Brother Aldwin moved to comfort her, but Aldric could see in the priest's expression the recognition that this was beyond his ability to address through conventional spiritual counseling.
"Mira," Brother Aldwin said gently, "we've discussed this before. Sometimes God grants us difficult gifts that require patience and prayer to understand properly."
He's trying to frame her supernatural manifestations within acceptable religious terminology, Aldric noted. But he doesn't have the knowledge or resources to actually help her control what's happening.
As Brother Aldwin continued counseling the distressed girl, Aldric made careful mental notes about her condition and circumstances. Mira was exactly the kind of individual who could become either a valuable ally or a dangerous liability, depending on how her supernatural development was managed.
First potential recruitment target, he thought. Desperate for guidance, isolated by abilities others can't understand, and currently receiving inadequate support from conventional religious authority.
Leaving the chapel with appropriate expressions of gratitude for Brother Aldwin's spiritual guidance, Aldric made his way to Thornwick's central market square, where the day's commercial activity would provide cover for observing the town's social dynamics while maintaining his grief performance.
The market square was a bustling intersection of commerce, social interaction, and community news. Merchants hawked everything from local produce to imported luxuries, while customers navigated between stalls, gathering both goods and gossip in equal measure.
Aldric positioned himself near a bookseller's stall, ostensibly browsing volumes of poetry and philosophy while actually observing the crowd for individuals whose behavior suggested supernatural involvement or factional affiliation.
His attention was immediately drawn to a young man seated near the market's central fountain, his posture suggesting someone who had been forced into inactivity against his will.
He seemed to be in his late twenties, with the broad shoulders and calloused hands of manual labor, but his legs were clearly withered—the result of what appeared to be an industrial accident that had left him unable to work.
"System, provide me with his profile and psychological state."
[Name: Gareth Millstone]
[Age: 24]
[Background: Industrial worker (disabled)]
[Current Status: Unemployed due to leg injury]
[Sequence: Unawakened (Potential detected)]
[Recruitment Potential: 85% (High but requires careful approach)]
[Core Personality Traits: Pride Intact: Maintains dignity despite circumstances]
[Resilient: Hasn't broken under adversity]
[Grateful but Not Servile: Accepts help without losing self-respect]
[Strong Character Foundation: Possesses genuine inner strength]
[Work Ethic: Values productive contribution and purpose]
[Current Mental State: Frustration: Unable to work due to physical limitations]
[Social Isolation: Disability has separated him from former peer groups]
[Financial Dependence: Relies on charity, which conflicts with his pride]
[Identity Crisis: Self-worth tied to ability to work and provide]
[Suppressed Anger: Likely resentful about the accident and current situation]
Perfect psychological profile, Aldric assessed. Proud individual reduced to charity dependence, strong desire to return to productive work and isolated by disability from former social connections. He is desperate for any opportunity to regain dignity and purpose.
As Aldric watched, several people approached Gareth with small offerings of food or coin, their interactions revealing the complex social dynamics that surrounded disability in a working-class community. Some showed genuine compassion; others displayed the uncomfortable charity of people who feared finding themselves in similar circumstances.
But it was Gareth's responses that revealed his true character. He accepted assistance with gratitude but without servility, maintaining his dignity despite circumstances that would have broken weaker personalities. This was exactly the kind of individual who could become a devoted follower if approached correctly—someone whose desperation was tempered by genuine strength of character.
Second potential recruitment target, Aldric noted. He requires a careful approach to avoid triggering pride-based resistance but has the psychological foundation for genuine loyalty if provided with meaningful purpose.
His observations were interrupted by the approach of a middle-aged merchant whose interest seemed focused less on potential commerce than on assessment of Aldric's personal circumstances.
"Master Ashmore," the merchant said, with the kind of practiced friendliness that suggested professional necessity rather than genuine warmth. "I'm Thomas Davies. I had some business dealings with your father, and I wanted to express my condolences on your loss."
This is Davies, the underground representative who visited the shop.
"Mr. Davies," Aldric replied, maintaining his grief-stricken persona while studying the man's approach. "Thank you for your kindness. Father spoke of you, though I have to admit I'm still learning about all his various business relationships."
Davies nodded with the understanding of someone familiar with the complexities of managing multiple discrete commercial arrangements. "Viktor was a careful man who understood the value of maintaining appropriate relationships with different types of... collectors. Some transactions require more discretion than others."
He's testing whether I understand the black market aspects of Viktor's operations.
"I'm beginning to appreciate that Father's business was more complex than I initially realized," Aldric said. "I hope to maintain the relationships he established, though I confess I'm not entirely sure what some of them involved."
"Understanding develops with experience," Davies replied. "Perhaps we could arrange a private conversation to discuss continuing certain arrangements that benefited all parties involved."
As Davies moved away with promises to contact him soon, Aldric continued his observation of the market square's social patterns. But his attention was caught by movement in his peripheral vision—Sera Goldwright, positioning herself at a different stall where she could observe his interactions without appearing to do so.
She's conducting surveillance, he realized. Probably trying to assess my behavior in natural social settings to determine whether I'm genuinely naive about supernatural matters or maintaining a performance.
The recognition that he was being watched by someone with supernatural perception added an additional layer of complexity to his public performance. Sera's Watcher bloodline abilities meant she could potentially detect inconsistencies between his emotional state and his outward behavior if he wasn't extremely careful.
Returning home as afternoon settled over Thornwick, Aldric found Lyra in Viktor's study, sitting curled in the large reading chair with one of their father's journals open in her lap. His thirteen-year-old sister looked up as he entered, and he was struck by how much older she seemed than when he had first awakened in this body.
"Lyra," he said, settling into the chair opposite her. "How are you holding up?"
She studied his face with the directness that children sometimes displayed before social conditioning taught them to conceal their observations. "You're different, Aldric. Since Father died, you've become... different. Like you're always thinking about things the rest of us can't see."
She's more perceptive than I gave her credit for, he realized. The personality change is apparently obvious to someone who knew the original Aldric intimately.
"Grief changes people," he said. "Father's death has forced me to think about things I never had to consider before."
Lyra nodded, but her expression suggested she wasn't entirely satisfied with that explanation. "I've been having dreams about Father. Strange ones. He's trying to tell me something important, but I can never quite understand what he's saying."
Aldric felt his attention sharpen. Dreams that carried meaningful communication could indicate emerging Chain sensitivity, particularly for someone with bloodline heritage.
"What kind of things does he say in these dreams?" he asked.
"Something about protecting what he left behind. And warnings about people who want to use us for their own purposes. And..." She hesitated, as if uncertain whether she should voice her next thought.
"And what?"
"He keeps saying that you're not really you anymore. That someone else is looking out through your eyes." Lyra's voice dropped to a whisper. "But maybe that's what needs to happen for us to survive what's coming."
Aldric felt a chill that had nothing to do with the evening air. Viktor's spirit was apparently maintaining some form of communication with his daughter, and that communication included awareness of the consciousness transfer that had brought Chen Haoran into Aldric's body.
"Dreams can be confusing," he said carefully. "Especially when we're grieving."
"These don't feel like normal dreams," Lyra replied. "They feel like... conversations. And sometimes I wake up knowing things I didn't know before I went to sleep."
System, analyze Lyra and make a detailed profile. Aldric spoke in his mind.
[Name: Lyra Ashmore]
[Age: 13]
[Relationship: Aldric's younger sister]
[Background: Academic family, recent orphan]
[Order: 9 (Warden)]
[Connected entity: The Guardian of Seals (The Keeper of All Barriers)]
[Core Personality Traits: Perceptive: Notices changes others miss (Aldric's personality shift)]
[Direct: Speaks truthfully about what she observes]
[Resilient: Handling father's death and supernatural awakening simultaneously]
[Intellectually Curious: Reading Viktor's journals, seeking understanding]
[Protective: Concerned about family safety and survival]
[Current Mental State: Grief Processing: Still mourning Viktor's death]
[Supernatural Adjustment: Adapting to spirit communication abilities]
[Family Loyalty: Devoted to protecting what remains of her family]
[Cautious Trust: Accepts that "new Aldric" might be necessary for survival]
[Seeking Understanding: Trying to comprehend the supernatural changes around her]
[Emotional Stability: Surprisingly Stable: Handling multiple traumas without breaking down]
[Support Seeking: Looking to Aldric for guidance and protection]
[Adaptive: Adjusting worldview to accommodate supernatural reality]
"What kind of things do you wake up knowing?"
Lyra looked toward Viktor's desk, where several artifacts were displayed among his papers. "That some of Father's collection isn't just historical. That some of the pieces are... active. And that we're in danger from people who want to take them away from us."
She rose from her chair and moved to the desk, her hand hovering over a small silver pendant that Viktor had used as a paperweight. But as her fingers approached the artifact, it began to glow with soft, warm light.
"See?" she said, not seeming surprised by the supernatural response. "Father taught me that some things recognize family blood. He said it might be important someday."
Aldric watched his sister demonstrate casual interaction with supernatural forces.
"Lyra," he said carefully, "has Father appeared to you in dreams since I woke up from my... illness?"
"Every night," she replied. "He says the hardest part is over, but that we need to be very careful about who we trust. He gives me lists of people who are safe, people who are dangerous, and people who might be either depending on how we handle them."
Viktor is continuing to provide intelligence and guidance through supernatural communication with his daughter.
As Lyra settled back into her chair, the silver pendant's glow fading as she moved away from it, Aldric began to understand the true scope of Viktor's preparations.
The golden interface flickered to life with new information.
[RECONNAISSANCE COMPLETE]
[PRIORITY TARGETS IDENTIFIED:]
[- GARETH MILLSTONE: Ideal recruitment profile, requires dignity-preserving approach]
[- MIRA: Uncontrolled Mourner manifestation, needs immediate guidance]
[- SERA GOLDWRIGHT: Watcher surveillance, potential ally or threat depending on House loyalties]
[- BROTHER ALDWIN CROSS: Religious authority with supernatural awareness, valuable for legitimacy]
[FAMILY STATUS UPDATE:]
[- LYRA ASHMORE: Active supernatural development, receiving posthumous guidance from Viktor]
[- SUPPORT NETWORK: Comprehensive preparation for long-term supernatural advancement]
[NEXT PHASE: Begin careful recruitment while maintaining grief performance cover]