Edrin's Reach looked like it hadn't had a war, plague, or decent party in over a decade.
Small stone buildings with slanted roofs, patched with whatever wasn't rotting.
A cracked fountain sat in the middle of the town square.
A statue of some long-forgotten hero pointed at the sky like he just spotted something interesting and died before he could say what it was.
Lucien stepped through the gate with a smile on his face and mud on his boots.
The guards didn't stop him.
They barely looked up.
One was picking his teeth with a knife.
The other was asleep.
"Warm welcome," Lucien muttered. "I feel cherished."
He walked past a row of market stalls.
People were shouting about fish, bread, old carrots, and something called "mystery meat." l
Flies made confident claims over most of it.
Lucien kept walking, hands in his coat pockets.
He blinked.
There it was again the threads.
Thin glowing lines drifting between people like spiderwebs.
Some red.
Some gold.
Some dull gray.
He reached out and flicked one between a fruit vendor and a young woman arguing over the price of apples.
The thread shimmered.
The woman's face twisted. "You always overcharge me! You think I'm stupid?"
The vendor's eyes bulged. "I give you the best deals! My brother married your cousin, remember?!"
Lucien walked away grinning.
+1 Minor Trust Fracture
Sin Resonance (Trust): +0.01
"Barely a sip," he said. "But still tasty."
He turned a corner and nearly ran into a pair of teenage lovers holding hands.
The boy had a dagger strapped to his belt and the confidence of someone who'd never actually used it.
The girl clung to his arm like he was a real knight.
Lucien leaned against the wall and watched the thread between them.
Bright red.
Soft.
Fragile.
He poked it.
The girl blinked.
"Why don't you ever say anything nice to me?"
The boy flinched. "I just bought you lunch."
"You said I eat like a goat."
"I meant it affectionately!"
Lucien slipped away, snickering.
+1 Petty Devotion Disruption
Sin Resonance (Devotion): +0.01
He wiped a tear from his eye. "This is better than theatre."
A drunk staggered out of the tavern, singing off-key.
Lucien reached into his coat and pulled out a small stone a focus charm he picked up off a dead mage six towns ago.
He whispered to it.
A nearby couple suddenly stopped walking.
Their threads glowed yellow trust and familiarity.
Lucien tugged lightly.
"Why did you sleep with my sister?" the man barked.
The woman blinked. "What?! I didn't!"
"You said you were at her house!"
"I was! Talking!"
Lucien walked away before it escalated.
He didn't want to cause blood just yet.
Just bruised feelings.
+1 Minor Trust Sabotage
Sin Resonance (Trust): +0.02
He sat on the fountain rim, watching the water trickle.
"Gods," he said. "This town is dry, poor, and full of idiots. I love it here."
A little boy was crying nearby.
Lucien leaned down.
"What's wrong?"
The boy sniffled. "My sister took my toy sword."
"Maybe she needs it more than you," Lucien said.
"She said I'm weak!"
"Well, you are crying over a stick."
The boy blinked.
Lucien stood. "Be angry. It builds character."
+1 Minor Hope Corrosion
Sin Resonance (Hope): +0.01
He whistled a slow tune as he walked further in.
Then he saw it.
A church.
Tall, white stone.
Old.
The symbol of the Dawn Mother above the door.
A place of light and vows and boring sermons.
Bells rang slowly.
Two doves flew past, as if on cue.
Lucien stared up at it like it insulted his mother.
"Ugh. There it is."
The church where the wedding was going to happen.
Soon.
Within days, maybe.
He didn't go in.
Not yet.
But he stared at it a long time.
"I'm gonna wreck you," he said to the building.
Then he turned around and walked back toward the market.
A girl passed him carrying a basket of flowers.
Her soul thread connected to a young man on the other side of the street.
Red again.
Faint shimmer.
Fresh love.
Lucien grinned.
He whispered under his breath.
"Trip."
She stumbled.
The flowers spilled.
The boy ran to help her.
She blushed.
He smiled.
She looked away.
Lucien tilted his head.
"…Huh. That one… got stronger."
He watched the red thread pulse brighter.
Then dim.
Then pulse again.
"Oh. I see," he said. "Interference isn't always destruction. Sometimes… it makes them cling tighter."
He grinned.
"Good. The harder they hold on… the harder they break."
No gain
Thread strength increased
He walked away, satisfied.
"Let them believe in something."
He took the hat off and threw it at a chicken.
It missed.
A merchant called out, "Buy something or get lost!"
Lucien pointed at the man's soul thread faint blue, leading into a nearby house.
"Your wife's been sleeping with your apprentice."
The man blinked.
Lucien walked off.
Behind him, shouting started.
+1 Moderate Trust Collapse
Sin Resonance (Trust): +0.05
He turned into an alley and sat against a barrel, grinning.
"I could do this all day."
You should.
Vel'Zheron's voice, faint, amused.
"These threads are fun," Lucien said. "Like strings on puppets."
Pull them right, and people dance.
"Do I get points for making them cry?" Lucien asked.
Not if it's random. You need to break what they cherish. Otherwise, it's just cruelty. Entertaining, yes. But not power.
Lucien nodded.
"So I wait."
You'll know when it's time. You'll feel the bond crack before it snaps.
Lucien closed his eyes.
He could feel the power but it was not enough.
But its fine today.
He'd made a few people doubt.
Hurt.
Hesitate.
And that was the start of everything.
He stood, dusted himself off, and wandered back toward the square.
Children were playing tag near the statue.
A dog barked at a bird.
The wind smelled like wet leather and old bread.
Lucien smiled.
"This town," he said. "Is ripe."
And soon…
"Let's see who breaks first."