The Repository's battle left me restless. The fractured spell fragment clutched in my hand felt heavier than it should, its dark energy resonating faintly. It was a thread—a fragile one—but it could unravel Lirien's plans.
"This fragment," Karina said, studying it under a faint glow of enchantment, "it's some kind of anchor. It feels like… a tether to another plane."
"Exactly," I replied, my mind already piecing together possibilities. "Lirien's been leveraging more than just agents and blueprints. She's tapping into something… old. Dangerous."
"How do we follow this?" Karina asked.
I held the fragment higher, channeling mana into its jagged edges. The dark energy flared, emitting a low hum. An image shimmered briefly in the air—a dense, twisting labyrinth etched with ancient glyphs.
"The Undercity," I murmured. "The ruins beneath the capital."
Karina's eyes widened. "Those tunnels are forbidden. Even the royal guards don't venture there."
