The black book remained open.
Its pages turned on their own.
Each page revealed another fragment of a history erased from the world.
---
Artyom read in silence.
---
"In the beginning, there were not one... but two founders."
---
An image appeared above the pages.
Two young men stood side by side.
One wore a white cloak embroidered with silver lilies.
The other wore black robes marked with a silver eclipse.
---
Caelum stared at the image.
His voice barely rose above a whisper.
"I never thought this record had survived..."
---
Artyom looked at him.
"Who are they?"
---
"The first is King Caelum Vesper."
He pointed toward the man in white.
---
"And the second..."
His expression darkened.
"...is his younger brother."
---
The page revealed a name.
Aster Vesper.
---
"He wasn't an enemy," Lucien said quietly.
"He was once the King's greatest ally."
---
The vision shifted.
The brothers ruled together.
One governed the kingdom.
The other commanded its armies.
The First Family flourished.
Peace spread across the land.
---
Then...
The scene changed.
---
Aster stood before an ancient crystal unlike any Artyom had seen before.
Dark.
Beautiful.
Alive.
---
He reached toward it.
Silver shadows wrapped around his hand.
---
The vision dissolved.
---
Caelum closed his eyes.
"Aster believed our bloodline should rule the world."
---
"Caelum believed it should protect the world."
---
"Their disagreement became a war."
---
Artyom looked down at the page.
"So the Eclipse..."
---
"...was born from that division."
Lucien finished.
---
"It wasn't created by strangers."
---
"It was created by our own family."
---
Silence settled over the Library.
---
Suddenly...
The Guardian's Key grew warm.
The book turned to its final page.
Only one sentence appeared.
---
"The blood of the King and the blood of the Eclipse can never truly destroy one another."
---
Artyom frowned.
"What does that mean?"
---
Before anyone could answer...
The Sanctuary shook violently.
---
Far across the city...
Nikola drew his knife.
The cloaked intruder turned slowly to face him.
Their face remained hidden beneath a hood.
---
"You've gone far enough," Nikola said calmly.
---
The stranger laughed softly.
---
"I've only just begun."
---
With a single movement...
They slammed their hand against the ancient control pillar.
Red light spread through the Sanctuary's walls.
Crystal alarms blazed crimson.
---
Dmitri's voice echoed through every corridor.
"The inner defensive seal has been deactivated!"
---
Roman immediately reached for his weapon.
"Impossible."
---
Dmitri looked at the crystal console in disbelief.
---
"No..."
---
"Someone inside the Sanctuary just opened a path to the prison."
---
Viktor looked toward Artyom.
Their eyes met.
Neither needed to speak.
They both knew.
The battle was no longer only outside the mountain.
The enemy...
Was already within.