Beneath the ruined academy lay tunnels untouched by time. Long before the school was built, the land had been sacred ground to the Executioners. A place of judgment and silence. A crypt.
Harvey descended into the darkness alone, torchlight flickering against ancient walls carved with sigils and names — some crossed out, some glowing faintly with lingering curses.
His system pinged again.
> [Warning: Forbidden zone entered.] [Tracking disabled. Surveillance interference detected.] [Recommendation: Extreme caution advised.]
"Of course," he muttered, brushing dust off an old plaque that read: Sanctum of Oaths.
As he reached the final chamber, the air shifted. Cold. Heavily warded. And then—he heard it.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Zaine stood at the far end of the room, leaning casually against a broken throne made of obsidian bones. He looked… untouched by the chaos above. Polished boots. Elegant uniform. And that ever-present smirk.
"You found it faster than I expected," Zaine said. "Impressive."
Harvey didn't smile. "You sent the Executioner."
Zaine raised a brow. "And if I did?"
"Then this ends now."
A silence settled between them.
"You've always been predictable, Harvey. A bleeding heart in a world of wolves," Zaine said, stepping forward. "But now… you're starting to act like one of us. What changed? The crater? The sigil? Or was it her?"
Harvey's eyes narrowed. "Don't say her name."
Zaine stopped, inches from a glowing blood rune on the ground. He tapped it with his boot. "She knows, you know. About your past. Your real origin. She's just waiting for you to figure it out yourself."
Harvey flinched. Not visibly. But Zaine noticed anyway.
"Still don't remember?" he asked softly. "That night ten years ago… you looked so fragile. All that power, and nowhere to run."
There was a hiss of mana as Harvey's blade slid free of its sheath.
"No more riddles, Zaine. Say it plainly."
Zaine sighed. "Fine. You were never supposed to wake up. The system? The memories? The powers you think are yours? They're all borrowed. Stolen. You were the experiment that lived."
Then, in a blink, Zaine flared with energy—dark, jagged, and unnatural. The ground cracked. The air screamed.
Harvey activated his seal—gold light surged through his veins.
And the crypt ignited with war.
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