The vast subterranean gallery opened into a circular amphitheater lined with crystalline display cases and preservation pedestals.
At the center of the tiered chamber, a massive prism of polished quartz hovered above an ancient octagonal dais.
Lucan approached the control pedestal with quiet reverence, his brass loupe reflecting the soft blue glow of the dormant matrix.
"This is the primary repository of the First Dynasty," the scholar whispered, his fingers hovering over the activation rune.
"Every record here predates the founding of the holy cathedrals by three centuries."
"The preservation crystals down here do not rely upon geothermal power," Cessy observed, tapping her obsidian claws against the casing.
"They run on pure temporal suspension mana, holding ancient memories in stasis without allowing a single second to decay."
Hajin stood beside Princess Didi, feeling the sudden cold draft that radiated from the girl's porcelain fingertips.
