SWNOVELXO Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Threads in the Dark
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The sound of rain returns three days later.
Not the hard, chaotic rain from the night of his escape—but a soft, rhythmic drizzle tapping against the estate windows. Asher sits on the wide sill, knees pulled up, arms wrapped around them, watching droplets race down the glass like tiny falling stars.
He hasn't spoken to anyone beyond the bare minimum since his return. Not because he's traumatised.
Because he's thinking.
The estate is quiet. Too quiet. The guards are tenser than usual. Even the staff tread more carefully around him now, as if he might break. But none of them ask what really happened out there. Not because they know—but because they've been told not to.
Which means someone gave that order.
And that means someone on the inside knows more than they're letting on.
Asher turns away from the window.
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> [Daily Sign-In Complete]
Reward: +3 System Points
Lucky Draw Ticket Gained
He blinks as the text fades from his vision. The Lucky Draw appears immediately after, waiting for his mental confirmation.
He selects it without hesitation.
> [Lucky Draw Activated…]
Congratulations! You have received:
"Biometric Obfuscation Principles – Level I"
The knowledge floods in cold and precise. Techniques for distorting digital identity. Avoiding AI gait analysis. Subtle posture shifts. Counter-pattern walking. Heat signature scrambling.
It's all there, imprinted into his neural pathways like a foreign memory that had always belonged.
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The next morning, he tests what he's learned.
A subtle shift in shoulder alignment. Slower steps. Breathing through the diaphragm. Moving like someone else.
He walks through the blind angles of the estate. Two cameras don't pick him up. A third logs a flicker—a blur of motion that's too vague to flag.
Later, he reviews the feed with one of the estate's stolen admin logins.
His face is absent.
Good.
He's not planning to disappear.
But he wants to know that he can.
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In the library, his notebook grows heavier with ideas.
Codename: MIRAGE
Purpose: Active stealth utility system
Modules:
– Surveillance Blind Mapping
– Thermal Distortion Shielding
– Behavioural Masking Protocols
– Decoy Footprint Algorithm
It's ambitious.
But ambition is no longer optional.
He's not safe.
Not in this house. Not in this city.
Maybe not anywhere.
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That night, something changes.
The system interface flickers—glitching slightly for the first time in years. Then a new line appears at the bottom of the system panel.
> [New Interface Feature Unlocked]
[Titles] — You have earned Titles based on milestones, decisions, and system synchronisation.
Tap to view.
Asher narrows his eyes.
He opens it.
> [Titles Unlocked: 3]
[System's Chosen]
A unique title granted to the first and only host of the Sign-In System in this world.
Effect: Minor increase to sign-in reward quality. Slight resistance to spiritual probing.
> [Child of Calculation]
Granted to a system host who has accumulated high-level knowledge at an early age.
Effect: Boosts efficiency of knowledge integration. Enhances long-term memory retention.
> [Survivor of the First Trigger]
Awarded to a host who has experienced a forced sign-in due to life-threatening conditions.
Effect: Grants minor resistance to mental trauma and sharpens survival instincts during high-stress events.
He stares at the list for a long time.
Not because it surprises him.
Because it confirms something.
The system has been watching him from more angles than he thought. It isn't just reacting. It's evolving with him.
Shaping him.
He scrolls down, but no other titles are unlocked.
Still… even this is significant.
Titles weren't mentioned in any previous system update. Which means they existed from the beginning—just hidden until he met the conditions.
He exhales slowly, the glow from the interface reflecting in his eyes.
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> [System Status]
Daily Sign-Ins: Active
Abilities:
– Beginner Regeneration (Passive)
Knowledge Acquired:
– Neuroplasticity & Cognitive Growth
– Machine Learning & Neural Networks
– Surveillance AI Architecture
– Biometric Obfuscation Principles – Level I
– Cryptographic Protocol Design
– Behavioural Economics
– Mechanical Engineering (Intermediate)
– Cybersecurity Frameworks
– Chemical Compound Stability
– Non-Newtonian Kinetics
– Data Mining & Predictive Analytics
– Deception Theory & Counter-Prediction Strategies
– Artificial Sensory Input Systems
– Tap to see more…
System Points: 35
Lucky Draw Tickets: 0
Titles Unlocked: 3
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Asher closes the interface.
He feels no rush of power. No dramatic shift.
Just… quiet validation.
Proof that the system isn't just handing him knowledge.
It's recognising him.
Rewarding patterns.
Tracking evolution.
He looks toward the window again, where the rain still falls.
Let them think he's just a boy in a mansion.
The real Asher Raven exists somewhere deeper now.
Below the surface.
And every day, the gap between who they think he is… and who he's becoming…
Widens.
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