The morning air was crisp as the group set out from the academy. Tiny plumes of spirit steam curled from their boots with each step. Their mission? A terrain-mapping run along the eastern ridge, with echo-tagging and elemental resonance recording — a solid four-point scouting operation for first-years.

Aston, Seria, Rowan, Kai, and Lyra strode along the stone terrace, tools and spirit-scanners at hand. Mirage hovered overhead, wings drifting like faint prisms against the pale sky. Gray padded behind Aston, sensing purpose in his steps.

As they moved, Rowan chatted about tagging techniques. Seria and Lyra compared notes on elemental indicators. Kai adjusted the resonance settings on his scanner. Aston listened, playing the conversation as a backdrop. He'd volunteered, but not because he felt he needed the points—instead, because he needed time. Time and space to slip away.

About halfway up the ridge, just as the terrain grew thin and the elemental hum intensified, Aston murmured, "Hey—my satchel needs adjusting. I'll catch up." He looked over his shoulder and stepped off the path.

Moments later, he slipped through a broken arch scarred by ivy—an old boundary expressing his direction. The group, preoccupied, didn't notice his slide into shadow.

He reached the derelict courtyard where he first met Elder Erin. Pillars stood in wrecked silhouette, cracked mosaic stones underfoot. Mirage's prismatic feathers traced arcs in his line of sight.

A rustle.

From between broken pillars, a figure emerged—Elder Erin. Her green-gold robes billowed as if stirred by wind, but no wind blew here. Mirage circled protectively; Gray stiffened, ears forward.

"You're early," Aston said.

"I anticipated as much," Elder Erin replied, arms folded. Her spirit beast—Seraphis Lamiar Garter—lurched into view, coiled around her wrist like liquid glass.

"How did you know I'd be here?" Aston asked.

Her lips curved. "I have my ways. So, what brings you here?"

Aston's eyes narrowed slightly.

"I saw the mission board," he said. "Mission SX-C74. They've officially posted a capture order for Linna Veydran. The Silverroot Broker."

Elder Erin's smile faded, replaced by a more serious stillness. She turned her head slightly, watching something invisible in the distance.

"That was fast," Aston added. "The relay tag I planted couldn't have been more than a week old. Why escalate it this far already?"

There was a pause.

"She's been on the Empire's list for a long time," Erin said quietly. "You just gave them the proof they needed. Or rather, the pretext."

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

He frowned. "But she's not reckless. She moved clean. Efficient. If they storm Westridge Hollow with a full team—"

"She'll vanish," Elder Erin said, finishing his thought. "Yes. Likely through paths even the Empire doesn't know. And if they corner her too tightly, she'll kill."

Aston looked down briefly, his hand tightening by his side.

"Did I do the right thing?" he asked.

Elder Erin's gaze was unreadable again, almost… distant. "You did your task. That's all Shadow Ops requires."

"That's not what I asked."

She tilted her head.

"You tagged a shipment that would have poisoned the spirit core market across three provinces. That's more than 'right' by most measures."

"But I also gave them a name. One they might turn into a symbol. And symbols don't get captured. They get eliminated."

The elder's silence was telling.

"You're not wrong to ask those questions," she finally said. "But be careful who you ask them to."

Then, as if the conversation had run its course, she stepped back into the column's shadow.

A pause.

"Good." Her eyes fixed him. "I'll give you a test."

Aston felt the familiar pull—a weighty invitation.

"My challenge," she said, voice soft, deliberate: "Find the entrance to Shadow Operations headquarters."

Upon hearing Elder Erin's test, Aston asked Nova to sense the entrance. A soft pulse in his vision—pattern scanning, suppressing ambient interference.

Before him, behind a stone pillar, a shifting glyph shimmered briefly. When overlayed through Nova's detection, it revealed a hidden archway—barred, edge-dusted with anti-detection runes, a subtle sigil mesh interwoven in its frame.

Aston's heart quickened.

"So this." His voice trembled with calm shock. "This is the entrance?"

No wonder the elder always appear as soon as Aston near the courtyard. The entrance is there.

Elder Erin inclined her head, serpent coiling tighter. "It's not the only one. But it's the one you found."

He looked to the arch: deep, claustrophobic, rune-dark. The barrier pulsed faintly. He reached out, fingertips hovering above the stone.

Erin watched him. "Interesting," she whispered, her gaze sharp as frost. She stepped back into the shadows.

Aston took in a slow breath.

"Next time," she called from darkness, "enter through that. That is… your invitation. Let me see what you do inside."

And vanished.

—

Aston stood for several breaths—heartbeat echoing in his ears—before exhaling. He slipped back onto the ridge, careful not to disturb earth or echo. Mirage glided in behind him, talons silent. Gray brushed his ankles, whisking away tension. His eyes flicked briefly toward the horizon where Westridge Hollow Settlement lay silently.

Rowan and Kai looked puzzled. "Where'd you go?" Rowan asked, his field scanner paused mid-ping.

"Satchel adjustment," Aston said lightly.

Seria observed him, eyes narrowing. "Everything okay?"

He nodded. No secrets, no alarms. "Just checking gear."

They continued the mission—but Aston's mind lingered about his earlier meeting with the elder.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.