The old mill creaked like it still remembered being alive.
Its timber bones groaned as Aiden stepped inside, torchlight flickering across dust-choked beams and rusted gears. The smell of grain long gone lingered beneath mildew and old blood.
He found the corner he remembered from the first timeline—the storage pit beneath the grindstone. In the old world, that pit had become a mass grave.
Not this time.
He opened his hand. Flame Pulse lit the darkness, revealing the faded Dominion insignia carved into the floorboards.
They'd used this place as a kill zone. Trap the villagers, light the thatch, seal the exits.
Now it would be something else.
Now it would be his kill zone.
---
> [Location Secured: Old Mill]
> Fortification Opportunity Detected
Objective Added: Prepare Traps – 0/5
Optional Enhancement: Strategic Influence Skill
Time Until Predicted Raid: 4 Days, 11 Hours
---
Later That Night – Veyda's Shrine
Veyda moved silently between the roots of the spirit tree, her fingers brushing ancient sigils into place with powdered ash and crushed fennel.
"They will come from the river," she said softly, not looking at Aiden. "But the river doesn't want them."
Aiden watched her.
"You've seen them?"
"I've seen what the Thread wants to happen. But not what you'll do to stop it."
He stepped forward, careful not to disturb the sigils.
"The Weave wants this place to burn," he said. "So it can call it proof. Proof that all things break, no matter who resists."
"And you resist."
"Yes."
Veyda turned then, her eyes meeting his.
"There's a price," she said.
"There always is."
---
The Next Morning – Training Yard
Torran winced as the dagger scraped across his forearm. He was fast, but not fast enough.
"Again," Aiden said flatly.
"I'm trying," the boy snapped.
"Try less. Think more."
The village youth stood in a loose circle, most of them clutching wooden tools or mismatched weapons. A few had real steel—but not the experience to use it.
Aiden moved through them like a shadow, correcting stances, redirecting grips, adjusting weight.
Most of them wouldn't survive real battle.
But he didn't need most of them.
He needed five who could follow orders, hold a line, and stall the Gravedogs long enough for the mill traps to work.
---
> [Passive Skill Progression: Command Instinct – 27%]
Potential Unlock: Tactical Sync (Requires 3 Units under Command)
---
Elya stood by the fence, arms crossed.
"You're wasting energy," she said.
"No," Aiden replied. "I'm buying time—with blood and sweat instead of fire."
"You could run."
"I've already done that once."
---
That Evening – The Observer Returns
Aiden stood alone near the ridge trail, torchlight held low.
It was there again.
A ripple in space. A shimmer in shadow.
Not a man. Not quite a ghost. But an Observer Echo—a fragment of a being from a timeline that hadn't been written yet.
> [Entity Scanned: Observer Class Echo]
Status: Passive | Non-Hostile
Sync Source: Unknown
Behavior: Observation Only – No Interference
It didn't speak. It didn't move.
It just watched.
"Enjoying the show?" Aiden asked it.
The echo tilted its head.
A moment passed—then a low hum drifted through the air, like the sound of glass vibrating under pressure.
Aiden blinked.
And in that blink, it was gone.
---
> [Sync Pulse Detected]
Echo Reaction: Timeline Divergence Confirmed
+1% Legacy Sync
Total Sync: 13%
---
He stood in silence for a long moment.
Then turned back toward Kaelridge.
The traps would be finished by morning.
The Gravedogs were coming.
And the world was watching.