Kael's boots echoed softly on the staircase as he ascended to the top floor of the library. The air grew cooler, the scent of dust and aged leather thickening with each step.
At the landing, a guardian loomed—a towering figure in dark robes, his face was completely hidden by a hood and mask, his aura pulsing with strength slightly stronger than his uncle, Gavric.
The man's eyes turned sharp as flint, fixed on Kael.
"Sigil," the guardian rasped, his voice like gravel.
Kael pulled a medallion free, holding it up. It was a silver medallion etched with House Veyne's snarling wolf. The wolf's eyes glinted in the dim light, and the guardian's gaze flicked between it and Kael's face.
A moment passed, heavy with scrutiny, before the man stepped aside, his robe rustling. "Enter."
