_*]:min-w-0 !gap-3.5" style="border:0px solid">"Welcome, honored guests," an elderly man stepped forward from the gathering. His gray beard was intricately braided with small wooden beads that clicked softly as he moved. "I am Elder Morten, head of the vilge council. We're pleased you could join us for tonight's feast."

  Alexander inclined his head respectfully. "The honor is ours. Your vilge has been most welcoming."

  The old man's smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "You've been asking many questions about our home."

  "We're naturally curious," Alexander replied smoothly. "The architecture here is unlike anything we've seen in our travels."

  Elder Morten gestured toward the massive central tree. "Our vilge lives in harmony with the forest. We take only what is freely given, and in return, we are protected."

  Alexander noted how the other elders positioned themselves in a loose semicircle, effectively surrounding them as the conversation continued. Seemingly casual, but tactically concerning.

  "Protected from what?" Alexander asked, keeping his tone conversational.

  "Outsiders who mean us harm," Elder Morten said simply. "Those who take without permission. Those who pry into matters that don't concern them."

  Elijah shifted slightly beside Alexander, a subtle signal they'd developed over years of training together. His brother was sensing something significant.

  "I assure you, we mean no harm," Alexander said. "We're merely passing through."

  "Yet you map our pathways," Elder Morten observed. "You note our movements. You investigate our disappearances."

  Alexander's mind raced through options. Denial would be pointless; they clearly had been observed. "Professional habit," he admitted with a calcuted sheepish smile. "We survive by understanding our environments."

  Elder Morten studied them for a long moment, then cpped his hands together. "Come! The feast awaits, and there is much to discuss. Your friends should join us as well."

  As they were led toward the vilge center, Alexander caught glimpses of movement in his peripheral vision—vilge security taking positions along their route. He activated his secure channel with a subtle gesture.

  "Lyra, bring Riva and meet us at the central pza. Bring the filters. And Valeria," he added after a brief hesitation, "stay alert but maintain distance as pnned."

  The feast was eborate, spread across tables arranged beneath the massive central tree. Lanterns hung from branches, casting a warm glow that somehow made the shadows seem deeper. Vilgers filled the pza, but Alexander noted the subtle boundary they maintained around the visitors—close enough to appear welcoming, far enough to remain safe.

  Lyra and Riva had arrived minutes after Alexander's message, seamlessly integrating into the celebration as if they'd always pnned to attend. Valeria maintained her position at the edge of the gathering, perfectly pying her role as social observer.

  "Your vilge must have remarkable resources to prepare such a feast," Lyra commented as Elder Morten guided them to the main table.

  "The forest provides all we need," the elder replied. "When we honor its ways."

  As they took their seats, Alexander observed Elder Morten carefully. The man moved with unusual fluidity for his apparent age, and his eyes sometimes caught the ntern light at odd angles, reflecting amber instead of normal eye shine.

  Elijah leaned slightly toward Alexander. "There's something wrong with his voice," he whispered. "It's... yered. Like multiple tones speaking at once."

  Alexander had noticed it too—subtle harmonic overtones that shouldn't be possible from a single human throat.

  Throughout the meal, he kept careful track of the vilge elders. There were seven in total, each responsible for different aspects of vilge life. But Elder Morten seemed to command unusual deference, even from the other council members.

  The food was good, but Alexander noticed that Lyra and Riva only consumed items they had seen others eat first, and only drank water through the filters Lyra had created. Smart precautions.

  "You never expined how your vilge handles security," Alexander said during a lull in conversation. "With so many dangers in the Game, your people seem remarkably at ease."

  Elder Morten's smile widened slightly. "The forest watches. Those who threaten us... do not remain threats for long."

  "Fascinating," Alexander replied, maintaining his interested expression while mentally cataloging the implied threat. "And who taught the forest to discriminate between friend and foe?"

  "The forest has always known," another elder spoke up, an ancient woman with fingers gnarled like tree roots. "It remembers all who came before."

  Alexander noticed that as she spoke, Elder Morten's lips moved slightly, almost imperceptibly, as if forming the same words simultaneously. No one else seemed to notice this strange synchronization.

  As the meal progressed, Alexander observed more anomalies. Elder Morten sometimes appeared to forget which conversations he was having, responding to questions asked of other elders. Twice, Alexander saw him in different locations simultaneously—once at the head table and simultaneously by the beverage service.

  When he pointed this out subtly to Elijah, his brother nodded. "The impressions are getting stronger," he murmured. "Something about 'masks' and 'shells.'" He winced slightly. "It's getting hard to filter them out."

  A small child ran past their table, then stopped abruptly when she saw Elder Morten. Her eyes widened fearfully before she darted away. Interesting.

  Alexander excused himself to get more drink, deliberately taking a path that would intercept the child. He found her hiding behind a storage hut.

  "Hello there," he said gently, crouching to her level. "I'm Alexander."

  The girl regarded him suspiciously. "You're the strangers everyone's talking about."

  "That's right. What's your name?"

  "Miri," she said after a pause.

  "Nice to meet you, Miri. You seemed scared back there. Is everything okay?"

  She gnced around nervously. "Not supposed to talk about it."

  "About what?"

  Miri leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "About Elder Morten talking to himself with different voices. Mama says I imagined it, but I didn't. He was arguing with himself behind the council hall, but it wasn't his voice coming out sometimes."

  Alexander nodded seriously. "I believe you, Miri. Sometimes adults miss things that children notice."

  "He looks at me funny now," she added. "Like he knows I saw. And the trees lean closer to my window at night."

  Before Alexander could ask more, a vilge woman appeared, her expression tight with concern. "Miri! There you are. You shouldn't bother our guests." She nodded stiffly to Alexander before hurrying the child away.

  When Alexander returned to the table, he found Lyra engaged in conversation with the vilge herbalist, smoothly extracting information about local pnt properties while appearing merely curious. Riva had positioned herself where she could observe all approaches to their table, her rexed posture belying her combat readiness.

  "Elder Morten tells me you've been studying our trees," the herbalist was saying to Lyra. "They're quite remarkable, aren't they?"

  "Fascinating," Lyra agreed. "I've never seen growth patterns like these. Almost responsive."

  "They are sensitive to those who dwell among them," the herbalist said. "Some more than others. The elders have a special connection, particurly Elder Morten. The trees almost seem to listen to him."

  Alexander caught Lyra's eye briefly, seeing the same conclusion forming in her mind. When he gnced at Elijah, his brother was watching Elder Morten with intense focus, his expression strained.

  As the evening progressed, Alexander mentally compiled his observations. Elder Morten's unusual movements. The synchronized speaking with other elders. The apparent ability to be in multiple locations. The child's testimony about different voices. The special connection to the trees.

  The pieces were fitting together.

  Near the end of the feast, Elder Morten approached their table again. "I hope you've enjoyed our hospitality."

  "It's been illuminating," Alexander replied truthfully.

  "Our council will convene shortly for evening meditation," the elder said. "But perhaps you'd join me first for a private word? I have something special to show visitors who express such... interest in our vilge."

  Alexander recognized the invitation for what it was—either a trap or an opportunity. Possibly both.

  "I'd be honored," he said, rising. He caught Elijah's worried gnce and gave a subtle hand signal: Be ready, follow at distance.

  Elder Morten led Alexander away from the pza, down a winding path that led toward the southern section of the vilge—the area they'd noted had been avoided in recent supply deliveries.

  "Your team is quite unusual," the elder remarked as they walked. "An Architect, leading an integrated cross-css unit including an Unaligned. Most uncommon."

  "Effective teams transcend css distinctions," Alexander replied, noting how the trees seemed to bend slightly toward Elder Morten as they passed.

  "Indeed. And you've proven quite effective, haven't you? Completing challenges, defeating guardians. Asking all the right questions."

  They reached a small clearing enclosed by unusually dense foliage. At its center stood a grove of smaller trees, their trunks twisted together in intricate patterns that couldn't possibly be natural.

  "Few visitors see this pce," Elder Morten said, his voice taking on that strange yered quality Elijah had mentioned. "Fewer still leave it."

  Alexander maintained his calm expression despite the obvious threat. "Is this where the missing visitors went? The ones who asked too many questions?"

  Elder Morten's smile widened unnaturally. "They contributed to the vilge's wellbeing. As all things must."

  "You're not really Elder Morten, are you?" Alexander asked directly, watching for reaction. "At least, not only Elder Morten."

  The figure's eyes gleamed amber in the dim light. "Perceptive. Most don't notice until it's far too te."

  "We're not most teams," Alexander replied, aware of Elijah's presence at the edge of his secure channel's range, listening.

  "No, you're not," the elder agreed. "Which makes you either valuable... or dangerous."

  Alexander watched as the elder stepped into the twisted grove. "Your team has nearly completed the Social Labyrinth challenge," the figure continued. "But there's one final test. The vilge protects itself through unity. Through community. Through the sacrifice of individuality for collective good."

  The trees around them began to shift subtly, branches bending downward, roots lifting from the soil.

  "The true guardian of this floor isn't a single entity," Alexander stated, confirming his theory. "It's a collective. With Elder Morten as its primary vessel."

  The elder's smile stretched wider than any human mouth should allow. "Very good. The Vilge Elder guardian is many within one—a united community mind manifested through chosen vessels. We protect what is ours."

  A subtle chime sounded in Alexander's interface, indicating the completion of the Social Labyrinth challenge. The system recognized their successful identification of the guardian's true nature—the final puzzle piece in understanding the vilge's social structure.

  The twisted trees behind Elder Morten began to pulse with amber light, and his form seemed to blur at the edges. "Tomorrow at dawn, your team will face your final test. Succeed, and you may continue your journey. Fail..."

  He gestured to the grove, where Alexander now noticed small personal effects—a bracelet, a broken weapon, a tattered backpack—half-absorbed into the wood of the trees.

  "Until dawn, then," the elder said, his voice now openly containing multiple tones speaking in unison. "Rest well, knowing you've been perceived correctly."

  As Alexander backed away from the grove, maintaining eye contact with the guardian, he activated his secure channel.

  "Elijah, get everyone ready. We've identified our guardian—and it's more complex than we thought. We have until dawn to prepare for the real test."

  The wooden path creaked beneath his feet as he hurried back toward their quarters. Behind him, the trees of the Living Vilge shifted and whispered, watching his retreat with countless unseen eyes.