They blindfolded me for the last part of the journey.
I counted turns, listened for landmarks, tried to build a map in my head — but after a while I gave up. The roads were too winding, the forest too thick. Whoever had built this place had chosen it carefully.
When the blindfold came off, I was standing in front of a ruin.
At least, that's what it looked like from the outside. Crumbling stone walls, ivy creeping through cracked windows, a roof that sagged in the middle like a tired animal. If I'd stumbled upon it by accident, I would have walked right past without a second glance.
But the door was solid. New hinges. A lock that cost more than my last month's wages.
Inside, the story changed completely.
The entrance hall was warm and well-lit. Clean floors, sturdy furniture, the smell of woodsmoke and old paper. The decay was a disguise — clever, deliberate, and maintained with care. This wasn't a ruin. It was a fortress wearing a mask.
They led me to a study on the upper floor. Bookshelves lined every wall. A large desk sat beneath a window that looked out over the misty hills. The woman from the cellar was there, along with an older man I hadn't met before — grey-haired, sharp-eyed, leaning on a walking stick that he clearly didn't need for support.
And Seth was there. Standing by the window, arms crossed, watching me with the same quiet intensity as before.
The older man spoke first.
"You've been carrying one of ours for months. A symbol that belongs to this house. You say you found it by accident. We've verified that much."
He paused.
"What we haven't decided is what to do about it."
I kept my mouth shut and let him talk.
"You have talent. We know about your work in Elwynn. We know about Westfall — Captain Sanders' treasure, the fight at Klaven's Tower. We know you've crossed paths with SI:7 and walked away clean."
He said it like he was reading a shopping list. No judgment. Just facts.
"You've already found us. That's more than most people manage in a lifetime. So I'll make this simple."
He leaned forward.
"We're not SI:7. We don't recruit through shadows and sealed letters. We ask once, directly, and we respect the answer."
"So. What do you want to do?"
I looked at Seth. He met my gaze without flinching. No hostility. No test. Just a man who'd been where I was now, standing on the other side of a choice.
I thought about the road that had brought me here. The burned house. The emblem. The months of wandering. The feeling of drifting from place to place with no anchor and no purpose.
Then I thought about SI:7 — and how Mathias Shaw had never once given me a choice.
"I need a moment," I said.
The older man nodded. Seth gestured toward the door.
"Take all the time you need. The hills aren't going anywhere."
