By midafternoon the guild was overflowing again. Clients lined the plaza. New signs were being painted outside. Evan barely had time to breathe between consultations. He designed a crest for a weatherproof tent maker. A mark for a spice vendor whose powders sparkled with mana. A brand for a scroll scribe whose scripts hummed softly when read.

But in the midst of the momentum Varro rushed inside holding a bottle of crimson potion with shaking hands.

“Evan. Something is wrong. You need to see this”

Evan followed him to Varro’s stall across the plaza. A crowd had gathered. Brannor pushed his way forward to create space. On the stall counter lay a bottle that mimicked Varro’s Blaze Heal on the surface.

Same red color
Same bottle shape
Same faint glow

But the symbol was wrong.

At first glance the flame icon looked similar, but the curves were crude and uneven. The lines lacked intention. The resonance felt dull and unstable. Evan touched the symbol lightly and felt a faint ripple of distortion.

“Someone copied your brand” Evan whispered.

Varro trembled. “Worse. Someone corrupted it”

The counterfeit bottle hummed with a sour resonance that irritated the air around it. Adventurers murmured nervously. Some looked confused. A few complained loudly.

A man in dusty armor shouted “This Blaze Heal didn’t work. It tasted like chalk and barely healed my wound”

Varro shook his head. “That isn’t mine. That symbol isn’t even stable”

Evan lifted the bottle carefully. The instability inside made the liquid flicker with uneven mana. If consumed in the wrong moment it might cause more harm than good.

Brannor growled. “Someone is sabotaging us”

An older merchant stepped forward. “I saw them. Three men wearing silver trimmed coats sold these bottles from a wagon near the river. They said they were part of a new guild that improves products using resonance. Their prices were low”

Varro gasped. “Silver trim… like Cassian Vale”

Brannor clenched his fists. “So the Silver Ledger moves quickly”

Evan examined the bottle closely. “This is not real brand work. This is imitation without meaning. They copied the look but not the intention. The resonance collapsed. This is what happens when identity is created without truth”

Varro’s eyes filled with panic. “Customers will think I sold this. They will think my work is unreliable”

Evan placed a firm hand on his shoulder. “We will fix this. But we need to act now before trust breaks”

He stood tall and raised his voice loud enough for the crowd to hear.

“Everyone listen”

The murmuring quieted.

“This bottle is a counterfeit. The real Blaze Heal comes only from Varro Arcane. Look at the symbol carefully. The real mark contains stable curves and balanced lines. The counterfeit version uses uneven intention. The mana is unstable. If you purchased potions with this corrupt symbol return them immediately. They are unsafe”

The crowd responded with nods, concerned whispers, and relief.

Brannor stepped forward. “Bring any fake bottles to the Guild of Names. Evan will inspect every one. No one in Dawnriver will be deceived”

Evan held the counterfeit bottle up. “You deserve truth. And truth begins with identity. If anyone copies our marks without permission we will expose them”

The announcement stabilized the crowd. Adventurers began returning the fake bottles. Merchants examined their products. The plaza buzzed with alert energy.

Varro looked at Evan with trembling gratitude. “You saved my reputation”

Evan shook his head. “Your craft saved itself. I only gave it a voice. But now we must guard that voice”

Brannor cracked his knuckles. “We should confront the men who sold these fakes”

Evan breathed deeply. “Not with fists. With strategy. Cassian Vale challenges us through deception. We must respond through clarity. If we break trust once it will take years to rebuild. But if we expose deception early we grow stronger”

Varro whispered “What is the plan”

Evan walked back into the guild and placed the counterfeit bottle on the central table.

“We declare authenticity protocols. Brannor will add a new verification rune to his hammer mark. Varro will add a signature glow to Blaze Heal. Every brand we create from now on gets a resonance anchor. Something that cannot be copied without collapsing”

Varro’s eyes widened. “A brand signature”

Brannor nodded. “A master mark”

Evan’s pulse quickened. “We will build the first authentication system in the kingdom. A way for customers to know the difference between real and fake at a glance. This will strengthen trust faster than any marketing message”

He wrote in his notebook:

Authenticity runes
Signature resonance
Verification glow
Anti counterfeit marks

Varro’s voice wavered with hope. “Can you really create marks that collapse when copied wrong”

“Yes” Evan said “Lyrienne taught me perception binding. If a mark is drawn without its correct intention it will distort and reveal the fake instantly”

Brannor grinned. “Now we fight with clarity”

Evan turned to the crowd still gathering outside.

“This is the first brand crisis. But it will not be the last. The Silver Ledger Guild wants to undermine us. They want control. We give people trust instead. And trust always spreads”

Varro exhaled. “Evan, what should we do next”

Evan lifted the counterfeit bottle again. “We turn this into a lesson. And then into our advantage”

He looked out the window at the plaza filled with new marks glowing under the afternoon sun.

“The brand empire grows. And now we defend it”