He burned the map.
Not completely.
Just the edge — the part that bore the crimson threadmark reading "Domain of Crowned Writs."
Because Elian didn't need a target painted on his back. He'd already walked too far past safety to be anything but prey to the world now.
He folded the rest carefully and tucked it into the hidden lining of his cloak. That was enough for now. Enough to confirm the truth:
Scarhold wasn't the beginning.
It was the border.
And something beyond that border had already noticed him.
He moved silently through the outer fringe, tracking the signature left by the Threadmaw's shattered core. It hadn't just died. It had bled awareness.
Awareness that had now spread — tangled with the threads of the zone like a whisper looking for ears.
He arrived at the ruins of a shattered obelisk — once a system relay point. Now cold. Cracked.
And marked.
A single glyph had been carved into its side. Not by claws. Not by natural erosion.
By hand.
The symbol was jagged, chaotic — like a name that didn't want to be spoken.
"Someone's watching," Elian muttered.
[Lucid Trait – Pattern Detection Active]
[System Note: Zone Threads Are Warping. External Surveillance Likely.]
He knelt, pressed his palm to the broken ground, and activated his Threadsense.
A pulse spread outward.
Nothing returned.
But in the silence, something listened.
And then a voice echoed — not aloud, but from the system interface itself.
"You took what wasn't yours."
Elian didn't flinch.
"Then come take it back."
[Alert: Passive Surveillance Thread Intercepted]
[Threadbreaker II – Counterpulse Ready]
[Use Counterpulse? Y/N]
He chose yes.
A wave of silent energy exploded outward — not loud, not bright.
But sharp.
Somewhere in the thread-layered distance… something screamed.
And bled.
[Surveillance Thread Severed – Source Echo Disrupted]
[Zone Stability Decreased: 43% → 39%]
[External Attention Diverted – 3 Minutes]
That was the window.
Elian turned and ran.
Not from fear.
From control.
Because whoever had carved that glyph wasn't just watching.
They were testing.
And the next time they came?
They wouldn't send a thread.
They'd send a name.