Elaine leaned against the rough stone wall of her quarters, her hands cradling the still-warm vial of Essence of Binding. The faint green shimmer within the liquid seemed almost alive, rippling in the dim light of the room.
The Nexus had been silent for the last hour, and she found herself longing for its presence, even if only to break the oppressive quiet. Her thoughts churned restlessly, returning again and again to the strange notification it had revealed after her success in the workshop.
DIVERGENCE INSIGHT UNLOCKED:
Aria Venhold seeks experimental breakthroughs beyond Crown jurisdiction. Motives: Classified.
The word classified loomed large in her mind. Why would the Nexus obscure information now? It had no problem feeding her the bare minimum of what she needed to survive, but withholding something critical—about Aria, of all people—felt deliberate.
"Experimental breakthroughs," she murmured aloud. "Beyond jurisdiction. What are you playing at, Aria?"
A sharp knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. Elaine tensed, setting the vial down on the desk. "Who is it?"
The door creaked open, revealing a young woman clad in the plain, gray robes of a guild apprentice. Her face was thin, her dark eyes darting nervously as she stepped inside.
"I—I'm here to deliver a message," the apprentice stammered.
Elaine frowned, studying the girl. "From who?"
The apprentice hesitated, glancing back at the hallway before stepping further inside. "Someone who knows about your… situation," she whispered.
Elaine's pulse quickened. "Go on."
The girl pulled a folded piece of parchment from her sleeve and handed it over. "Read it when you're alone," she said, her voice barely audible. "And be careful who you trust."
Without another word, the apprentice hurried out of the room, leaving Elaine staring after her.
The parchment was old, its edges frayed, and the ink on its surface was faint but legible.
**To the one called Caldara,
You are not the first to stand under Aria Venhold's gaze, nor will you be the last. She is not merely a tool of the Crown; she is a force unto herself, driven by ambitions that extend far beyond this guild.
If you value your survival, tread carefully. Venhold's experiments have left a trail of failures—and none of them lived to tell their tale.**
Elaine read the note twice, her grip tightening on the paper. The cryptic warning aligned uncomfortably well with the Nexus's partial revelations. Whatever Aria's true motives were, they weren't sanctioned by the Crown.
Her thoughts raced. Was Aria using the guild as a front? Were her experiments connected to the system of essences—or something more dangerous?
The door opened again, this time without a knock. Elaine looked up sharply to see the warden standing in the doorway.
"You're popular tonight," he said dryly, stepping inside.
Elaine crumpled the note in her fist, keeping it out of view. "What do you want?"
The warden crossed his arms, leaning casually against the doorframe. "Just checking in. Venhold has a habit of pushing people too far too fast. Figured I'd see if you're still breathing."
Her eyes narrowed. "Why do you care?"
He smirked faintly. "I don't. But watching her burn through apprentices and probationers gets old after a while. You're holding up better than most."
Elaine studied him carefully, trying to gauge his angle. The warden exuded an air of indifference, but something in his tone suggested he wasn't as loyal to Aria as he let on.
"Why does she push so hard?" Elaine asked, testing his reaction.
The smirk faded. "Let's just say she has… ambitions," he said carefully. "She's always looking for something new, something dangerous. Doesn't care who gets caught in the crossfire."
Elaine felt a pang of unease. "Something like the Shardfang Hound trial?"
"That was nothing," the warden said with a snort. "She's been known to set up entire operations in hostile territories just to test out some half-baked alchemical theory. Most of the people she drags along don't make it back."
Elaine's stomach tightened. "And the Crown lets her get away with that?"
The warden's gaze turned sharp. "The Crown doesn't know half of what she's doing. And if they did, she'd already be dead."
The Nexus shimmered faintly, its interface flickering into view.
INSIGHT UPDATED:
Aria Venhold's experiments extend to forbidden applications of essence and nexus integration. Risk of exposure: High.
Elaine clenched her fists, her thoughts racing. The Nexus wasn't just a tool—it was part of something larger, something Aria was clearly exploiting for her own ends.
The warden straightened, turning to leave. "Word of advice," he said over his shoulder. "Keep your head down. Aria's plans tend to chew people up and spit them out."
The door closed behind him, leaving Elaine alone once more.
She uncrumpled the note, staring at its warning again. Between the warden's remarks and the Nexus's cryptic updates, one thing was becoming increasingly clear: her probation wasn't just about survival. She was caught in a web of schemes that extended far beyond her own life, and if she didn't find a way to unravel it, she'd end up like the others—another failed experiment.
The faint shimmer of the Nexus hovered in the corner of her vision, silent but watchful.
"Looks like we're both being used," she muttered. "The question is, who's playing the better game?"