The Obsidian Crypt was not a tomb, but a deep, subterranean training chamber disguised beneath a secluded, forested knoll far from the main Varr estate. It was a space saturated with ancient, stabilizing earth magic—a perfect place to hide and plan.
Kaelen unsealed the entrance, revealing a narrow staircase descending into cool darkness. Once inside, Kaelen activated a cluster of luminescent runes, illuminating a vast cavern dominated by carved obsidian pillars and a central, circular stone table marked with complex Transfiguration matrices.
"The Crypt is warded against all conventional scrying and telepathic intrusion," Kaelen explained, his voice echoing. "We are safe here, but only for a few days."
Elara shivered, not from the cold, but from the realization of their peril. "You mentioned Gideon. He's the Shadow Hunter. Valerius's personal assassin."
"Precisely," Kaelen confirmed, spreading a large map of the Varr estate onto the central table. "In the original plot, Gideon was the one who tracked down the fugitive Lyra and me two years later. His rank is Purple Level Intermediate, making him a Master Arcanist. We cannot fight him. He is specialized in stealth and paralyzing magic."
Elara rubbed her temples, trying to access the relevant chapter details. "Wait, I remember Gideon. His main flaw is his reliance on Dark Aether Runes. He requires an uninterrupted flow of it for his paralyzing spells. In the book, Lyra defeats him by accidentally cutting off his power source—a cluster of tainted runes hidden under a dry riverbed near the estate."
Kaelen looked up sharply, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "Tainted runes? You have the exact location?"
"I do," Elara confirmed, excitement and fear battling in her eyes. "The book described it as the Weeping Stone Crossing, about an hour from the estate boundary. The runes were buried there five years ago by Valerius's agents, intended to destabilize the Obsidian wards during the execution."
"If we can neutralize his power source, Gideon is reduced to a Purple Rank brute—still powerful, but predictable," Kaelen mused, tracing the route on the map. "But we have a far more pressing need than Gideon. We need an untouchable asset."
Kaelen pointed to a small, isolated tower drawn near the estate perimeter.
"The most powerful tool Valerius ever stole was not the Codex itself, but the knowledge of how to use it. The Codex requires a specific Master Key—a small, highly specialized artifact created by my ancestors to restrict its power. Only one exists."
"The Aether Key," Elara realized, recognizing the forgotten plot detail. "It's shaped like a small, obsidian feather. The book mentioned your grandfather, the previous Archmage, hid it so deeply no one could find it, not even Valerius after he seized the estate."
"My grandfather hid it perfectly. He placed it inside the Shadow Ward Tower—the small tower you see there. But its hiding spot relies on an ancient memory puzzle that only the Varr bloodline could solve. I, however, am of the Varr bloodline, and I know the key to the puzzle." Kaelen's eyes fixed on Elara. "We need to break into the Tower, retrieve the Aether Key, and then retrieve the Codex itself before Valerius gets the full resources to hunt us down."
He stood, his resolve absolute. "Here is the new strategy: Seraph and Gideon will be focused on the Whisperwood and the Ironwood Gap. They will assume we are far away. We will use that assumption to move in the opposite direction, toward the Varr estate."
"You want to walk straight into the lion's den?"
"No," Kaelen corrected, pulling a second, plain black cloak from a stone shelf. "I want to retrieve the most dangerous weapon in Eldoria before the enemy knows it exists. You will remain here at the Crypt, using the stored texts to confirm the ritual details for neutralizing Gideon's tainted runes. When I return with the Aether Key, we will move as one to confront Gideon and then secure the Codex. I leave at midnight. The time for caution is over, Elara. We must become the architects of our own destiny."