He turned.
Nobody behind him.
No projection. No floating face.
Just that voice again.
"System anomaly detected. Spell logic: unique. Classline: unknown. Welcome."
Lucen frowned. "Welcome to what?"
"To the core."
He glanced around. "No offense, but you guys need a better lobby."
Silence.
Then the voice again.
"Purpose?"
Lucen scratched the back of his neck. "If you're asking why I'm here, it's because your local drift elves tried to screw me, and I don't like being volunteered for ritual anchor duty."
"Accepted."
"…What?"
"Intent registered. Link calibration initiated."
Lucen narrowed his eyes. "I didn't agree to anything."
"You stepped in."
"Yeah, well, stepping into problems is basically my job lately."
There was a pause. Then something shifted.
A shape pulled forward from the far wall, like a statue that hadn't been there suddenly was. Human-shaped, vaguely. Cloaked in drifting runes. Face covered. No feet. No eyes.
It didn't move.
But the glyphs around it did.
