The moment Dr. Vivian Reyes spoke, the tension in the isolation room became thick enough to suffocate. Elias still felt the dizzying residual effects of the Rite of Temporary Obfuscation, making the shadows seem to stretch and the hospital room feel unstable.
Silus, ever the professional, immediately raised his shovel, the tip aimed directly at Reyes.
"Cartographer," Silus hissed, his voice low and dangerous. "You were ordered to observe, not interfere. Step aside."
Reyes didn't flinch. She simply adjusted the antique camera hanging around her neck—a device that looked heavy enough to be a weapon—and fixed her gaze on Elias.
"I am Dr. Vivian Reyes, anthropologist and lead researcher for The Cartographers of the Veil," she stated, ignoring Silus. "And I am here because the Halloway Echo's egress was deliberately facilitated by one of your organization's internal enemies. This body," she gestured to the corpse in the canvas bag, "was vital for analysis."
Elias took a protective step in front of the body bag. "My organization? I inherited a lawnmower, a bunch of funeral paperwork, and a metaphysical panic attack. And who broke the binding?"
"Someone who wanted to test the new Gatekeeper's response," Reyes replied, her eyes intense. "And your response was predictable, but needlessly risky. You used a Disassociation Rite powered by your own connection to the Veil. You're weakening the Anchor Point just to cover a mistake made by one of my targets."
She pointed to the Watch. "You're a Medium of the Veil, Elias. Your gift is connection, not force. Stop using that thing like a shotgun."
Elias was stunned. This woman knew his inherited title, his unique ability, and the exact mechanics of the rites he was still learning. She was the first person to acknowledge his power as a gift, not a curse.
"How do you know that?" Elias demanded.
"Your grandfather, Arthur, knew I was loyal to the balance," Reyes explained. "He arranged for me to monitor the Anchor Point should he fall. He believed I could guide the next Gatekeeper through the initial chaos—the chaos you are currently failing to conceal."
The Cartographers' Mandate
Reyes lowered her guard, but not her intensity. She looked genuinely concerned about the structural integrity of the Veil.
"The Cartographers are the keepers of the global Anchor Points," she began, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "We don't fight the Echoes; we document, study, and ensure the Gatekeepers maintain containment. Our job is to prevent global collapse. Your grandfather, however, was a rebel."
"A rebel?"
"He started researching ways to permanently destroy Echoes, not just contain them," Reyes revealed. "That research is why he left you the Ledger and the Study. The Ledger is a magical record of bindings, yes, but it's also a key to understanding the Echoes' true vulnerability."
She knelt, her eyes scanning the subtle green smoke still rising from the consecrated dirt Elias had spilled.
"The binding on Halloway was broken by a high-level ritual known as the Rite of Accelerated Egress—a Cartographer's technique. This means the person who broke the seal belongs to our organization and is testing your resolve."
Elias felt the weight of the conspiracy settle on his shoulders. He was caught in an ideological war between his dead grandfather's rebellion and an enormous, shadowy organization that demanded order.
"So I'm supposed to trust the organization that just unleashed a monster on my town to test me?" Elias scoffed.
"You are supposed to trust the reality that the Veil is thinning," Reyes countered sharply. "Now, we have a problem. The body leaves a residual signature that is trackable. We need to complete the Permanent Sealing Rite at Plot 714 immediately."
The Secrets in the Ledger
They returned to Whispering Pines under the cover of the thickening fog, the silence of the cemetery a welcome relief after the frantic intensity of the hospital.
They had successfully returned Halloway's body to the freshly-dug grave, and Silus was already preparing the intricate chalk seals and iron spikes required for the permanent binding.
Elias and Reyes stood in the Study, the Ledger resting between them.
Reyes pointed to the first few pages, where the general principles of the Echoes were written.
"Look closely, Elias," she instructed. "Why do the records smell like ash?"
Elias leaned in. He had noticed the faint, smoky odor, but attributed it to the old fireplace. Now, he saw thin, faint lines weaving through the paper itself.
"It's not ink," Reyes explained. "It's concentrated spiritual residue. Every binding your grandfather performed added power, but also weight, to this book. When he failed a Rite, the energy burned, leaving ash residue."
She flipped to a page detailing an Echo from the 1890s—a being of pure sorrow that drained the life from children. The page was nearly black.
"Arthur didn't just contain them; he captured their essence in the book," Reyes continued. "The Ledger is not a passive tool. It's an artifact that grows in power and knowledge with every conflict. It's becoming a weapon designed to break the balance, not maintain it."
She then pointed to a specific, small entry Elias had missed in the margin of the Halloway page:
> Note to successor: When dealing with a Rite of Accelerated Egress, seek the Eye of Oakhaven for defense.
>
"The Eye of Oakhaven," Elias murmured. "It sounds like a historical landmark, not a weapon."
"Exactly," Reyes said, a flicker of excitement in her eyes. "Your grandfather was leveraging local history as magic. The Cartographers miss these local details, but you, the historian, won't. The key to fighting this internal enemy is using the local Anchor Magic that they don't know exists."
The First Test of Trust
Reyes pulled a small, worn leather pouch from her lab coat pocket. It contained tiny, dried blue flowers.
"This is Moonpetal, a powerful suppressant. Chew these before you use the Watch next time; it mitigates the neurological damage," she offered, holding out the pouch. "I am giving you a Cartographer secret. I believe in Arthur's vision, but I can't openly defy the Council yet. If you trust me, you take the Moonpetal."
Elias looked at the flowers, then at the woman who had just revealed a global conspiracy and a personal family secret. She was intelligent, powerful, and deeply entrenched in the system he was now rebelling against.
He reached out and took the pouch.
"What do you need from me?" Elias asked, his eyes steady.
"The Ledger's data on the final weakness of the Echoes. The Cartographers are obsessed with containment. Arthur believed in eradication. We need to find his full research before Elder Thorne arrives to take this entire cemetery from you."
Elias nodded, the weariness gone, replaced by a steely resolve. He had a target, a mysterious ally, and a weapon that was both a book and a bomb.
"Okay, Dr. Reyes," Elias said, slipping the Moonpetal into his pocket. "Let's start with the Eye of Oakhaven."
End of Chapter 005
Next Chapter: Chapter 006 | The Locked Study: A Wall of Grandpa's Secrets