The fog along Greyhaven's docks had not lifted by midmorning.
It clung to the water like a heavy veil, swallowing the sounds of the harbor and turning distant figures into blurred shadows.
Fishermen moved quietly between their boats.
Voices stayed low.
Too many rumors had spread overnight.
Whispers.
Nightmares.
Symbols carved into wood.
Most people tried to pretend nothing had happened.
But fear had already begun creeping through the town.
And fear was something Elias Vale knew how to recognize.
It was one of the easiest human emotions to manipulate.
Elias walked slowly along the dock, hands tucked casually into the pockets of his dark coat.
To anyone watching, he looked like an ordinary merchant taking a morning walk.
But his sharp eyes scanned every detail around him.
The worn planks.
The fishing nets drying along the railings.
The nervous glances fishermen kept throwing toward the river.
And most importantly…
The symbol carved into the wood.
The marking sat at the far end of the dock.
A crude spiral surrounded by several scratched eye shapes.
Several fishermen stood nearby, whispering nervously among themselves.
"That's the one," one muttered.
"Found it at sunrise."
Another man spat into the river.
"Cursed nonsense if you ask me."
"Tell that to Jonas," someone else replied quietly.
The group noticed Elias approaching.
Their conversation stopped immediately.
One of them—a large man with a grey beard—narrowed his eyes.
"You the merchant from town?"
Elias nodded politely.
"I've been called that."
The fisherman pointed toward the carving.
"You know anything about that?"
Elias crouched beside the mark.
Up close, the carving looked even worse.
The lines were uneven.
The spiral was distorted.
But the intention behind it was unmistakable.
Someone had tried to recreate the dream-door symbol.
Poorly.
Dangerously.
Elias ran his fingers lightly across the grooves.
The wood was freshly cut.
Less than twelve hours old.
Which meant it had likely been carved shortly after his encounter with the Collector of Echoes.
Interesting.
The fishermen watched him carefully.
"Well?" the bearded man asked.
Elias stood.
"It looks like a symbol."
"That much we figured out," the fisherman grunted.
"Does it mean anything?"
Elias tilted his head slightly.
"Possibly."
The men exchanged uneasy glances.
One of them spoke quietly.
"You think it's connected to Jonas?"
Elias answered honestly.
"Yes."
That was enough to make several of them step back slightly.
The bearded fisherman cursed under his breath.
"Damn it."
"Town was peaceful before all this started."
Elias looked toward the river.
The dark water flowed slowly beneath the dock.
Silent.
Endless.
For a brief moment Elias wondered whether something beneath that surface was watching them.
Dream entities sometimes had strange methods of observation.
But he sensed nothing unusual.
Just water.
Just fog.
Still…
Someone had carved that symbol.
Which meant someone else had knowledge of dream-door mechanics.
And that knowledge was extremely rare.
Elias straightened.
"Who found it first?" he asked.
A young fisherman raised his hand nervously.
"I did."
"What time?"
"Just before sunrise."
"Did you see anyone nearby?"
The young man hesitated.
"Maybe."
The others turned toward him immediately.
"You didn't say that earlier," the bearded fisherman said sharply.
The younger man shifted uncomfortably.
"I wasn't sure."
Elias spoke calmly.
"What did you see?"
The fisherman rubbed the back of his neck.
"Someone was standing at the end of the dock."
"Watching the water."
Elias's attention sharpened.
"Describe them."
"I couldn't see their face clearly," the young man said.
"Too much fog."
"But they were tall."
"And they wore a long coat."
Several of the fishermen glanced at Elias.
He ignored the looks.
"Did they notice you?"
"No."
"What did they do?"
The young fisherman frowned slightly.
"They were… whispering."
That made Elias pause.
"Whispering?"
"Yeah."
"Like they were talking to someone."
The fisherman swallowed.
"But nobody else was there."
Silence settled over the group.
Even the river seemed quieter.
Elias looked down at the carving again.
Whoever had made this symbol wasn't simply experimenting.
They were attempting communication.
Which meant they believed the dream realm would answer.
That was a dangerous assumption.
Elias turned back toward the fishermen.
"Did the person leave?"
The young man nodded.
"Walked off toward the warehouses."
"Which direction?"
He pointed down the dock toward the old storage district.
Elias followed the direction with his gaze.
Rows of abandoned buildings stood beyond the fog.
Most of them had been unused for years.
Which made them ideal locations for occult experimentation.
Elias dusted his hands lightly.
"Well," he said.
"Thank you for the information."
The bearded fisherman crossed his arms.
"You going to tell us what the hell that symbol actually is?"
Elias considered the question.
Then he answered carefully.
"It's a door."
Several of the fishermen exchanged confused looks.
"A door to what?" one asked.
Elias glanced toward the river.
"Somewhere you don't want to visit."
That was enough explanation for them.
Fear returned immediately.
"Someone carved a doorway to hell on our dock?" one man muttered.
"Let's burn the damn thing."
Another fisherman grabbed a hammer from a nearby toolbox.
But Elias stopped him.
"I wouldn't do that."
The man froze.
"Why not?"
"Because whoever carved it might come back."
The fishermen looked uneasy again.
"Let them," the bearded man growled.
Elias shook his head.
"If they're experimenting with dream symbols…"
He paused.
"…they're probably not someone you want to anger."
That ended the discussion.
The hammer was slowly set back down.
Elias began walking toward the warehouse district.
Behind him, the fishermen continued whispering nervously.
Fog thickened as he moved deeper along the dock.
The sound of the harbor faded.
Soon only the creaking wood beneath his boots remained.
Ahead, the abandoned warehouses loomed like dark skeletons.
Broken windows.
Rusting metal doors.
Empty loading platforms.
Perfect hiding places.
Elias slowed his pace.
The air felt slightly colder here.
And then he sensed it.
A faint ripple in the dream-thread inside his mind.
Something nearby had recently interacted with dream energy.
Not a creature.
Not an Old God.
But a human.
An occultist.
Elias's faint smile returned.
So Inspector Mercer had been correct.
Someone else had begun experimenting in Greyhaven.
And based on the crude symbol carved on the dock…
They were either very reckless.
Or very desperate.
Either way…
Elias intended to find them.
Because rival occultists were often dangerous.
But they were also useful.
After all, knowledge stolen from another practitioner was far more valuable than knowledge discovered alone.
And Elias Vale had always been very good at taking things that didn't belong to him.