Chapter 26: Ashes of the Archive
The east block looked like a memory—burnt, twisted, and covered in a grey silence. The once-proud pillar of the Guild's legacy was now reduced to blackened rubble and ash-tinted air.
Leo and Ari stood a few feet from the barrier, which buzzed weakly, trying to keep curious eyes out.
Leo turned to Ari. "That's not just explosion damage… this place was disintegrated."
Ari frowned. "Yeah… like someone didn't just want to destroy it—they wanted it forgotten."
They exchanged a glance. Then, almost in sync:
"Let's go inside."
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Inside the Wreckage – Smoldering Echoes
The two sneaked past the barrier—Vellum was keeping an eye out near the Guild's noodle vendor, acting as decoy with a dramatic noodle-slurping act. It worked too well. Even a passing elder mage stopped to watch.
Leo and Ari moved through the ruins. Leo's footsteps kicked up embers, and the heat still lingered as if the fire was reluctant to leave.
"Do you smell that?" Leo asked.
Ari sniffed. "Burnt leather, old scrolls, and… camphor?"
Leo's eyes widened. "Camphor's used in ceremonial enchantments. Someone cast something big here. This wasn't just an attack—it was a ritual."
As they approached the core of the blast, Leo knelt beside a scorched stone tile. "Wait…" he brushed away ash, revealing faint inscriptions beneath.
Ari knelt beside him. "Is that… Sanskrit?"
The script shimmered faintly. Leo read aloud:
"Agni devta swayam jwalit bhavet…"
("May the fire god ignite of his own will…")
He froze. "A Shlok Magic. Old as the Guild's foundation."
Ari: "Shlok magic can only be cast by someone with insane mastery. And this… was used to burn it all down?"
They moved deeper in. Half-collapsed archives and blackened stone shelves surrounded them. The central vault—the one holding Guild's oldest political and magical records—was split in half, gaping open like a wounded beast. Pages fluttered in the wind, most burnt, others scattered and blank.
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Meanwhile – Outside the Ruins
Guild investigators were scrambling. A few senior members had gathered near the barricade, looking grim.
"We need the remaining files from the vault—especially the sealed ones," one muttered.
Another, with shaking hands, whispered, "They're… they're gone. Every document from the Pre-Treaty Era—vanished."
Back inside, Leo and Ari listened from the shadows.
Ari whispered, "They're freaking out. Whatever was in that vault—wasn't for public eyes."
Leo looked around. His eyes landed on a strange piece of debris—a circular fragment of obsidian, pulsing faintly. He picked it up, and a chill ran through his fingers.
Ari tilted her head. "That's… not Guild-made."
Leo stuffed it into his pocket. "Let's not tell anyone. Not yet."
Ari crossed her arms. "You're picking up dangerous artifacts again, aren't you?"
Leo grinned. "Yep. And I haven't spontaneously combusted yet. Progress."
---
As they slipped out quietly, a final gust of wind blew through the wreckage.
A single, untouched page floated up from the ashes and landed near Leo's foot.
One phrase, half-burned but visible, caught their eyes:
"Rebirth of the Soul-Carrier Protocol…"
Leo and Ari stared at it.
Ari whispered, "Soul-Carrier…?"
Leo's heart sank. Just like in the dream…
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