The early sun glinted off the glass spires of Central Tower as Zephyr and his strike team assembled beneath the arched entrance of the old University of Alchemical Sciences. Vines of neon graffiti crawled over stone columns; broken lanterns swayed in the breeze. Here, centuries of blood-magic study had met the dawn of science—and now, remnants of the Covenant's underground labs waited to guard the second Codex fragment.
Zephyr tightened the straps on his pack—inside lay the primer scroll with Fragment I secured, vials of binding resin, and Lyra's sketch of hybrid glyphs for luck. His HP and MG gauges held at 85/100 and 80%, ample reserves for the trials ahead. He met Rennan's steady gaze. "Ready?"
Rennan nodded, blade glinting at his side. "For the University's secrets."
Elara and Rook flanked him, cloaking salves already applied. Behind them, Jora and Malik slung rifles; Elda carried healing wards. Zephyr drew a deep breath: the halls within were rumored to shift under moonlight—both a test of wit and a gauntlet of arcane traps.
They crossed the threshold into the university's main hall—vaulted ceilings festooned with centuries-old frescoes of alchemists and blood-rune glyphs. Dust motes danced in mottled shafts of light. At the far end, double doors stamped with the university crest lay slightly ajar.
Zephyr pressed a palm to the runic ward carved beside the doors: a fusion of Binding and Reflection glyphs. "Seal of scholars, open this door; grant us passage by oath and lore." The glyph glowed pale gold. The doors swung inward at his touch, revealing a circular chamber lined with floor-to-ceiling shelves of leather-bound tomes.
Azah's holographic star-map flickered in Zephyr's mind—he recalled Sable's warning about auditory wards here. Corin raised a finger to his lips. The team advanced silently, boots muted by blood-inked ward seals at each step.
Rook led them to the center of the chamber: a stone pedestal supporting three bronze lockboxes, each etched with alchemical symbols interwoven with blood-rune crescents. A plaque read: "Truth by Element: Earth, Water, Ash."
Malik knelt, tracing the lockboxes' surfaces. "These correspond to three test elements. Only one holds the hidden compartment."
Jora tapped the boxes in turn; each emitted a soft click but none opened. Zephyr studied the glyphs: the Earth box bore the Binding Glyph's circle, the Water box the Reflection Rune's waves, and the Ash box the Eclipse precursor's crescents.
Elara whispered, "Combine light and shadow—Reflection over Eclipse." She traced a small rune in the ash residue on the pedestal, connecting the Water and Ash symbols.
The Water box glowed, then slid open to reveal a rolled vellum: a protective manuscript over the next Codex fragment. Zephyr extracted it, heart pounding.
System Notification: "Codex Fragment II acquired: Section II—Lunar Transmutations."System Prompt: "Suture fragment into primer scroll."
He applied resin and pressed the fragment into the primer's margin. The scroll's leather shimmered as the new rune wove itself into the text.
No sooner had Zephyr secured the fragment than the frescoed ceiling trembled. A low rumble echoed through the hall, and distant gears groaned. The walls began to shift: shelves sliding, floors rotating to reveal new passageways.
Jora raised her rifle. "They've automated the archives—warded labyrinth."
Rennan sheathed his blade. "Follow me." He sprinted down an opening corridor, lit only by phosphorescent fungus. The rest followed, pressed close.
Zephyr's ears rang with the press of stone on stone, his pulse matching the corridor's rhythmic shift. He glimpsed a vaulted archway closing behind them, stamped with silver runes: a slab full-length, blocking their retreat.
Elda tapped her gauntlet runes, casting a small ward to stall the stone—runic energy sizzling as glyphs flared. The slab halted temporarily, giving them time to pass.
He shot the ward a grateful nod. "Keep moving."
They emerged into a cylindrical lab chamber—the air thick with chemical fumes and the glow of dormant alembics. At its center, a Covenant biochemist in a scuffed lab coat hunched over a containment sphere filled with pale blood fluid. She glanced up with narrow eyes.
"We meet again," Zephyr said.
The scientist hissed, tapping a lock cylinder. "You should not have come." She slammed a palm to the control pad: glass shards around the chamber floor exploded to life—warded darts snapped through the air.
Jora and Malik dove for cover; Rennan raised a barrier with Howl of Dominion, sending darts ricocheting into walls. Zephyr advanced, incanting Night's Razor. He dodged a razor-sharp glass fragment and slashed at her side, searing through coat and flesh.
System Notification: "Night's Razor recorded (1/5). HP: 65/100."
The scientist staggered, splashing blood-essence into the sphere. The fluid churned with alchemical energy—then erupted in a geyser of red mist that filled the chamber.
Zephyr held his breath, adopting Veil of Ashes. The mist parted around him, revealing the scientist on her knees. Rook charged forward, blade raised.
Zephyr grasped her arm. "No more blood-alchemy here." He pressed the Binding Glyph into the floor, muttering the purge incantation. The rune flared, siphoning the remaining blood-essence into inert ash.
The sphere collapsed in a dust of crimson iron oxide. The scientist fell silent, tears mixing with blood.
Alarm klaxons began to wail as the lab's vents opened, blowing the residual mist into nearby corridors. The walls groaned—the shifting labyrinth closing in again.
Corin's voice crackled through the team's comms: "Head back to the archives entrance—emergency exit unlocked."
Zephyr led the sprint through twisting halls where runic glyphs glowed to slow their passage. Elara and Elda laid wards for each door; Jora and Malik dispatched reactivated scrap-bots baying at the group. Rook covered Zephyr's rear, blade flashing.
They burst into the main chamber just as the crystal-etched doors slammed shut behind them. Azah and Hexan stood at the altar, fists glowing with lunar salt.
"Now!" Hexan shouted. He pressed a rune-sealed switch; the outer doors roared open, revealing the morning sky.
Zephyr and his team poured through, lungs burning, hearts pounding. Behind them, the university's halls ground shut as Covenant security protocols plunged vast corridors back into static.
Outside, the strike team regrouped beneath the tower's shattered archway. Zephyr held the primer scroll aloft—Fragment II safely scribed into its binding.
Azah hurried forward. "You have both Sections I and II. Only Section III—the mining tunnels' secret vault—remains."
Zephyr nodded, chest swelling. "We will claim it before the Covenant resumes experiments."
Elara laid a hand on his forearm. "Your hybrid strength grows with each fragment."
Rook smiled, exhausted but proud. "I never believed science and sorcery could align so well."
Zephyr exhaled, steadying his racing pulse. "When balance is found, even the darkest halls hold hope."
He met Rennan's gaze. "Tomorrow, we prepare for the final descent."
Rennan grinned. "I'll sharpen my blade."
As the sun climbed over the city's skyline, Zephyr felt the weight of destiny settle on his shoulders—and the promise of unity in every rune woven into his primer. With two fragments in hand and one left to find, he knew the Covenant's hold on blood-magic would end—or die trying.
System Notification: "Quest [010] Fragment II secured. New Quest: Locate and secure Fragment III—Mining Tunnel Vault."
Together, they turned back toward the Hold, readying both body and spirit for the final crucible beneath Aurex Bay.