Chapter 3: The Way In
The world hadn't spoken to him in years.
That's what Lucas thought as he followed Mara through the tree-shadowed trail just past the town's edge, boots crunching into frozen earth. She walked ahead, steady, her rifle slung across her back like it belonged there. Lucas kept his hands in his coat pockets, fingers brushing the cold surface of a tin thermos.
Neither of them had said much. Mara didn't seem to believe in small talk, and Lucas had nothing worth filling the silence with.
The air was sharp, the kind that scrubbed your lungs clean with every breath. Pines towered on either side, dusted with snow like some quiet cathedral.
Finally, Mara stopped beside a wide patch of ice half-hidden beneath the boughs.
"Rick says the lynx are coming closer this year. You see prints near your dock, that's why."
Lucas crouched down, brushing the top of the snow near a narrow frozen stream. The tracks were faint but distinct—delicate pads, splayed claws. A hunter's signature.
"Would've missed that completely."
"You're not used to reading the ground yet," she said, glancing over her shoulder. "You will be. Or the land will read you."
Lucas stood and looked out across the flat stretch of ice, then down at the spool of line in his gloved hand. He hadn't meant to bring it. Just… hadn't left it behind.
He knelt near the frozen edge. Not to fish. Just to feel. One gloved palm against the surface.
Stillness.
Then—something beneath it. Like a faint vibration. Like a heartbeat.
[Ice Sense Lv.1 Triggered]
Subsurface anomaly detected. Minor aquatic presence: Dormant.
Lucas blinked. The message didn't surprise him this time. If anything, it felt like a whisper of recognition—like the land itself had eyes.
"You're listening," Mara said suddenly.
Lucas turned. "To what?"
She knelt beside him, resting her rifle across her knees. "To what it's not saying. Most people come out here and try to tame the quiet. You let it speak."
A quiet ping echoed inside his vision.
[Quest Update: Introduce Yourself to the Locals — Progress: 2/3]
Bond Deepened: Mara Kincaid. Trait Revealed: Watchful.
Lucas didn't react. Just stared at the woman beside him, watching the same silence he was.
"You came out here looking for peace, right?" she asked without looking at him.
He nodded slowly.
"Peace doesn't live in cabins," she said. "It lives in paying attention. That's the price."
They returned to the town as the sun dipped behind the trees, casting long shadows across the snow. The Northlight Grill buzzed softly with voices and clinking mugs.
Lucas found Rick behind the counter, flipping a skillet with practiced ease. The smell of cedar smoke and venison stew filled the air.
Rick was behind the bar, pouring hot cider into tin mugs when they returned.
"You get the tour?" he asked.
Lucas nodded, still quiet, still holding the feeling of the cedar in his chest.
Mara slid onto a stool. "He listens better than he talks. That's rare."
Rick grunted. "Means he might make it through his first winter."
Lucas's lips tugged into the barest smile.
A shimmer flickered behind Lucas's eyes.
[Daily Quest Complete: Introduce Yourself to the Locals — 3/3]
+50 EXP | +10 Relationship Points | Harmony +1
LEVEL UP!
Fishing System Lv. 1 → Lv. 2
New Skill Unlocked: Stillwater Attunement (Passive)
Bonus Stat Point Earned: +1 Perception
Lucas's breath caught in his throat. Not from the screen—but from what followed it.
The room felt warmer. The colors richer. He looked at Rick, at Mara—still speaking, still laughing in her quiet way—and saw something deeper.
Lines of wear in Rick's hands. The way Mara's eyes flicked constantly, always scanning. The quiet hum beneath the walls of the diner.
For the first time, he felt the system wasn't about fishing at all.
It was about belonging.