Ascend or Be Consumed
That could touch knowledge without awakening punishment.
A mediator between object and Core, small enough to evade notice, and exact enough to bypass wards without disturbing them.
Then, I carefully layered the runes, each placement deliberate and precise. First, the anchor rune to establish stability over brilliance. The artifact was designed to operate independently of excess Mana. Next, the perception runes. I weaved it into the already braided runes to tune it, not for vision but for residue.
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