Alexander frowned at the crude map of the vilge he'd sketched on a piece of bark paper. Small X marks dotted the southern quadrant, each representing a reported disappearance over the past week. The pattern was too consistent to be coincidental.

  "Another one st night," Riva said, sliding onto the bench across from him at their breakfast table. "Weaver's apprentice. Third floor dwelling, east side."

  Alexander marked the new location with a small X. "That makes seven in five days."

  "All newcomers or visitors to the vilge," Elijah added, leaning over his brother's shoulder to study the map. "And all after dark."

  Their temporary quarters in the Living Vilge had become an impromptu command center as they neared completion of Floor 8. The morning light filtered through the living walls, casting dappled shadows that shifted subtly as the tree's branches moved in the breeze.

  Lyra entered from the small side room she used as a workshop, a twisted piece of bark in her hands. "Look at this. Found it outside our window this morning."

  She set the bark on the table. It had grown in an unusual spiral pattern, with tiny tendrils extending outward like reaching fingers.

  "It's reaching toward where we were sleeping," she said, her amber eyes serious. "I've been watching simir growth patterns all over the vilge. The trees are... tracking movement."

  Valeria entered st, keeping a careful distance from the others—the new team dynamic still settling into pce after Alexander's decision two days ago.

  "Vilge children are singing a new rhyme in the py area," she reported, her tone professionally neutral. "Something about 'strangers asking questions don't see morning light.'"

  Alexander nodded, appreciating her contribution despite the lingering tension. "Anything else?"

  "Supply deliveries have been rerouted away from the southern grove. When I asked why, the quartermaster changed the subject."

  Alexander added this detail to his notes, then looked up at his team. "We're nearing completion of the Social Labyrinth," Alexander said, studying his notes. "These signs suggest we're approaching the guardian encounter that typically follows."

  "As Valeria stepped away to refill her water canteen, Elijah leaned in closer to Alexander and Lyra.

  "The... sensations are getting stronger near the central pza," Elijah said quietly. "Especially around the oldest trees. I keep getting impressions of 'community protection' and 'the watching wood.'"

  Alexander nodded slightly, understanding his brother's careful phrasing. When Valeria returned, he addressed the full team.

  "We need to talk to more vilgers," Alexander decided. "Riva, keep working the kitchen staff—they always hear everything. Valeria, continue monitoring supply patterns. Elijah, follow up on those impressions you mentioned, see where they're leading. Lyra, I want a complete analysis of these growth patterns."

  He stood, rolling up his map. "I'll talk to the security chief again. He was evasive yesterday, but maybe he'll be more forthcoming now that there's been another disappearance."

  As the team dispersed to their assignments, Alexander caught Lyra studying the spiral bark intently.

  "Something else?" he asked.

  She turned the bark over, revealing tiny droplets of amber-colored sap. "I've seen this before. These trees aren't just watching—they're preparing to act."

  The vilge security chief was a weathered man with skin like tanned leather and eyes that had seen too much. He straightened spears in the armory rack with methodical precision, carefully avoiding Alexander's gaze.

  "Three visitors in the past month," he said finally, after Alexander's persistent questioning. "All asked about the elder grove. All gone the next morning."

  "And nobody investigated?" Alexander pressed.

  The chief's ugh held no humor. "Investigate what? People leave vilges all the time in the Game. Maybe they found better opportunities elsewhere."

  "Without their belongings? Without saying goodbye?"

  The chief finally met Alexander's eyes. "Listen, your team has been good for trading, and you've helped with some of our problems. That's why I'm telling you this: stop asking about the disappearances. Some questions aren't meant to be answered."

  "I can't do that," Alexander replied. "We need to understand what we're facing."

  The chief sighed, gncing around to ensure they were alone. "The vilge protects itself. That's all I can say." He returned to his spears, conversation clearly over.

  Near the central pza, Elijah stood perfectly still, eyes closed, listening to something only he could hear. The massive tree at the center of the vilge square towered above him, its branches extending over most of the common area like protective arms.

  The whispers had changed over the past hour, becoming more structured, less like background noise and more like actual sentences:

  Community threatened... outsiders prying... protection activates when darkness falls... the eldest remembers all who came before...

  He opened his eyes when a shadow fell across him. An elderly vilge woman watched him with curious eyes.

  "You hear them too," she said. It wasn't a question.

  Elijah hesitated, then nodded slightly.

  She smiled, the expression not quite reaching her eyes. "A gift and a curse, isn't it? To hear what others cannot."

  "What are they saying to you?" Elijah asked carefully.

  "That you ask too many questions," she replied, the smile still fixed on her face. "That your team has been mapping disappearances and studying growth patterns."

  Elijah felt a chill despite the warm day. "We're just trying to understand."

  "Understanding isn't always a blessing." The old woman looked up at the massive tree. "The council meets tonight. The eldest will decide what to do about your... curiosity."

  She patted his arm with a gnarled hand and walked away, her movements far more fluid than her apparent age would suggest.

  Elijah immediately activated his secure channel to Alexander. "We've got trouble. The vilge knows what we're doing, and something called 'the eldest' is making decisions about us tonight."

  In a secluded corner of the vilge, Lyra knelt beside an unusually twisted root formation, carefully taking measurements with a makeshift caliper. She'd been tracking growth patterns for hours, and the results were both fascinating and disturbing.

  The trees weren't just alive—they were responsive. Each root, branch, and trunk was gradually positioning itself in retion to visitor movements throughout the vilge. It was subtle enough that most wouldn't notice, but her systematic measurements revealed a clear pattern.

  The vilge wasn't built among trees. The trees were the vilge, and they were watching.

  She nearly jumped when Riva appeared beside her, moving with characteristic stealth.

  "Found something interesting in the kitchen," Riva said without preamble. "They're preparing a 'welcome feast' tonight. For us."

  "That's... nice?" Lyra replied, confused by Riva's grim expression.

  "Last three groups who got special feasts were never seen again," Riva expined. "Kitchen staff talked about it when they thought I couldn't hear. Said the trees 'fed well' those nights."

  Lyra looked at the measurements in her hand, then at the towering trees surrounding them. "We need to get back to Alexander. Now."

  By mid-afternoon, the team had reconvened in their quarters, sharing discoveries with new urgency. Alexander paced as each report added to the emerging picture.

  "The eldest must be the central tree," Elijah reasoned. "The whispers are centered there, and it's clearly the oldest in the vilge."

  "And the council meeting tonight is probably to decide how to deal with us," Alexander added. "We've been asking too many questions, getting too close to something."

  Lyra spread out her measurement charts on the table. "These growth rates are impossible in natural trees. Some samples increased by three centimeters in just hours, always extending toward high-traffic areas."

  "And those amber droplets?" Alexander asked.

  "Analysis suggests they're some kind of paralytic compound. Highly concentrated. One drop could immobilize someone our size within seconds."

  Valeria, who had been quiet during most of the meeting, finally spoke up. "The supply routes avoiding the southern grove—I tracked the pattern. Nothing has been delivered there for exactly the same duration as the disappearances have been occurring."

  The team looked at her, surprised by the valuable insight.

  "Good work," Alexander acknowledged with a nod, watching as Valeria straightened slightly at the recognition despite herself.

  "So we're dealing with some kind of sentient tree network," Alexander summarized, "that's identifying threats based on behavior patterns and eliminating them at night, possibly through some kind of paralytic compound."

  "And we're on the menu for tonight's special feast," Riva added dryly.

  Elijah rubbed his temples, where the whispers had been growing steadily louder. "There's something else. The whispers keep mentioning transformation and multiple forms. I think whatever we're dealing with can change shape."

  Alexander absorbed this, then made his decision. "We need to identify which entity is the actual guardian before nightfall. Based on game patterns, it's likely masquerading as a vilge elder or council member—someone with authority who can direct activities."

  "The woman who approached me knew too much," Elijah said. "She wasn't surprised that I could hear the whispers."

  "And the security chief was protecting something," Alexander added. "The way he mentioned 'the vilge protects itself' felt significant."

  Lyra looked up from her measurements. "What if it's not just one person? What if the entire council is part of it? Extensions of the central tree consciousness?"

  A heavy silence fell as they considered the implications.

  "We need to observe the council meeting tonight," Alexander decided. "But we can't all go—that would be too obvious. Elijah, you'll come with me. Your whispers might help identify the true guardian. Lyra, prepare defensive measures against the paralytic compound. Riva, secure our quarters against nighttime intrusion. Valeria, maintain normal social interactions to avoid raising suspicion."

  Alexander rolled out a fresh sheet of bark paper. "Let's map what we know and develop a contingency pn. Whatever this guardian is, we'll be ready when it reveals itself."

  As twilight settled over the Living Vilge, the team finalized their preparations. Lyra had created rudimentary filters for their water canteens that could, theoretically, neutralize the paralytic compound. Riva had reinforced their quarters' door and windows with additional locks. Valeria had arranged for them to receive formal invitations to the evening feast, giving Alexander and Elijah legitimate reason to be near the council meeting.

  "Remember," Alexander said as he and Elijah prepared to leave, "we're just observing tonight. No confrontation until we're certain of the guardian's identity."

  Elijah nodded, his expression strained. "The impressions are stronger now. Something's definitely happening tonight."

  Alexander checked his equipment one st time, then met each team member's eyes. "Stay alert. This is our first major challenge since our... reorganization. Let's prove it was the right call."

  The unspoken message was clear: their success or failure tonight would reflect directly on Alexander's decision to maintain the team against his father's wishes.

  As they stepped outside into the living vilge, the massive trees seemed to lean closer, their branches casting longer shadows than the fading light could expin. Somewhere in the distance, children's voices sang a cheerful tune with ominous lyrics:

  Strangers come and strangers go Ask too much and you will know When darkness falls and light is gone The eldest wakes and then you're done

  The wooden pathways creaked beneath their feet as Alexander and Elijah made their way toward the central pza, where several elders were already gathering beneath the massive central tree. The council members moved with unusual synchronicity, their expressions serene yet somehow vacant.

  "I don't like this," Elijah murmured. "Something feels wrong about all of them."

  Alexander maintained his casual stride, but his mind was racing through possibilities. The guardian could be any of these elders—or perhaps something else entirely. The next few hours would be crucial for gathering final intelligence before they faced whatever protected this living vilge.

  As they approached the gathering, Alexander noted how the elders' attention seemed to fix on them with unnatural intensity. Whatever was happening here, they were now at the center of it.

  "Smile," he told Elijah quietly. "Let's see what the vilge elders have pnned for their special guests tonight."