Nyx collapsed at dawn.
Not dramatically.
Just… quietly.
Alpha caught her before she hit the floor.
Her skin was cold. Breathing shallow. The silver glow in her eyes was gone, replaced by something dimmer.
[System Alert: Ally Condition — Critical]
Rex swore. "What happened?"
Alpha laid her down carefully. "Null Weave backlash."
Rex frowned. "That bad?"
"Worse," came a calm voice from the shadows.
Someone stepped forward without triggering Shadow Sense.
Alpha's muscles tightened instantly.
Old.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
The man wore simple clothes, no insignia, no pressure leaking—yet the air around him felt anchored.
"Who are you?" Alpha asked.
The man smiled faintly. "A sealed cultivator who paid a similar price once."
Nyx stirred weakly. "Don't… trust him."
The man chuckled. "She's right to warn you."
[Threat Assessment: Unknown — High Tier]
Alpha didn't move. "Speak."
The man crouched beside Nyx, examining her without touching. "Null Weave disrupts registered techniques by rejecting external order," he said. "But it feeds on the user's life imprint."
Rex stiffened. "Meaning?"
"She's burning herself," the man said plainly. "Slowly."
Alpha's jaw tightened.
"How do you know this?"
"Because I survived it," the man replied. "Barely."
Nyx forced her eyes open. "He's… one of the Unfiled."
The man nodded. "We prefer 'Unrecorded.'"
Alpha looked at him. "You came to help?"
"I came to offer a shortcut," the man said.
[Opportunity Detected: High-Risk Advancement Path]
He met Alpha's gaze.
"There's a way to stabilize her," he continued. "And accelerate you."
Rex snapped. "What's the cost?"
The man smiled again. "Dependence."
Silence fell.
Alpha felt the weight of the word.
"Explain."
"There's a fracture beneath this city," the man said. "A legacy construct. Pre-Registry. Power without oversight."
Nyx whispered, "Don't…"
"Bind to it," the man said, ignoring her, "and it will feed you both. Heal her. Boost you. Shield your territory."
Alpha's Shadow Sense flared.
He felt it.
Deep underground.
Old power.
Hungry.
"And in return?" Alpha asked.
The man stood. "It owns part of your future."
Alpha stared at Nyx—pale, fading, still trying to shake her head.
[Decision Node: Accept the Shortcut / Refuse]
The man's voice softened. "You can fight clean. Slow. Risk losing her."
"Or you can cheat," he said. "Like the Registry does."
Alpha closed his eyes briefly.
Then opened them.
"Leave," Alpha said.
The man's brows rose. "You'll doom her."
Alpha stepped closer, presence heavy.
"I won't trade tomorrow for today," he said. "And I won't chain her to something worse than the Registry."
The man studied him for a long moment.
Then nodded.
"Good," he said. "That answer matters."
He turned to leave.
"One more thing," he added. "You just passed the first test."
"Whose?" Rex demanded.
The man glanced back.
"The Unrecorded," he said. "And the city beneath you."
He vanished.
Nyx exhaled weakly.
Alpha took her hand.
"I've got you," he said quietly.
[Hidden Path Unlocked: Clean Ascension Route]
[Trust Link: Strengthened]
Outside, the city slept—unaware that something ancient had just been refused.