Althea sat cross-legged in the center of the clearing, the strange glowing cipher floating before her like a hologram made of shimmering threads. Each line pulsed gently, as if it were alive and breathing. She didn’t dare touch it yet—every time she leaned closer, the symbols shifted position like shy fireflies darting away.

  Eon stood a few steps behind her, arms crossed but not unkind. “You don’t have to solve it in one sitting,” he reminded her. “Ciphers like this are meant to test perception, not speed.”

  “I know,” Althea said, squinting. “But it keeps rearranging. It’s like it gets nervous when I look at it too hard.”

  Before Eon could answer, a sharp rustle came from the trees to their right.

  Althea jolted slightly and whipped her head around.

  Eon reacted instantly—one hand raised, glowing faintly, eyes narrowing at the shadows. “Someone’s nearby,” he whispered.

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  The bushes parted, and for a split second Althea saw a quick flash of grey fabric and the back of someone ducking away. Just enough to recognize the same uniform from earlier—the scout who had been watching them in Chapter 7.

  But this time, instead of running deeper into the woods, the scout peeked around a tree trunk. Their face was mostly covered, but Althea caught wide, startled eyes—more curious than threatening.

  Eon took a careful step forward. “We don’t want trouble,” he called aloud. “If you’re lost or need something, come out.”

  The scout didn’t answer. They hesitated, shifted their weight nervously, then darted away again—quiet, quick, and definitely not planning to attack. More like someone gathering information… or deciding whether to trust them.

  Althea exhaled slowly. “They’re watching us.”

  Eon lowered his hand. “Yes. And they’re unsure. That’s better than hostility.”

  The forest settled again, the moment passing like a brief ripple across still water.

  Althea looked back at the floating cipher. The symbols had rearranged into a slightly clearer pattern—as if reacting to the disturbance too.

  She frowned. “It changed again. Maybe…it responds to emotion?”

  Eon raised an eyebrow. “Interesting theory. Try focusing on one feeling at a time.”

  Althea nodded and breathed in deeply. She let her mind settle, letting the fear fade and curiosity take its place. The cipher brightened almost instantly.

  “Oh,” she whispered. “It's responding. It really is.”

  Eon smiled faintly, the edge of tension easing from his shoulders. “Then let’s see what it wants to show you.”

  And for the first time, Althea felt like she and the cipher were finally speaking the same language—while somewhere in the trees, the scout watched silently, the forest holdi

  ng its breath for what would come next.