Cool metal pressed into Elias's palm. The locket felt heavier than it looked, a solid weight of responsibility and an unexpected tremor of unease. He'd nearly forgotten it in the chaos, but Kaelen had pressed it into his hand with a strange urgency before disappearing to 'handle' the lingering threats. A shiver ran down Elias's spine at the memory of Kaelen's possessive gaze, the almost feral intensity in his eyes. Flipping the silver disc, Elias examined the back. Intricate runic carvings snaked across the surface, too fine to be decorative, too precise to be random. They glowed faintly, a soft, ethereal luminescence that pulsed with a rhythm too subtle for the naked eye, yet distinctly visible. His brow furrowed. Magic. Definitely magic. He’d seen enough of it in this world to recognize the signature, even if the specific script was unfamiliar. [SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: NEW QUEST AVAILABLE!] The sudden chime of the System startled him, a familiar but unwelcome intrusion. He hadn't triggered a quest in a while, not since his desperate attempts to steer Kaelen away from outright massacre. [QUEST: THE WEAVER'S ECHO] [OBJECTIVE: IDENTIFY THE ORIGIN AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RUNIC LOCKET. HINT: ANCIENT FOREST MAGIC, LOST HISTORIES.] [REWARD: 50 SURVIVAL POINTS, ANCIENT LORE FRAGMENT] [FAILURE: -20 SURVIVAL POINTS, INCREASED OBSESSION THRESHOLD FOR PRIMARY TARGET]

Chapter 12: Echoes of a Plea