Baines moved with purpose through the Darkan estate, his footsteps echoing against polished marble floors.
The air was thick with the scent of wax and old parchment, a reminder of the ancient power that permeated this place. His destination was the Darkan library, a repository of knowledge that held techniques and cultivation methods amassed since the family's founding.
The library was a five-story tower, with each level more exclusive than the last. Baines had been granted access to the third floor, a privilege, yet a limitation.
The fourth floor was reserved for those bearing the Darkan name, a threshold he could cross by renouncing his own identity, an offer the family dangled like a gilded cage, while the fifth floor was accessible only to the family head and their chosen successor.
