"What does that mean," Leo said, "in plain language."
[It means the threshold is a door that can change what the room is,] System said. [Not just open into somewhere else. Change the fundamental nature of the space it's in. The Beast World has existed in its current form—its boundaries, its rules, its limitations—for as long as the artifacts have been scattered. When they are gathered and the threshold opens, those limitations become negotiable.]
The silence that followed was the particular kind that happened when a room full of intelligent people simultaneously grasped the edges of something enormous.
"Headquarters wants the threshold," Alex said slowly. "They've been waiting for a bearer who could gather all seven. So they could control what happens when it opens."
[Yes.] A very small pause. [And no.]
"Explain."
