Following 'Cipher's' cryptic lead, Elena found herself in the city's oldest, most forgotten district, a maze of crumbling brick and winding alleyways. She was looking for the "Blind Monk in the market," a strange name that now made more sense. The market wasn't a marketplace of goods, but of whispers, of hidden knowledge passed down through generations. She found him in a dusty, crowded antique shop, his eyes clouded white, his presence strangely calming amidst the chaos. He didn't speak much, but when Elena held out the Eclipse Codex book, his blind eyes seemed to focus, and a deep hum vibrated from him.
"The Weavers," he murmured, his voice like rustling leaves. "They will know. They tend the old paths." He traced a finger over a symbol on the book's cover—a mark Elena hadn't noticed before, hidden in the design. As his finger touched it, a faint shimmer passed through the book, almost imperceptible. "But the book… it awakens only for its master. Or for its… kin." He gave her an address, a single, forgotten street number in an abandoned part of the city. He warned her that the Weavers were not friendly, not helpful, but they held secrets that even Neo-Eclipse couldn't grasp.
Back in her safe house, Elena stared at the Eclipse Codex book again. The "Blind Monk" had triggered something. As she carefully ran her fingers over the symbol he had touched, a single page, deep within the book, seemed to shift. A faint, almost ghostly glow pulsed from the paper. She opened it, holding her breath. The symbols were still strange, but one word, written in an old, familiar script, stood out, clear as day. It was just one word, but it sent a jolt through her. It was Liam's name. Followed by a diagram that looked eerily like the strange machines Koval had Liam hooked up to, but with more detail, more terrifying purpose. It was a terrifying, yet exhilarating, breakthrough. The book was alive. It reacted. And it was connected to Liam.
Suddenly, her secure comms buzzed with an urgent warning from 'Cipher'. "They're tightening the net. The book's energy signature. They're searching the city. Get out now. The Hunters are coming." Elena looked at the single, glowing word, Liam's name, then to the unreadable pages ahead. She had found a way into the Codex, but now, Neo-Eclipse was closer than ever.