The full moon hung high over the Academy's eastern cliffs, casting an ethereal glow upon the jagged rocks below. The air shimmered faintly—an aftereffect of mana fluctuation from the sparring fields. A hushed stillness coated the academy like a veil, but beneath that calm surface, storms were beginning to churn.
Max stood alone in the observatory tower, the highest structure overlooking the entire campus. He gazed out silently, his expression unreadable. Beneath his cloak, the artifact necklace pulsed faintly in rhythm with his heartbeat, hidden beneath reinforced fabric woven with mana-resistant fibers.
[STATUS: LEVEL 14]
[EXP: 32%]
[Active Quests: 3]
[System Sync: 89%]
[Hidden Trait – "Elemental Resonance" STABLE]
Everything had changed since that night in the catacombs. The encounter with the shadow beast, the memories recovered through the dream fragment, and most of all—the lingering voice of the artifact echoing within his mind.
"You are not ready," it had whispered.
But Max knew better. He didn't have the luxury of waiting. Thorn's pressure, the tightening influence of the Frosts, and now, rumors spreading about Elara and Jack's mysterious death—they all pointed to a tightening noose.
He couldn't let the Frost family connect him to their deaths. The cover story about the mutated beast attack was holding—for now. But Max had seen the sharp glint of suspicion in Thorn's eyes.
A soft knock echoed on the metal door of the observatory.
Max turned, cautious. Only three people knew he came here.
Leo stepped inside, shadows clinging to his figure like mist. "It's done," he said, voice low. "Thorn sent a team to inspect the beast cave again. Julius intercepted the report. They're buying the story—for now."
Max nodded. "Good. Any complications?"
Leo hesitated. "One. A scout named Vane. He recovered a piece of Jack's cloak. Bloodstained. Burnt. But it bore the family crest."
Max clenched his fists. "Is he talking?"
"Not yet. But Thorn will find out soon enough."
Max moved to the center of the room and pulled open a mana screen. Glyphs flickered across the air like fragmented stardust. "Then we need to move faster. Did you finish the mapping of the inner relic vault?"
Leo nodded. "Two levels are shielded. But I found a flaw—an old ventilation shaft. No one's used it in years. You can bypass most of the upper surveillance."
Max exhaled slowly. "We retrieve the pages of the Codex tomorrow night."
Leo's eyes narrowed. "You're sure it's there?"
"Thorn's been moving the sealed vaults. And the Codex holds the key to understanding the relic... and its origin. If I don't get to it first, someone else will."
The system pinged quietly.
[NEW OBJECTIVE: Infiltrate the Inner Vault]
[Reward: Codex Fragment | Unknown Skill Unlock]
[Time Limit: 72 Hours]
Leo whistled. "This is going to get us killed."
Max looked him in the eye. "Then don't come."
Leo grinned. "Please. You're not shaking me off that easy."
Later that night, under the cloak of darkness, Max crept through the utility tunnels beneath the eastern wing of the academy. The place smelled of dust, iron, and ancient magic. The walls were inscribed with containment runes, half-faded, old enough to predate the mana surge of 2024.
He paused at the edge of the vertical shaft Leo had described. Above him, twenty meters of narrow ascent separated him from the restricted archives.
He checked his gear. Mana cloak—active. Sound suppression—stable. Artifact—dormant.
Gripping the reinforced gloves, he began the climb.
Each meter he ascended, the system displayed faint glyph alerts—pressure wards, motion fields, ambient mana. But his training was refined now. Max used subtle elemental manipulation—fire to warm the air currents to mask body heat, wind to distort sound vibration, and darkness to blur visual trace.
He reached the upper hatch.
[LOCK TYPE: Mana-Linked Seal]
[Skill Required: Elemental Tether or System Override]
He placed his palm against the cold surface.
[SYSTEM: OVERRIDE IN PROGRESS...]
[Override Success: 87%]
[Seal Bypassed]
The hatch hissed open.
Max dropped inside and crouched low behind a marble pedestal.
He was in.
Rows of crystalline cases lined the chamber, each glowing with mana-imbued enchantments. Books, scrolls, relics—all locked away behind layers of defense. But Max's focus was singular.
The Codex.
He moved quickly, guided by the image Leo had captured from a spy drone.
There it was: a dark tome bound in bonewood, covered with runes that shimmered with volatile energy.
[WARNING: Class 9 Artifact Detected]
[Security Risk: EXTREME]
Max didn't hesitate.
The moment his fingers touched the book, the air cracked.
Sirens wailed.
Mana surged.
"MOVE!" Leo's voice echoed through the comm crystal.
Max bolted for the shaft as hidden turrets rose from the walls, spewing blue flame.
A spear of ice zipped past his ear. Another embedded into his shoulder. He winced but kept moving.
He leapt into the shaft and activated "Wind Surge."
Air exploded beneath his feet. He soared upward, twisting midair, dodging another volley of mana shots.
He hit the exit vent, rolled out onto the rooftop, and vanished into the night.
Back in his room, drenched in sweat and blood, Max lay on the floor, the Codex clutched tightly to his chest.
The system flared.
[QUEST COMPLETE: Inner Vault Infiltration]
[Codex Fragment Acquired – 1 of 5]
[Skill Unlocked: Elemental Threading]
[Level Up: 15]
Max coughed, blood on his lips, but a smirk on his face.
He opened the Codex.
And the secrets within began to unravel.