Kaelen rested for only three hours, forcing the Sunstone Shard (now integrated into his Obsidian Staff) to stabilize his depleted Aether reserves. With Gideon neutralized—at least temporarily—and Seraph searching the wrong mountain range, they had a single, dangerous window of opportunity: the next twelve hours, before Valerius deployed a full regiment.
Their target: the Deep Vault, located beneath the main manor of the Obsidian Estate.
"The Deep Vault is protected by four main systems," Kaelen explained, using a piece of chalk to draw complex rune circles on the Crypt floor. "A physical seal that requires a Varr blood signature; a kinetic ward that traps anyone who moves too quickly; a sound dampener; and the Aether Lock—the ultimate defense that requires the Aether Key to open."
Elara, now more composed and dressed in practical dark clothing, traced the complex diagram. "In the book, Lyra and Valerius spent weeks trying to bypass the Aether Lock using stolen ritual knowledge, but they never realized the Lock was connected to the family's life-force. They only succeeded after your grandfather died."
"Exactly. My grandfather is alive right now, so the Lock is active and bound to him," Kaelen confirmed, his gaze cold. "But the Aether Key," he held up the feather artifact, which pulsed with soft, white light, "doesn't bypass the Lock. It merely commands it. It tells the Lock that the possessor is the authorized inheritor."
They left the Crypt just as the sun began to rise, bathing the world in a deceptive golden light. Kaelen used his remaining Transfiguration energy to render them partially invisible, moving them across the forested path towards the estate.
The estate itself was a sprawling, ancient structure of black and grey stone, currently staffed only by a few aging groundskeepers and minor retainers—loyal, but powerless.
They slipped into the deserted main study. The entrance to the Deep Vault was hidden beneath the hearthstone. Kaelen placed his hand on the cold stone, and the surface registered his lineage, sinking silently into the floor to reveal a dark passage.
"The kinetic ward is active," Kaelen whispered, descending the stone stairs. "Move slowly, Elara. Any movement faster than a steady walk will trigger a paralyzing spell."
They moved at a painfully slow, deliberate pace down a long, echoing corridor. Elara was hyper-aware of her body, focusing her mind only on the slow placement of her feet, counting the agonizing seconds.
Finally, they reached the Vault door—a massive slab of obsidian covered in swirling, complex runes.
Kaelen pressed the Aether Key against the center of the door. The white light of the key instantly activated the intricate network of the Aether Lock. The obsidian feather didn't turn or click; it melted into the stone, and the lock dissolved the final seal.
The massive vault door slid open, revealing the object of all Kaelen's sacrifice and Elara's foresight.
The Codex of Echoes rested on a simple, elevated pedestal in the center of the small, domed room. It was not a grand tome, but a scroll. Dark, rolled obsidian, sealed with metallic bindings that looked like frozen smoke. It radiated a silence that felt heavier than sound—a sense of infinite, absorbed knowledge.
Kaelen walked slowly toward it. His expression, usually set in rigid calculation, softened with a depth of reverence Elara had never seen. This was his legacy, the reason his family was persecuted.
He reached out, grasping the scroll. The moment his fingers closed around the obsidian, the entire chamber flooded with raw, unbridled Aether—an influx of power that hit Kaelen like a physical wave. He grunted, forcing the energy under his control.
"The Codex is linked to the estate's main leyline," Kaelen explained, his voice strained. "It registers my touch, releasing generations of stored Aether. It's overwhelming."
Elara quickly looked around. "Kaelen, you need to store it now. You have only seconds before the energy spike is registered by the outside wards. Seraph will see this!"
Kaelen knew she was right. He couldn't risk lingering in the heart of his family's defenses. He pulled a complex, warded leather satchel from his cloak, forcing the Codex inside. He then used a quick command-rune with the Aether Key to re-seal the vault.
As the hearthstone slammed shut back in the study above them, a piercing, high-frequency alarm—the final, most urgent alarm of the Obsidian Estate—blasted across the lands.
"Too late," Kaelen muttered, dragging the weary Elara towards a forgotten servants' exit. "The alarm is triggered. Valerius knows we have the Codex. The war begins now."