The air in the lower corridors of Arcanore Academy felt colder than usual as Eren and Kaia stood frozen in the dim light. Their discovery left them shaken, but they knew they couldn't leave the conversation they had overheard unanswered.
Kaia glanced at Eren, her expression resolute. "The Council. We need to find out who they are and why they're after the fragment."
Eren nodded, but the weight in his pocket—the Ashen Key fragment—felt heavier than ever. "If Alaric's working for them, we're already in more danger than we thought. This isn't just about him; it's bigger."
Kaia frowned. "And whatever they're planning, they're in a hurry. We can't afford to wait around anymore."
Eren's grip on his wand tightened. "The restricted archives might have something. We didn't get to look through everything last time."
Kaia sighed. "And almost got caught, remember?"
He hesitated, then nodded. "I know. But we don't have a choice. We need answers, and that's the best place to start."
Kaia studied him for a moment before nodding. "Alright. But this time, we need to be smarter about it. No rushing in unprepared."
That evening, under the cover of darkness, Eren and Kaia made their way back to the restricted archives. They moved quickly and quietly, their wands lit with faint, silvery glows to avoid detection.
When they reached the heavy iron door of the archives, Kaia pulled out a piece of parchment covered in runes. "I've been working on a charm to neutralize the alarm wards. It should buy us some time."
Eren raised an eyebrow. "When did you have time to do that?"
Kaia smirked. "While you were sulking about Alaric."
Eren rolled his eyes but couldn't help the small grin that tugged at his lips. "Let's hope it works."
Kaia pressed the parchment against the door and whispered an incantation. The runes on the parchment glowed softly before fading away, and with a soft click, the door unlocked.
"See? Easy," Kaia whispered, pushing the door open.
The archives were just as they had left them: dimly lit, with rows of towering shelves filled with ancient tomes and scrolls. The faint smell of parchment and dust hung in the air.
"Where do we start?" Eren asked, his voice low.
Kaia gestured toward a section marked Forbidden Artefacts and Relics. "If the Ashen Key is as powerful as we think, there's bound to be something about it here."
They moved quickly, pulling down books and scanning their contents. The minutes stretched into hours as they searched, but every mention of the Ashen Key was vague and fragmented, shrouded in riddles and cryptic warnings.
"This is impossible," Eren muttered, slamming a book shut. "Every reference to the Key is half-finished or doesn't make any sense."
Kaia frowned, flipping through a leather-bound tome. "Maybe it's deliberate. If the Key is as dangerous as Alaric said, maybe they didn't want people knowing too much about it."
Eren leaned back against a shelf, his frustration mounting. "Then how are we supposed to figure this out? We can't fight an enemy we don't understand."
Kaia was about to respond when a faint sound reached their ears—footsteps.
They froze, their eyes meeting in alarm.
"Someone's coming," Kaia whispered, shoving the book in her hands back onto the shelf.
Eren extinguished the light from his wand and motioned for her to follow. They ducked behind a nearby shelf, pressing themselves into the shadows as the footsteps grew louder.
A figure entered the archives, their silhouette sharp against the faint glow of the hallway. Eren's heart sank as he recognized the tall, confident stride.
Alaric.
He held a small, glowing orb in his hand, which pulsed faintly as he moved through the room.
"What is he doing here?" Kaia mouthed, her eyes wide.
Eren shook his head, his pulse racing. They watched as Alaric stopped in front of the Forbidden Artefacts section and pulled out a book with practiced ease.
He opened it and began flipping through the pages, his expression unreadable. The orb in his hand glowed brighter, casting eerie shadows across his face.
Kaia nudged Eren and whispered, "We need to see what he's looking at."
Eren hesitated. If they were caught now, there would be no way to talk their way out of it. But they couldn't leave without finding out what Alaric was up to.
"Stay here," Eren whispered back. "I'll get closer."
Kaia's eyes widened. "Eren—"
"I'll be careful," he promised, before slipping away into the shadows.
He moved silently, his footsteps muffled by the enchanted soles of his shoes. As he approached, he could hear Alaric muttering under his breath.
"This has to be it," Alaric said, his voice low. "The convergence point… but where?"
Eren strained to see the page Alaric was reading. The text was written in an unfamiliar script, accompanied by an illustration of what looked like a massive, ornate door surrounded by swirling runes.
Alaric snapped the book shut and tucked it under his arm, his expression dark.
Eren barely had time to duck behind a shelf as Alaric turned and walked toward the exit, the glowing orb in his hand fading.
When the sound of his footsteps disappeared, Kaia emerged from her hiding spot, her expression a mix of frustration and curiosity.
"What did you see?" she asked.
Eren hesitated, his mind racing. "He found something—a book about a convergence point. I didn't get a good look, but it's connected to the Key somehow."
Kaia frowned. "A convergence point? What does that mean?"
"I don't know," Eren admitted. "But whatever it is, it's important enough for him to sneak in here for it."
Kaia's eyes narrowed. "Then we need to find out what it is—and stop him before he gets to it."
Eren nodded, but the weight in his chest only grew heavier. Alaric wasn't just looking for power—he was following a path, and Eren couldn't shake the feeling that they were running out of time to stop him.
And for the first time, he wondered if they were already too late.