The Thorn Estate stood at the edge of the noble district surrounded by pale stone walls wrapped in climbing roses. Tall towers rose behind the walls glowing with crimson lights. Eldric stepped through the main gate escorted by the war mage and two guards carrying spears carved with living vine runes.

Inside the mansion a corridor lined with portraits of past Thorn rulers led toward the vault chamber. The air was thick with enchantments and a faint metallic scent lingered almost like lightning caught in a room. Eldric noticed the tension in the guards eyes. They were trained warriors but tonight they walked with the nervousness of men unsure of what they were protecting.

The war mage halted before a heavy steel door. The relic is inside This room was our most secure vault until the tablet arrived Now we are not certain what remains secure and what is merely decoration

Eldric placed his hand against the door and immediately felt the pressure on the other side. A faint pull like the relic recognized the presence of someone who had seen the beacon. The door opened with a rumbling sound.

Inside the vault the Silver Tablet floated above its pedestal turning slowly in the air as if suspended by invisible strings. The runes on its surface had rearranged again forming expanding spirals that rotated with each pulse of light. The chamber was filled with soft whispers echoing from every direction even though no one else was present.

Eldric stepped forward slowly. Lyra would have cursed out loud Garron would have drawn his shield Torren would have begged him not to get closer But Eldric stood calm because beneath the whispering he sensed a pattern the same rhythm as the beacon.

The Silver Tablet pulsed once then stopped spinning. It turned to face him directly as if choosing him again.

The war mage tensed. It reacts only when you are present That should not be possible Relics do not select auctioneers

Eldric ignored him. His focus locked onto the sigils.

The spirals shifted forming a familiar symbol the completed beacon crest he saw in the ruins. Then more sigils appeared around it. Lines connecting points small arcs linking segments The same constellation pattern that matched Torren’s map.

Eldric whispered. It is showing the network again

The whispering grew louder almost forming words almost speaking his name but fading each time before he could understand.

Then an image flashed across the surface of the tablet.

A northern mountain crowned with ice
A tower buried beneath frozen stone
A ring shaped like the beacon
A hand reaching toward it

Eldric staggered back holding his head. The vision struck too suddenly too clearly. He felt the cold of the mountain as though he stood there himself. He felt the pressure of ancient magic trying to awaken from centuries of frost.

The war mage rushed forward. What did it show you

Eldric steadied himself. The next relic The one buried in Frostbound Spire The tablet is pointing us there

The whispers intensified so sharply that even the mage stepped back in fear. The tablet pulsed again then dimmed rapidly falling still. The room fell silent as if the relic had exhausted itself.

Eldric stepped toward it and touched the stabilizer runes. The ward flickered but settled.

He spoke softly. You are not awakening at random You are following a sequence A countdown

The war mage swallowed hard. Will this affect the Duke’s possession of the relic

Eldric looked at him with steady eyes. Yes And if the Duke has any sense he will not try to use it or experiment with it

The mage stiffened. I will deliver your warning

Eldric prepared to leave the vault but paused at the doorway. He looked back at the dormant artifact.

When he spoke his voice was barely a whisper.

I understand That is why you chose me You are calling for the one who can see your pattern And I will follow it even if the world is not ready

He left the estate under the cold moonlight. As he walked back toward the city center the air seemed to thicken again. The mana streams around the capital pulsed like distant echoes of the relic.

Somewhere in the Dominion ancient forces shifted
waiting
counting
and awakening

Eldric murmured to himself.

We leave for Frostbound Spire at dawn
Before the world realizes where these signals lead