Chapter 66: Shadow Hunter
The air in the underground base of the Core seemed denser that morning.
Even with the four Thrones still in meditation or analysis—each lost in their own magical data streams—there was a distortion in the environment that none of them commented on. An interruption too small to be noticed at first glance, but subtle enough to disturb the right instincts.
Eren felt it first.
Not as a common sensation, but as an internal break — a slight mismatch between his commands and the system’s responses. Something that only a player with absolute control of their own interface would be able to perceive.
On the screen projected to the left, it flashed discreetly:
[Synchronization Deviation: 98% → 93%]
[Soul Latency Detected]
He didn’t react. Neither physically nor with expression. He just slowly turned his eyes toward the wall where the surveillance orbs were installed. Kaela, at his side, frowned.
"Something’s... wrong," she murmured, her wolf ears arched back.
Her amber eyes scanned the base with predatory attention. No new magical presence, no unusual sounds. But her hunter’s instinct was on alert.
Eren knew. The enemy was already there.
No need to break anything. No need to invade. No need to show aggression. All it had to do was exist in silence—like a hidden script waiting for the right function to execute.