The old mage leads Saryk up from the lower archive, leaving the tablets sealed behind them. The students and masters remain above, unaware of the passage's deeper testimony.
They enter a narrow stone passage beneath the enrollment hall. Saryk's gentle concealment still folds his presence from the wards, while cold dust drifts through the blue sigil-light.
Faint molten-gold script appears along the walls, spreading across the stones in deliberate curves. The lines join into the outline of a colossal eye, watching without opening.
the old mage
Stop there, Saryk. That is neither faculty magic nor an attack. I have seen no ward shaped with such patient authority.
The golden outline deepens, and a warmth unlike the archive's cold passes through the passage. The old mage lowers his staff, offering no spell against the sign.
the old mage
The tablet named Jyarlak, and this bears the mark of a watcher. Approach before it fades, but keep your concealment gentle.
The eye's molten-gold script trembles across the stones, its immense outline narrowing toward Saryk. The passage remains open behind him, and no command comes from the watching sign.
✓ Quest Accepted
Decipher Jyarlak’s watching sign