The underground chamber was carved from dark stone that swallowed torchlight instead of reflecting it. Shadows clung to the ceiling like living things. Every breath felt controlled, measured, and watched. No one spoke unless spoken to. No one moved unless permitted.
This was Obsidian territory.
A hooded attendant opened the heavy door, and Ryan stepped inside. His posture was composed, but his fingers twitched once along his sleeve. Only once. Only someone who knew him well would have noticed.
Two Tier 3 members stood by the stone table, reviewing sealed reports with quiet intensity. They looked up when Ryan entered.
"You are late," one said.
Ryan bowed slightly, the gesture respectful but not submissive. "I had to verify the information twice. It is… unusual."
"Unusual," the other repeated. He tapped the parchment. "You mean one of your spies disappeared."
Ryan hid his irritation behind a neutral expression. "He did not vanish without reason. Someone interfered."
The first man closed the report and leaned back. His eyes were sharp, the kind that found weakness the way a blade found a seam in armor.
"Explain."
Ryan stepped forward and placed a small wooden token on the table. It bore the Obsidian insignia, dragged through mud and dried blood.
"This was found near the border," Ryan said. "Far into Soulbound's hunting grounds."
A silence spread through the chamber. Not surprise—calculations.
"So," the Tier 3 leader murmured, "Soulbound took him."
"It is possible."
The other man shook his head. "No. Soulbound kills spies quietly. They do not leave tokens lying in the open. Someone wanted us to see this."
Ryan exhaled slowly. He had come to the same conclusion.
"We received reports of many Faceless corpses," he continued. "Clean kills. Cores removed. Soulbound was already investigating when we arrived."
"You were followed?"
"No," Ryan said. "I checked."
"You are not the problem," the leader replied. "Your missing man is."
He lifted the token and examined it against the dim light.
"Someone is trying to set us against Soulbound."
Ryan nodded. "And until we know who benefits from that, we cannot react."
The air shifted suddenly.
The chamber door opened without sound.
Everyone straightened.
The vice leader entered.
He wore no hood. He did not need one. His presence alone was a shadow. His expression was calm in a way that felt dangerous. Tier 4 power pressed against the room like a silent weight, bending breath and thought.
Even Tier 3 members lowered their eyes.
He glanced only once at the table, then at Ryan.
"You brought this?"
"Yes, Vice Leader."
The man's fingers brushed the wooden token, and the shadows in the chamber seemed to pulse.
"Your spy is either dead or compromised," he said. "Either way, his value is gone. What matters is the hand behind this."
He walked slowly around the table, each step quiet, deliberate, measured.
"An unknown hunter kills twelve Tier Two Faceless in one night," he said. "Soulbound investigates. Our spy disappears. A token is left behind. And you expect coincidence."
"No," Ryan replied. "I expect someone is provoking us."
"And you are correct."
The vice leader stopped walking.
"The question is why."
No one answered.
The silence was long, stretching thin like wire.
At last the vice leader continued, voice soft enough that the room leaned forward.
"Send watchers to every border town," he said. "Anyone new, anyone talented, anyone moving strangely—bring me their names."
"Yes, Vice Leader."
"We do not strike yet. We observe."
He turned his head slightly, and the torches dimmed as if reacting to his presence.
"And Ryan," he added, without looking back.
Ryan stiffened. "Yes."
"You will find out who manipulated your spy. If Soulbound had done it, they would have claimed it openly. Someone else is playing in our territory."
The vice leader paused.
"When you find them," he said, "you bring them to me alive."
A soft pressure pulsed through the chamber, then vanished. The vice leader left without another word. The door closed behind him, sealing the air again.
No one spoke for several breaths.
Finally, the Tier 3 leader looked at Ryan.
"Your mistake has become an Order matter," he said. "Do not make another."
Ryan bowed his head carefully, though a cold spark ignited beneath his calm expression.
"I will not."
The meeting ended. The candle flames steadied. The stone walls swallowed the lingering weight of authority.
Ryan walked out of the chamber and into the narrow hallway. He waited until he was alone—truly alone—before letting his expression shift.
Someone had played with his operations.
Someone had killed monsters in his territory.
Someone had misled two guilds at once.
Ryan's jaw tightened.
A hunter hiding behind luck?A rogue Holder?A traitor?
Whoever it was, they were clever.
Too clever.
He exhaled once, regaining calm.
"Fine," he whispered to himself. "I will find you."
Above him, in the thick stone ceiling, a faint rumble echoed.
Obsidian had begun to move.