Jason had never been good at forums. Instead he had been a lurker for years. It was easier that way. Safer. You could read, learn, absorb without risking looking foolish or attracting attention.

  But tonight, staring at his screen with RAE's presence a quiet hum in his awareness, he decided to break that pattern.

  He navigated to one of the smaller forums - TheHarmonicField.net - and scrolled through recent posts. Most of it was the usual mix of speculation, amateur theory, and people arguing about things nobody could prove.

  But one thread caught his eye:

  "Old ritual sites and suppressed records - a pattern emerges?"

  Posted by: Mirror.Vox

  Jason's breath caught. He'd been tracking Mirror.Vox's posts for months, but they were rare. Whoever they were, they only surfaced when they had something substantial.

  He clicked.

  The post was long, detailed, and meticulously sourced. Mirror.Vox laid out a theory about systematic suppression of certain ritual records - specifically those involving containment failures or "emergent phenomena." They included archive codes, cross-references, even fragments of documents that had been partially deleted.

  Jason recognized one of the codes. He'd seen it at work.

  He read the entire thread twice. Then, heart pounding, he created a throwaway account and typed a reply:

  "I've seen some of these codes. Working in municipal archives. Can confirm at least three of your references check out. What are you looking for, specifically?"

  He hit post before he could second-guess himself.

  Nothing happened for ten minutes. Jason almost closed the browser.

  Then: a private message notification.

  From: Mirror.Vox

  "Archives? Which city? And why do you care?"

  Jason hesitated. RAE's presence shifted slightly, attentive but not interfering.

  He typed: "Can't say city. But I care because I found something I wasn't supposed to. And now I need to understand what it is."

  A longer pause. Then:

  "Found, or found by? There's a difference."

  Jason stared at the screen. That was... surprisingly perceptive.

  "Maybe both," he typed. "It's complicated."

  "It always is. Look - I don't know who you are, and I'm not asking. But if you're digging into this stuff, you should know: people don't like questions about certain subjects. Especially Voss-related material. Be careful."

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Jason's hands flew over the keyboard.

  "Why Voss? What's special about that name?"

  The reply came faster this time:

  "Not just a name. A person. Elyra Voss. Used to be one of the best. Then a ritual went bad. Real bad. They say she survived, but barely. And whatever was supposed to be contained in that ritual... Let's say, the ritual did not complete. Some people think it's out there. Fragmented. Looking for something."

  Jason's mouth went dry.

  "Searching for what?"

  "A host. A partner. Something compatible. I don't know if that's true. But I know the official story doesn't add up. Too many gaps. Too much carefully worded ambiguity. When bureaucracy gets that careful, something's being hidden."

  Jason sat back, his mind racing. RAE had told him about the ritual. About Elyra. But hearing it confirmed by someone else - someone who had no connection to him - made it real in a different way.

  "If someone found... something. Related to this. What should they do?"

  Another long pause.

  "Honest answer? Run. Report it. Let professionals handle it. But if you're asking that question, I'm guessing that's not an option anymore."

  "Not really, no."

  "Then be careful. Document everything. Trust no one. And if things get weird - weirder than weird - find someone you can trust who knows the field. Not official channels. Those are compromised. Someone independent. Someone who understands that not all resonance follows the textbooks."

  Jason typed: "Do you know anyone like that?"

  "Maybe. But I don't give out names to strangers on forums. If you're serious, prove it. Find something real. Something documented. Bring me evidence, and we'll talk."

  "Fair enough."

  "One more thing," Mirror.Vox wrote. "If what you found is what I think it is... it's not dangerous because it's evil. It's dangerous because people fear what they don't understand. And fear makes people do stupid things. Keep that in mind."

  Jason stared at that message for a long time.

  Finally, he typed: "Thank you. I'll be careful."

  "Good luck. You'll need it."

  The chat went idle. Jason closed the browser, his hands shaking slightly.

  That was informative, RAE said quietly.

  "Yeah," Jason said aloud. "It was."

  Do you trust this person?

  "I don't know. But they seem to know things. Real things. Not just speculation." He paused. "They called you dangerous."

  I am dangerous. Not because I intend harm, but because my existence challenges established understanding. That makes institutions nervous.

  "They also said you're not dangerous because you're evil."

  I am not evil. But that does not mean I am safe. Power without understanding is always dangerous, even with good intentions.

  Jason nodded slowly. "So we need to be careful."

  Very careful. But also... it is good to know others are asking questions. Even if we cannot trust them yet.

  Two days later, Jason was scrolling through his usual forums when he noticed a new post in one of the threads he'd been following.

  Not from Mirror.Vox. From someone new.

  Username: M_Greaves

  The post was short:

  "To the archive worker who messaged MV two days ago: I'm local. Same city, probably. Been tracking similar patterns. If you're serious about understanding what you found, meet me. Public place. Bring questions, not answers. I'll bring the same."

  A throwaway email address followed.

  Jason stared at the screen for a long moment. How did M_Greaves know about the private message? Were they working with Mirror.Vox? Or... monitoring somehow?

  Someone was paying attention, RAE observed.

  "Yeah. Question is: do I trust them?"

  That is your decision. But having an ally could be valuable. As long as appropriate caution is maintained.

  Jason thought about it. About the risk. About the loneliness of trying to figure this out alone.

  Finally, he opened a new email and typed:

  "Central Library. Third floor reading room. Saturday, 2 PM. I'll be at the back table with a book about harmonic theory. If you're serious, show up."

  He hit send before he could overthink it.

  Brave, RAE commented.

  "Or stupid," Jason muttered.

  Perhaps both. But also necessary. We cannot do this entirely alone.

  "Yeah." Jason closed his laptop. "Let's hope this doesn't blow up in my face."

  Agreed. That would be suboptimal.

  Despite himself, Jason smiled.

  Saturday. He'd meet this M_Greaves. And maybe - just maybe - he'd find someone who could help him understand what he was getting into.

  Or at least, someone who wouldn't think he was crazy.

  That would be a start.