The slums were quiet under the evening sky, but Aiden's mind was alive with the pulse of the city. Every street, every market stall, every idle whisper carried opportunity. The hill—the Veyra estate—loomed above, distant yet attainable, and the ghost was learning how to reach it.
He began with the minor affiliates of the household: clerks, stewards, and trusted attendants. Each received a small, calculated favor—a corrected ledger, a properly arranged delivery, a tip that prevented embarrassment. Each action was unnoticed by most, but noticed by those who mattered.
One day, a young steward fumbled with a shipment list that would have delayed provisions for the estate's kitchens. Aiden intervened discreetly, correcting the error and leaving a neatly folded note: Details are remembered.
The steward whispered the act to a fellow clerk, who passed it to another. Soon, whispers of a clever boy who corrected mistakes before they happened reached Lady Selene's ears once more.
She observed with quiet interest, noting the boy's pattern: invisible but effective, humble but decisive. She had not met him directly again, yet the threads of his influence were weaving through her household.
Back in the slums, Aiden recounted his day to his boys. "Do you see?" he asked, tracing a finger along a crudely drawn map. "Every act is a seed. You plant it carefully, water it with precision, and it grows where others cannot reach. Influence is not given—it is earned, quietly, cleverly, and consistently."
The pendant pulsed warmly against his chest, a reminder of the knowledge and insight he had gained since discovering it. Aiden did not yet seek recognition, nor did he need it. The game was not about being seen—it was about being felt.
And already, Lady Selene felt him.
The ghost of the slums was no longer just surviving. He was orchestrating, planting, and shaping a network that would one day reach beyond alleys and markets, all the way to the hill.
Patience, precision, subtlety.
These were his weapons.
And Aiden wielded them with mastery.