Dante sat against the wall of their temporary hideout, his breathing steadying after the harrowing escape. Leah paced nearby, her fingers brushing against the hilt of her dagger. The silence was thick, interrupted only by the occasional distant echo of the chamber's shifting foundations.
Then, a voice spoke, clear and detached, inside Dante's mind.
"Initiating Memory Reconstruction... Scanning Host's Neural Pathways..."
Dante froze, his eyes widening. "What... what was that?"
Leah stopped pacing and turned to him. "What was what?"
Before Dante could answer, the voice returned, more insistent.
"Analyzing recent events. Discrepancy detected. Host's memory suggests unauthorized entry of a Wraith into a protected area. Cross-referencing school's barrier protocols with known data."
Dante's heart raced. "The Bloodline Chronicle… It's... talking to me."
Leah raised an eyebrow. "Talking to you? Like a sentient system?"
He nodded, placing a hand on his temple as the voice continued to echo in his mind.
"Accessing Host's recent memories... Scanning School Barrier History… Error: Breach detected. Wraith activity impossible within barrier parameters. Clarification required."
The words hit Dante like a blow. He remembered the night the Wraith attacked him in the school courtyard—the haunting figure slipping past the invisible wards that were supposed to protect the campus.
"How did it get in?" he muttered, more to himself than to Leah.
"What are you talking about?" Leah asked, her voice tense.
Dante turned to her, his expression troubled. "The system says the school's barrier should've kept the Wraith out. But it didn't. It got through somehow."
Leah's face darkened. "The school was supposed to be a fortress against things like that. Wards, glyphs, everything. If something got in…"
The system interrupted.
"Possible explanations: Barrier corruption, internal sabotage, or external manipulation. Query: Does Host possess additional information regarding the breach?"
Dante frowned, trying to piece together the fragments of that night. He remembered the cold chill that had swept through the campus, the strange flicker in the barrier glyphs as the Wraith appeared. But nothing made sense.
"I don't know how it happened," he admitted aloud, frustration seeping into his voice.
The system hummed faintly in his mind before responding.
"Insufficient data. Suggestion: Investigate Barrier Node Locations within the school grounds. Analyze for signs of tampering or failure."
Leah's eyes narrowed. "Wait, what does it mean by 'Barrier Node Locations'?"
Dante relayed the system's words, and Leah's expression grew thoughtful.
"The school's wards aren't just a single spell," she said. "They're anchored to nodes—physical points where the magic is strongest. If one of those was tampered with…"
"It could explain how the Wraith got in," Dante finished.
The system chimed in again.
"Warning: Barrier integrity compromised. Host's safety cannot be ensured. Immediate action recommended."
Dante pushed himself to his feet, determination hardening his features. "We need to check those nodes."
Leah hesitated. "If someone or something sabotaged the barrier, they might still be there. And if they're working with the Wraiths…"
"We don't have a choice," Dante said firmly. "If the Wraiths can get into the school, no one is safe. And whoever did this won't stop with just one attack."
Leah sighed, nodding reluctantly. "Fine. But we go together. And if it gets too dangerous, we pull back. Agreed?"
Dante nodded. "Agreed."
As they prepared to leave, the Bloodline Chronicle hummed faintly in the back of Dante's mind, its presence both unsettling and reassuring. He didn't know who—or what—was behind the barrier breach, but one thing was clear: the answers lay within the school, and he wouldn't stop until he found them.