Rayan didn't sleep much that night.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Cassian's stunned expression… and the silver-haired girl's smirk.
I've traded one enemy for another debt.
By dawn, the knock came.
Sharp. Deliberate.
She didn't wait for him to answer — just walked in, her cloak still dripping from the early rain.
"You're ready," she said, not asked.
"For?" Rayan leaned against the desk, arms crossed.
"Your favor. Payment for the runes."
"You could at least pretend this isn't extortion."
She smiled faintly.
"Extortion is when you take something by force. This is… mutual benefit."
The Request
She slid a folded map across the desk.
It wasn't parchment — it was some kind of enchanted skin, still warm to the touch. Symbols shifted faintly across its surface.
"The Moon Crypt," she said. "It's sealed. Has been for centuries. I need something inside it. You're going to help me get it."
"Why me?"
"Because the crypt reacts to certain… signatures. Yours is one of them."
"And if I say no?"
"Then you'll discover exactly how many people believe you cheated last night."
Rayan stared at her for a long moment. She's dangerous. But she's also a key.
Kael's Warning
Later that day, Kael caught him in the library.
"You're walking into something, aren't you?"
"When am I not?" Rayan muttered, scanning a dusty volume.
Kael's tone grew serious.
"I've been digging into that 'Vessel' thing you saw in the Grimoire. It's not a prophecy — it's a classification. Something… or someone… is chosen to hold an ancient magic. And it's always hunted."
Rayan closed the book slowly.
"Good to know. I'll add 'being hunted' to my schedule."
The Moon Crypt
That night, under a crescent moon, the silver-haired girl led him to a forest of skeletal trees. The air was thick, unnatural. At the base of a hill, a black stone door stood half-buried in roots.
"Touch it," she said.
The moment Rayan's palm met the stone, runes flared, the roots recoiled, and the door groaned open.
Inside, the darkness wasn't empty. It breathed.
And in the center of the crypt, floating in pale light, was a glass orb — with what looked like a black flame swirling inside.
Unwelcome Company
"We take it and leave," she whispered.
They stepped forward — and the ground trembled. Shadows peeled themselves from the walls, forming humanoid shapes with eyes like molten gold.
From behind them, another voice spoke. Smooth. Mocking.
"Funny… I was looking for this place too."
Cassian stepped into the crypt, staff glowing like a spear of fire.