Evan spread a wide parchment across the office table early in the morning. The blueprint for the first Hazard Tower covered nearly the entire surface. Thick lines represented mana detection rings. Faint symbols represented fate resonance channels. Dotted arcs represented curse pressure nets designed to collect readings from surrounding regions. Elira, Garron, Mira, and Draven gathered around the table studying the elegant but complex design.

The Hazard Towers were not simple magical structures. They were advanced monitoring stations built with three cores. The first core used mana drift crystals to measure energy shifts from miles away. The second core contained fate resonance shards that predicted oscillation patterns. The third core used curse absorption plates to detect surges long before they became visible. Combined, these three components would allow the city to predict danger far beyond what any single adventurer could sense.

Evan explained each component carefully. The mana drift ring collects ambient energy from the environment he said. When the energy fluctuates we see wave patterns. The resonance core calculates the future curve. And the absorption plates detect curse density. Garron looked impressed. So the towers will see things before adventurers even notice them. Evan nodded. Exactly. They will operate like watchmen who do not sleep.

Mira traced a finger across the blueprint. And the readings will be sent here. Evan pointed to a marking labeled Risk Relay Node. Yes. All three towers will transmit data to Crestfall Risk Shield. Our system becomes the central hub. The guild will monitor the readings with us. Draven raised an eyebrow. The city is becoming dependent on you. Evan replied It is a responsibility not a victory. Dependency means accountability.

The guild master arrived shortly after with several engineers and city enchanters. Each examined the blueprint with awe. No one had ever attempted a structure like this. Evan walked them through the tower layout. He explained where each crystal must be placed. How the resonance alignment needed constant calibration. How the curse plates must be cleansed daily. The guild master asked if the towers would be dangerous. Evan replied They are detectors not weapons. But if they are sabotaged the readings will distort.

That last sentence created tension. Sabotage. Everyone knew who might attempt it. The Umbra Brokers would not watch these towers rise without retaliation. Evan prepared for this possibility by adding safeguard runes. He instructed the engineers to surround the tower base with ironroot vines, a plant that resisted curse spreading. Elira volunteered to create cleansing circles around the foundation. Garron and Draven promised to oversee construction security.

Over the next days the first tower foundation was laid at the northern edge of Aerilon. Evan visited the site with the guild master. Workers hammered stone blocks. Enchanters fused crystals into metal rings. Diviners knelt on the ground drawing future curves into the soil. Evan observed carefully. This project represented the future of regional risk management. If it succeeded the world might adopt similar towers. If it failed people might lose trust in the entire system.

Elira approached Evan with a concern. The resonance alignment is unstable today she said. The curves shift whenever we activate the shard. Evan checked the schematic. The alignment was off by three degrees. He adjusted the placement and the resonance stabilized. The workers murmured in admiration. They had never seen someone blend magic and mathematics so fluidly.

But Evan was not comfortable with admiration. He cared only that the tower worked. He reviewed the calibration every hour. He double checked every rune placement. He made sure the curse absorption plates were shielded. By evening the base layer of the first tower stood firmly. The resonance glow spread across the ground like faint ripples in water.

That night at the office Mira organized the incoming reading logs. Adventurers from all over the city submitted mana samples. Evan added the values to the risk board. He noticed that more zones were becoming unstable. The Umbra Brokers had intensified their activity. Curse density rose unevenly. Elira warned that life energy in rural areas weakened rapidly. Garron confirmed that more travelers disappeared along remote roads.

Evan realized that the towers were not a convenience. They were a necessity. Without large scale sensors the city would soon be blind.

Two days later the second tower’s foundation began at the south gate. The third tower was planned for the eastern district. But an unexpected problem arose. In the middle of calibrating the mana drift core the resonance crystal suddenly flickered. A low hum echoed across the construction area. Evan rushed forward. He held the device up to the crystal. The readings spiked.

Elira gasped. Someone infused curse distortion into the ground. Garron drew his weapon. Draven scanned the area. The workers backed away in fear. Evan knelt and pressed his hand on the soil. He felt faint vibrations. The pattern matched a signature he recognized. Umbra Brokers. They had attempted to corrupt the tower’s foundation before construction finished.

Evan reacted quickly. He drew a cleansing pattern directly onto the ground. Elira supported him by purifying the area with light. Garron stomped on a spot where curse tendrils sprouted. Draven burned the cursed soil with fire magic. Slowly the distortion subsided.

When it ended the workers were silent. Evan stood up breathing hard. They will attack all three towers he said. The guild master nodded grimly. Then we must finish them before the Umbra Brokers escalate.

From that moment construction doubled in speed. Adventurer volunteers guarded each site. Enchanters worked day and night. Elira rotated through each tower stabilizing resonance. Mira organized schedules and supply lists. Garron and Draven stood watch.

Meanwhile Evan monitored the hazard curves. They continued to rise. The future curve pulsed irregularly. Something was building toward a large event. Evan knew the Umbra Brokers would not wait forever. Soon they would strike directly.

But the towers were taking shape. And with each day the city became a little safer.

Crestfall Risk Shield was preparing to face the storm.