The next morning, Aiden walked the edges of the city with a keen eye, studying which streets led to the Veyra estate and which servants carried news up the hill. He did not yet approach the estate directly; he would not risk exposure before he had leverage.
Instead, he targeted the periphery: minor members of the Veyra circle, clerks, junior stewards, and low-ranking attendants. Each carried pieces of information, subtle influence, or access that could be useful. Aiden began weaving a network, carefully distributing favors and insight.
At the market, he helped a young clerk recover a ledger that had fallen into mud. He pointed out overlooked trade opportunities to a baker who supplied the Veyras. Every action was small, unnoticed by most, but rippling outward in ways he could calculate.
One afternoon, as he adjusted a shipment of rare cloths for a merchant who served the estate, a messenger paused, scrutinizing him. "You're clever," the man said quietly. "Not many notice the little details."
"I notice what matters," Aiden replied, voice calm, eyes steady. "And little details always lead to bigger truths."
The messenger left, carrying a report of Aiden's acumen to the estate. It was only a small ripple, but in the careful pond of the Veyra household, even ripples could become waves.
By nightfall, Aiden's boys gathered around, eager for stories. "Master Aiden," one said, "they speak of you at the hill already?"
"Perhaps," Aiden replied, arranging coins in neat rows. "Not by name, not yet. But by effect. Influence is felt before it is seen. Remember this. Every action we take now is a shadow that stretches toward the hill. And shadows are harder to ignore than footsteps."
The pendant pulsed softly, as if sensing the widening net.
Aiden was no longer simply surviving. He was orchestrating, observing, and planting seeds. In a city where the hill loomed over all, the ghost had begun to make himself known, not through audacity, but through precise, intelligent moves.
And in the quiet corners of the Veyra estate, whispers of a clever boy from the slums began to reach Lady Selene. The name was unknown, but the effect—subtle, clever, undeniable—had begun to take hold.
The first threads of connection were spun.
Soon, the ghost would step from shadow to light.