Sira's alleys twisted like a living maze, each turn a puzzle, each shadow a potential observer. Nasir moved silently along a neglected street near the docks, eyes scanning for subtle anomalies.
A faint vibration in the Veil threads caught his attention—hidden, delicate, deliberate. Something beneath the city was active.
Observation first. Calculation second. Action last.
The Discovery
He traced the threads to a rusted hatch behind an abandoned warehouse. No ordinary sigil marked the entrance—just faint, residual energy humming beneath the surface.
Nasir crouched, letting his Reflection Avatar probe the area. The threads reacted, pulsing faintly, acknowledging him without exposure. Carefully, the hatch gave way to reveal a staircase descending into darkness.
The smell of damp stone and faint ozone hinted at machinery—or worse, experiments.
Inside the Veil Laboratory
The chamber below was vast and unnerving. Flickering lamps illuminated tables covered in instruments, strange devices etched with sigils, and vials containing swirling, faintly glowing substances.
Figures moved in calculated coordination—masked researchers conducting experiments on minor Veil users, each tethered to devices that manipulated the threads.
The air was thick with energy. Sigils pulsed, interacting with the subjects, shifting the Veil currents subtly.
They are mapping responses, testing limits, controlling awareness, Nasir observed, calm and precise. This is beyond observation—this is active manipulation.
First Direct Analysis
Nasir extended the Reflection Avatar subtly, probing the lab without being detected.
The avatar traced sigil patterns etched into walls and instruments.
He detected control mechanisms, wards layered to record reactions of subjects.
Faint residual threads hinted at hidden factions' influence over the lab.
Knowledge flowed. Every detail cataloged. Every movement, every pulse, every reaction of the Veil threads.
Direct confrontation would be reckless. Observation is power.
The Cosmic Thread Whisper
A faint tug reached him—not from the lab, not from the city—but from beyond. Threads ancient, patient, and deliberate stirred, responding to the subtle disturbances Nasir caused.
The laboratory was a layer. The factions were a layer. The city was a layer. And beyond… something watched. Waiting.
Nasir exhaled slowly, letting the realization sink in. Knowledge had been gained tonight. The hidden lab revealed not just secrets of factions, but hints of forces and experiments far older, far stranger, than Sira itself.
Patience, observation, understanding. Always first. Action… would come later.