The soft hum of arcane energy resonated through the hallways of Cyralis Academy as Eliar sat on the window sill of Dorm Wing B, his eyes tracing the distant outline of floating observatories and star-towers. The events of the previous day still pulsed through his thoughts — Selene Varis, her quiet intensity, and the strange alert that had whispered from the depths of his interface: [Approaching... Ally Candidate #001: Selene Varis].
What did it mean? Why her?
Selene had kept her distance after their encounter at the combat field, only giving him a brief nod during classes. But today, everything changed.
At the break of dawn, Eliar's holowatch buzzed with a private ping. A message from Selene:
"Meet me in Archive Wing Delta. Don't tell anyone. It's important."
He didn't reply. He simply got dressed, pulled on his cloak, and made his way across the labyrinthine academy.
Archive Wing Delta – Cyralis Academy Underground
Most students believed Archive Wing Delta was abandoned, a leftover wing from centuries ago. But as Eliar descended past rusted signs and flickering runes, he noticed fresh footprints in the dust.
Selene stood waiting at the vault-like door, dressed in a black-and-silver academy uniform enhanced with faint enchantments. Her hair was tied up, eyes sharp.
"You came," she said, voice low.
"What is this place?" he asked.
"This wing wasn't meant for students. It's one of the original wings built when Cyralis was first formed. My family found references to it in one of the old maps stored in House Varis' private archive."
Eliar raised a brow. "And you want me to see it why?"
Selene studied him for a moment. "Because the entrance only opens with two bloodlines. One high-tech, one high-magic. I have the latter."
She turned to the interface panel embedded in the wall. It glowed faintly — ancient, older than anything Eliar had seen. Selene placed her palm on the scanner, and the system pulsed with violet light.
"Your turn," she said.
Eliar hesitated but complied. The second scanner accepted his signature, and with a low groan, the massive vault door cracked open.
What lay inside wasn't a library. It was a lab.
Holographic displays flickered to life. Capsules, broken droids, arcane crystals suspended in magnetic fields, and fragments of ancient code crawled across the glass.
"A magical-tech lab," Eliar breathed.
"From the first war," Selene nodded. "Built by one of the founding mages who believed magic and science should work as one."
They stepped inside, and immediately, the air grew colder.
Selene wiped dust off a crystalline display and tapped a glyph. It activated a memory-recording — a projection of a robed figure appeared.
"If you are seeing this," it said, "then the time has come. The factions are waking. The Fifth exists. You must not trust the V—"
The message cut off, corrupted.
Eliar and Selene exchanged glances.
"What was it going to say?" she asked, voice hushed.
Eliar stepped forward, examining a console. "There's more data here. But it's locked. I need time."
Selene nodded. "Then we return. At night. Together."
Later That Night – Eliar's Room
Eliar stared at his interface, mind spiraling.
The Fifth Quadrant.
A secret vault.
A message that was trying to warn them.
And the mystery surrounding his own powers that were evolving every day.
He lay back, eyes wide open.
Tomorrow, they'd return to the lab.
But someone else had seen them enter.
From a nearby corridor, a shadow vanished, a communication crystal lighting up as a voice whispered:
"They've found it."
To Be Continued…