The old ironwood door creaked as Harvey pushed it open. Dust motes danced in the golden shaft of light that spilled in from behind him, casting long shadows across the stone floor. He stepped into the forgotten chamber—ancient, untouched, and humming with the kind of silence only age could summon.
His eyes swept the room. Bookshelves climbed the curved walls like winding staircases, filled with tomes bound in leather, bark, even what looked like dragon hide. A spiral of glyphs shimmered across the domed ceiling, shifting gently as if breathing.
"So this is it," he murmured. "The Ancestral Library of House Vandrel."
> [System Notification: Unique Location Discovered — Ancestral Library of the Executioners.] [Unlocking Memory Archives... Accessing bloodline permissions... Success.]
A soft chime echoed in his mind.
> [System Update: Bloodline Affinity awakened — Archival Sync (Lv.1) activated. Passive ability granted: Eidetic Recall — All information read within this chamber will be stored permanently.]
Harvey exhaled slowly. He walked forward, his boots tapping against the marble floor with purpose. He had questions—too many—and this was where answers would finally begin to surface.
He ran his fingers along the spine of a nearby volume. It hissed open without resistance, revealing a map inked in crimson and gold.
> The Crimson War.
He flipped the pages. Battles, betrayals, forbidden techniques—many long erased from the public record. As he read, memories that were never his flashed behind his eyes. Bloodshed. Vows. Execution orders bearing the seal of his house.
> [System Sync Progress: 12%... 27%... 44%...]
A sound. A whisper.
He snapped the book shut and turned.
The shadows in the corner rippled—and out stepped an old man with silver hair tied in a thin braid. His eyes were blind, glazed like polished stone.
"You came," the man rasped. "After all this time."
Harvey narrowed his gaze. "And you are?"
The elder gave a soft, wheezing laugh. "Your ancestor. The first Executioner. Or what's left of him."
The air grew heavy. Harvey's fingers twitched toward his dagger, but the old man raised a hand.
"If I meant harm, you'd be dead already. Sit."
A wooden chair slid out from the shadows with a creak.
Reluctantly, Harvey sat. The man faced him, lowering himself with difficulty into a stone throne that hadn't moved in centuries.
"You're not ready for what's coming," the old Executioner said.
"Then teach me."
The man chuckled. "Straight to the point. You've inherited more than just the system, child. You've inherited a curse. A secret even the Vandrel name couldn't protect."
Harvey's jaw tensed. "Zaine... he's part of it. Isn't he?"
The old man's smile faded. "He's the result of it."
The silence that followed was deafening.
"Long ago," the elder began, "our family made a pact with the Spell Circle—a primordial entity that governs balance. In exchange for knowledge and strength, we were to serve as its blade. But the pact was broken. And now, the debt remains."
Harvey's mind raced.
"Zaine... was chosen to collect. But he twisted the terms. You, Harvey Vandrel, were born as a backup. A failsafe. You were never supposed to awaken the bloodline."
> [System Alert: Hidden Protocol Activated — Curse of the Circle (Suppressed)]
"Why tell me this now?" Harvey demanded.
The man's eyes dimmed. "Because time is short. And the Circle is watching."
Suddenly, the glyphs on the ceiling flared. A surge of arcane pressure blasted the room—books flew from shelves, the air screamed with ancient energy.
The old man coughed violently, blood splashing onto the floor.
"Go," he whispered, "Before it seals itself again. The next gate lies beneath the tombstone of the First Queen. Find the black tome. It holds the technique that can sever the Circle's chain."
Harvey stood, eyes burning. "And you?"
The old Executioner smiled faintly. "I'm already dead. But you... you still have a choice."
As Harvey sprinted toward the exit, the door behind him slammed shut on its own.
> [System Sync Complete — 100%] [New Skill Acquired: Secret Technique — Severing Chain Sigil (Locked until conditions met)]
Harvey looked back one last time.
The library faded into silence.
The hunt for truth had only just begun.