The early morning sun gilded the Silverfang Hold's courtyard, painting rune-etched planks and moonstone inlays with warm light. Zephyr stood at the edge of the circle of light, absorbing the calm after yesterday's storm. His muscles still ached where hematoglyph strikes had landed; his spirit still echoed with the tutor's final, remorseful promise of aid.
Rook knelt beside the dormant Sanguis Node in the Hold's floor—her amber eyes tracing its cold geometry. Rennan watched her quietly, arms crossed. Elara and Corin paced at the circle's edge, reviewing the holo-map that now glowed with new directives.
Zephyr inhaled, tasting the crisp air and the faint ozone of runic wards. Today, they would chase the scattered fragments of the Midnight Codex—ancient blood-magic texts torn apart during the Shattering Ritual. Only by reassembling them could he seal every hidden node across Aurex Bay and safeguard the hybrid legacy for generations.
In the Hold's command chamber, a semicircle of lieutenants gathered around Corin's holo-projector. Azah, the Silverfang archivist, keyed in the morning's briefing:
Azah: "The Covenant's network recovered three Codex fragments in the last decade: one in the old University of Alchemical Sciences beneath Central Tower, one in the Blackwater subway ruins, and one in the abandoned mining tunnels below Grey Docks. We have coordinates for the first two; the third remains a rumor."
Corin's holo-map blinked with red markers at two subway-station icons. Zephyr tapped his chin. "We should split our forces. Azah and Malik take the university ruins; Rennan and Jora head to the subway. I'll lead a covert team into the mining tunnels—if the Covenant's omissions hold true, their data schematics will guide us."
Hexan's voice rumbled from the back. "Mining tunnels are crawling with black-market miners and stray packs. It's the most dangerous."
Zephyr met Hexan's scarred gaze. "Then we'll need Elara's rites to hide us from stray eyes—and Rook's inside knowledge of covenant concealment."
Elara inclined her head. "I've prepared cloaking salves and silent runes for the group." She held out vials of grey oil and silver dust. "Apply before descent."
Rook rose, determination in her posture. "I go with you. I know how they labeled the tunnels."
Zephyr nodded. "Understood." He addressed the room. "We move at dawn's second light—two hours from now. Prepare yourselves."
As the lieutenants dispersed to ready gear, Zephyr and Corin lingered by the map.
Corin keyed a datapad for Zephyr's eyes only: a flickering video of Covenant engineers in steel-toed boots examining a cavern wall. A hidden door swung open behind them, revealing a chalk-marked hallway.
Corin's jaw tightened. "This is the miners' entrance—sealed behind covenant wards. We'll need to unseal it with dual glyphs."
Zephyr studied the wall's runes. One glyph matched the Binding Glyph, the other a precursor to the Eclipse Cipher. "Together they'll snap the lock."
Corin exhaled. "Be careful, Zeph. The deeper we go, the less predictable the magic. And I've heard rumors—some tunnels have… aberrations."
Zephyr's heart drummed with equal parts excitement and dread. "I'll bring back the fragment—or bust the door down trying."
Corin clasped his brother's shoulder. "And—and don't forget to come home."
Zephyr managed a grin. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."
In the living quarters, Lyra pressed a small pouch into Zephyr's hand—her sketch of the combined wolf-vampire glyphs, duplicated in ink on parchment. "For luck," she said.
He hugged her fiercely. "Thank you, little sister."
Elara adjusted his satchel straps. "Eat well, rest your mind. Magic works best from clarity, not fatigue."
Zephyr kissed her forehead. "I'll be back by nightfall."
Rook approached quietly, placing a hand against his. "I owe you more than you know. I'll keep the Pack safe while you're gone."
Zephyr nodded, gratitude shining in his eyes. "We'll stand stronger, together."
Two hours later, Zephyr, Elara, Rook, and a small escort of scouts gathered at the Grey Docks' old shaft House #7—a corrugated-steel building half-collapsed into brackish water. A single lantern hung from a rusted beam, its flame guttering.
Elara anointed their wrists with the cloaking salve and traced silver-dust glyphs across their collarbones. Their robes and gear faded into muted tones—eyes all but blind to them. Zephyr pressed the Binding and Eclipse precursor glyphs side by side on the boarded entrance:
Zephyr: "Hemaleth–Lunis–Aegis… Eclipse–Bound."
The wood groaned; runes flared. Boards splintered outward, revealing a yawning shaft. Zephyr led the way, descending a rotted ladder into darkness. Stale air filled his lungs; distant drips echoed in hollow chambers.
Rook followed, lantern raised. "This level was used in the '40s for iron ore. Now it's repurposed for Sanguis scavenging."
At the bottom, they reached a vaulted corridor lined with wooden beams. Faint runic scars marred the stone walls—vestiges of Covenant wards they had just bypassed. Zephyr's gauntlet-light revealed scraps of tape, broken tools, and pool-sized puddles of stagnant water.
Elara chanted a ward for fresh water's blessing:
"Salt of sea and rune unite;Cleanse these halls with moonlit light."
The puddles glimmered silver and stilled. Zephyr exhaled. "Good. No toxic runoff."
Rook led them through a branching tunnel until they came to a sealed iron door, its surface etched with an eight-pointed star and dripping red-rust. A brass plaque read: Lab 7B: Experimental Sanguis Vault.
Corin's holo-map pinged in Zephyr's mind: Fragment location confirmed.
Zephyr produced two chalk-sticks of runic composite: one forged from Hemaleth-infused charcoal, the other from lunar-quenched silver. He drew the Binding Glyph on the door's left side, then the Eclipse precursor on the right. Sparks flickered; the iron door's seams glowed.
Elara placed a palm over the crest in the center. "Moon's tide, blood's call; open this seal, reveal the thrall."
The door shuddered, then slid inward with a keening groan. A blast of cold air greeted them, carrying the scent of aged parchment and alchemical tinctures.
Inside, they found a small chamber lined with steel shelves. On a pedestal under a cracked glass dome lay a leather-bound folio—the Codex fragment—its pages brittle but legible, inscribed in crimson ink with half of the original Sanguis Codex.
Zephyr retrieved it with reverent care, lifting the dome. Moonlight slanted through cracks in the ceiling, illuminating the fragment's blood-rune diagrams.
System Notification: "Codex Fragment acquired: Section I—Blood-Runic Seals."System Prompt: "New Quest: Suture Fragment into Rebuilt Primer."
Elara produced a tube of rune-binding resin. Under her guidance, Zephyr delicately pressed the fragment into the primer scroll's margin, sealing it with resin and whispered incantation. The scroll's leather seemed to warm in his lap, the added glyphs stitching seamlessly.
Their success rang hollow as distant echoes of heavy footsteps drifted in. Rook stiffened. "Covenant enforcers—we tripped a pressure ward."
Zephyr rose, brandishing his blade. "Defensive formation."
Jora and Malik appeared at the corner, rifle muzzles glowing. A squad of Covenant enforcers spilled into the chamber—tall, armored, eyes red with intent.
The air crackled with tension. Zephyr pressed his palm to the newly bound fragment in the primer. Blood-Runic Seal… empower blade. His gauntlet flared with hematoglyph energy.
Elara chanted purification runes around the doorway, scribing a protective barrier. Rook readied her blade, focus sharpened.
The enforcers fired—bolts of searing light. Zephyr deflected one with his armored forearm, then darted forward, delivering a Night's Razor blade strike to the lead guard. Jora and Malik returned suppressing fire; Rook moved like a shadow, dispatching enforcers with swift blows.
Amid the chaos, Zephyr felt the scroll's runes pulse—empowering his strikes with ancient blood-runic force. Each enemy he felled sprang into ash-like motes, dissolving into the air. The protective barrier held at the doorway, keeping the pursuit at bay.
When the last enforcer shattered, silence fell—broken only by dripping water and ragged breaths.
Corin appeared at the entrance, holo-recorder streaming the encounter. "Well done," he said, voice steady.
Zephyr collapsed against the pedestal, adrenaline still thunderous. He held the primer scroll close, pages now swelling with newly scribed rune.
They retraced their path through the tunnels, Elara's lantern and Rook's blade lighting the way. The morning light greeted them at the shaft's mouth; mist rolled over the docks like gentle applause.
In the courtyard, Hexan and the lieutenants waited. Azah hurried forward, inspecting the primer. "The fragment integrates perfectly. Section I restored."
Zephyr exhaled, knot of tension unwinding. "One more to go at the university ruins."
Hexan nodded approvingly. "Your leadership honors us, Bloodwolf."
Elara placed a hand on Zephyr's shoulder. "You carry your lineage with grace."
Rook offered a tired smile. "And I carry my freedom."
Zephyr looked to the rising sun, determination blazing in his amber eyes. The path ahead—to gather the final fragments, to outpace the Covenant's machinations—would be fraught with danger and moral quandary. But he had proven that blood and moon, united in the hybrid, could bend fate itself.
System Notification: "Quest [010] Codex Fragment I secured. New Quest: University Ruins expedition—recover Fragment II."
Zephyr Ardent drew a steady breath, companions at his side. The Hold's gates closed behind them as they prepared to carry the Codex's hope back into the world—one fragment at a time.