The sky was still dark when Alex, Nyssa, and Soren set out toward Delta. A stolen transport ship carried them low over the ocean, its cloaking field shimmering faintly against the moonlight. Silence stretched between them, each lost in their own thoughts.
Alex's fingers traced the edge of the rune-inscribed bracelet. The weight of his mission settled over him, heavier than any weapon he had ever wielded. He wasn't just infiltrating the Black Archives—he was stepping directly into the empire's most fortified web of secrets.
Soren's voice cut through the quiet. "We approach the outer perimeter in ten minutes. Once we land, we'll need to move quickly. Nyssa will disable the surveillance nodes. You'll have a narrow window to get inside."
Alex nodded. "And the informant?"
Nyssa's eyes remained fixed on the control panel. "They go by the alias 'Specter.' We don't know their real identity. All we know is that they've left a trail for us—one only you can follow."
Alex exhaled sharply. It always came back to his Saint blood. The thing that had made him an outcast was now his greatest tool.
The ship descended silently onto a hidden landing strip deep within Delta's outer city. The moment they stepped onto the ground, Nyssa was already moving, disappearing into the shadows. Soren led Alex toward the Archives' entrance, a colossal structure of black stone carved with intricate glyphs.
"Once you go in," Soren said, "you're on your own."
Alex nodded, tightening his cloak. His heart pounded as he approached the entrance. He placed his palm against the sigil-marked doorway. For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, the runes pulsed, and the door slid open.
Alex stepped inside, swallowed by darkness.
The Black Archives were a labyrinth of towering shelves and glowing terminals, each containing secrets that could shake the empire to its core. He moved swiftly, scanning the aisles, following the faint pulse of mana that only he could sense.
Then, a whisper in the air.
"Alexander."
He spun around. A figure stood at the edge of the dim light, cloaked in shadows.
The informant had found him first.