Dawn broke over Hartwood with a scarlet sky, the embers of sunrise reflecting Rowan’s tapestry of the phoenix. Kael forced himself out of the straw mattress, every muscle protesting the night’s terror and the weight of his mission. The notebook lay open on the small wooden table:

  

  |——————— STATUS ———————|

  | Level: 2

  | EXP: 200/200

  | Health: 60/75

  | Mana: 8/10

  | Strength: 5

  | Agility: 7

  | Intelligence: 9

  | Skill Points: 1

  |——————— LOG ————————|

  | [00:00] System Initialized.

  | [00:02] Host awakened.

  | [00:05] Objective: SURVIVE.

  | [00:35] +1 SP: survived patrol.

  | [00:40] +1 SP: defeated dire wolves.

  | [01:15] +1 SP: survived courtyard training.

  | [02:00] +1 SP: survived sword?stance lesson.

  | [02:45] +1 SP: survived midnight Order strike.

  1 Skill Point pulsed at the bottom. His chest tightened. Detect or Flash Step? He needed to know when danger lurked. His thumb hovered over the page.

  Kael dressed quickly, stashing the notebook in his coat. Virelle was already in the common room, sharpening her dagger beside Jarrik’s roaring hearth. Her dark eyes lifted as Kael entered.

  “Morning,” she said, blade ringing against the stone. “Ready?”

  He swallowed. “I want to learn Detect.”

  Her lips curved. “Good choice. Sensing threats before they strike could save your life.”

  They slipped into the courtyard, mist still clinging to the grass. Rowan stood by the wooden dummy, arms folded.

  “Today,” she said, “you claim the old watchtower as our base. It’s defensible and hidden—but abandoned for a reason. Wild magic leaks through those stones.” She nodded at Virelle. “You two proceed. I’ll cover your approach if trouble comes.”

  Kael squared his shoulders and flipped open the notebook. Skills, he tapped:

  

  |————— SKILL LIST —————|

  | 1. Barrier (Active) Level 2

  | 2. Mana Bolt (Active) Level 1

  | 3. Detect (Locked)

  | 4. Flash Step (Locked)

  | 5. Nullify (Locked)

  |————— AVAILABLE POINTS: 1 —————|

  He selected Detect. The page rippled, then unlocked:

  

  3. Detect (Active) Level 1

  A new line shimmered:

  

  Skill Points: 0

  Use [CAST Detect] to sense nearby threats.

  His heart fluttered. “Let’s try it.”

  Virelle nodded. “Stay silent. I’ll walk ahead; you read the world.” She stepped forward, pale leather boots pressing into dew?wet grass.

  Kael followed a pace behind, breathing steady. He whispered, “CAST Detect.”

  A faint pulse of silver light traced the edges of the courtyard—two flickers near the south wall. Rowan’s silhouette and one more, patrolling in the woods. Not Order Hunters—villagers. He closed the display. “Clear.”

  Virelle smiled. “Good. Now through the north woods, five hundred meters to the watchtower.”

  The ruined watchtower loomed beyond a stand of birch trees—its top half collapsed, vines choking its base. A stone spiral staircase twisted inside, visible through a gaping hole. Kael’s throat constricted.

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  “This was once a city patrol post,” Virelle said. “Now its residents are bones and echoes. But it stands.” She gestured a silent invitation. “After you.”

  Kael approached, raising his dagger defensively. Inside, the spiral steps wound upward. Webs of ivy drooped overhead; patches of moss clung to every surface. He whispered, “CAST Detect” again. A faint red shimmer traced across the floor: a pressure plate trap, half?buried under debris.

  “Trap,” he murmured. Virelle turned, eyes sharp. “Good catch.”

  He pried a loose stone from the mechanism and disarmed it. A dull click echoed as the plate settled. Virelle released a breath. “You’re improving.”

  They ascended to the first landing: a circular room with collapsed arches. Sunlight slanted in, illuminating a crudely barricaded door.

  “Obsidian markers,” Virelle whispered. Black sigils etched into the piss?stained wood. “They were here—clearing out what they needed.”

  Kael’s stomach churned. He checked his Log:

  

  [03:10] +1 SP: learned Detect.

  He was growing—but the cost weighed heavy.

  They breached the wooden door and found a small chamber littered with crates. Virelle pried one open. Inside: faded scrolls, rusted tools, and a battered chest.

  Kael inhaled. “A cache.”

  Virelle nodded, untying the chest’s lock with a slender blade. Inside lay a handful of dried rations, a leather strap of healing salves, and—a small crystal vial filled with swirling indigo liquid.

  “What’s that?” Kael asked, picking up the vial.

  “Order’s poison antidote,” Virelle said, voice low. “Rare, expensive. They’d use it only on agents. We’re not immune, but this could save a life.”

  Kael tucked the vial into his pocket. The chest also contained a rough map of the Outer Wilds, marked with a hidden cave: “Shadowfall Hollow” scrawled in spindly handwriting.

  “Potential relocation,” Virelle murmured. “Deeper refuge.” She turned to Kael. “Think we should make this our base—and only fall back to Hartwood when necessary.”

  He clenched his fist. “Agreed.”

  A sudden rumble made both leap as footsteps echoed below. Virelle pressed Kael against the wall. Dust drifted in from the collapsed floor below.

  “Hunters,” she whispered. “Order scouts.”

  Kael’s heart slammed. He gripped the notebook. No time for Barrier or Mana Bolt—Detect would only show them. He closed his eyes, summoned every ounce of focus: CAST Detect.

  This time, the room glowed with four red pulses at the base of the stairs. Kael nodded to Virelle. She drew her dagger. “We hold here.”

  The first scout emerged: a lithe figure in black armor, staff at the ready. Before the mage could speak a word, Virelle lunged, blade flashing. The scout parried, and a streak of pale magic shot toward Kael.

  He threw up his barrier reflexively. The bolt shattered against it in a cascade of sparks. Kael stepped to the side and flung a Mana Bolt: the orb of blue energy struck the scout’s shoulder. They hissed and staggered back, clutching at torn cloth.

  Two more scouts ascended, chanting in a guttural tongue. Kael met their advance, alternating Barrier and Mana Bolt, each spell pulsing with his growing command. Virelle darted between them, gutting one with her dagger while deflecting a second’s blade.

  The chamber shook as the final scout cast a wave of corrupt energy. Kael felt mana drain—his pool trembled. He closed his eyes, reached to his core, and ignited his barrier at maximum strength:

  

  Barrier Level 2 upgraded

  The massive dome swallowed the mage’s wave. When it faded, the last scout lay unconscious, magic spent.

  Kael sank to one knee, chest heaving. Virelle knelt beside him, studying his expression.

  “You held your own,” she said softly. “And you managed your resources well.”

  Kael wiped sweat from his brow. “We did it together.”

  Silence returned. The morning sun climbed higher, illuminating dust motes dancing in the ruined tower. Kael surveyed the battered room—crates unlooted, map in hand, his notebook tucked safely.

  “Shadowfall Hollow could be our long?term refuge,” he murmured. “We gather supplies here, then move deeper if Hartwood falls.”

  Virelle nodded. “We need villagers we trust. And Rowan’s help to fortify the lower levels.”

  Kael flipped open the map:

  

  |————— INNER WILDS MAP —————|

  | 1. Shadowfall Hollow — 8 km North

  | 2. Hidden Springs — 5 km East

  | 3. The Ruined Spire — 12 km West

  | 4. Hartwood — 15 km South

  |—————————————————————————|

  His finger traced the path to Shadowfall Hollow. It lay within a forest choked by blackthorn—difficult, but hidden.

  He closed the notebook, feeling a spark of hope. For the first time since the attack, he sensed safety—a place to hone his powers, build alliances, and maybe turn the tide against the Order.