Feed false signals.

But he didn't.

> Let them watch.

> Let them build a report.

> And when they've convinced themselves they understand me…

> I'll break the frame they built.

---

📜 Final Report Excerpt — Week 1

> Subject is stable, cold, highly functional.

No social deviations.

Appears emotionally blunted.

Conclusion: Subject is not becoming dangerous.

He already is.