The stranger appeared at the settlement gates at dusk.
Brayn was reviewing the day's reports when a sentry rushed in, his face pale with alarm. "Sir, there's someone at the gate. She's asking for you by name. She says she has information about the Ghost's true origin."
Brayn looked up, his eyes narrowing. "The Ghost's true origin? We already know where it came from."
The sentry shook his head. "She says we don't. She says we've been lied to. She says the Ghost was never a weapon. It was always meant to be something else."
---
The woman was young, barely out of her teens, her face pale and gaunt. She wore tattered clothes, her eyes darting nervously from side to side. She looked like she hadn't slept in days.
"Brayn Vance?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Brayn nodded slowly.
