The world blinked.
Not light. Not shadow.
Meaning.
The moment Elian crossed the threshold, the zone collapsed behind him. Not physically — but structurally. The path didn't seal.
It forgot.
Like the Framework itself refused to acknowledge this place still existed.
He took a slow step forward.
[Zone Entry Logged: The Ring's Eye – Domain-Class: Fractured Memory]
[Surveillance: Inactive]
[System Access: Partial]
[Caution: Threadrot Contamination Active – Prolonged exposure will alter Soul Echo patterns]
"Soul Echo," Elian muttered.
The phrase was new.
Not a trait. Not a title. But something the system registered deep — at the identity level. Like a foundation it rarely spoke of.
The zone was silent. Cracked stone plains stretched out, dotted with half-buried statues and structures melted by memory decay. Threadlight didn't flow here.
It shuddered.
He moved deeper, and the first monster came into view.
Massive. Hulking. Part crystal, part flesh, part memory. It didn't move at first — just trembled like it was being restrained by a thought it couldn't remember.
Then it looked at him.
No roar. No warning.
Just a surge of rot.
[Corrupted Entity Detected: Rotwrought Watcher – Class: Strainbound (C)]
[Status: Infected – Threadrot Symbiosis Active]
[Caution: This monster remembers its past lives. Do not engage recklessly.]
Elian smiled.
"You remember?"
He stepped forward.
"Good."
"Then you can die knowing who killed you."
He moved — fast, direct. Lucid trait flaring.
The monster surged, limbs twisting through space — but Elian ducked under a blow, jammed a phase-burst shard into its neck, and triggered a threadshock pulse.
It screamed.
But not aloud.
In Elian's mind.
Don't take it from me—
Too late.
He severed the last node binding it to the zone.
[Entity Eliminated]
[Infected Thread Fragment Absorbed]
[Rot Signature Encoded: +3% Tolerance]
[Soul Echo Flare Triggered – Status: Unstable Growth Detected]
Pain lanced through his spine.
Not injury — reaction.
A flare from something deep inside.
His Soul Echo — reacting to the rot. Trying to grow around it, digest it.
And failing.
For now.
Elian fell to a knee. Grit his teeth.
"You won't break me."
Not the system.
Not the infection.
Not the ghosts of forgotten laws.
"I'm not here to be remembered."
"I'm here to outlive memory itself."
[Lucid Trait Sync: 37% → 39%]
[Threadbreaker Progress: 4.5% → 4.7%]
[New Passive Acquired: Soul Echo Instability – Mutations now possible during power spikes.]
He stood.
And kept walking.
Behind him, the ground twisted.
And the world began to remember something it never should have forgotten.