Ren lifted his gaze, the crystal light of the hall caught in his eyes. He set down his knife, the soft clink against the plate carrying more weight than speech.

"My plans," he said slowly, as though testing each word before it left him, "are not gentle ones. The path I walk does not lead me back here, not soon. I must go where calamity rises, and seek the keys that only those cursed with shadow can endure."

The chandeliers hummed faintly, mana threads vibrating in the silence. Ervin's breath stalled; his hands folded tightly against his lap. Kairn did not blink, though his stare cut sharper, as if measuring Ren anew.

Veylan leaned back, fingers curved lightly around his goblet. He did not flinch at the weight of Ren's confession, but his eyes deepened, a pool that did not show its floor.

"You speak of leaving as though it is already written."

Ren gave a slight nod. "It is. This place gave me warmth. But they will not wait. The first calamity has already stirred as you spoke."

Veylan drank once more, then set the glass aside. His voice was softer now, almost paternal.

"Then you will not be stopped. And I will not insult you by asking again. Only remember, when the storm breaks, you are not walking alone. I promised you already that your family, and I will not break promises."

For a moment, Ren said nothing. Then, quietly, he allowed the faintest curve of a smile. "I know."

The rest of the meal unfolded without sharpness. Bread was broken, wine poured, small words exchanged but never forced. Even Ervin, though stiff at first, found himself easing into quiet laughter at some half-remembered tale Veylan recounted from his youth. Kairn remained steady, eating without flourish, though once or twice Ren caught the faint glint of warmth in his otherwise cold eyes when Veylan addressed him directly.

When the last trays were cleared, attendants entered again, bowing. One, a young woman with light woven into the hems of her robe, spoke clearly.

"Honored guests, your chambers are prepared. Please, follow us."

The walk through the hidden corridors was long but not silent. Enchanted sconces bloomed to life as they passed, runes spilling blue-white glow across stone etched with both machine lines and ancient script. The Southern Archive was not merely a vault of knowledge. It was alive, shifting, keeping secrets even as it revealed them.

Ren's room lay at the end of a side passage. The door, carved with patterns that rippled like water when touched, opened to reveal a chamber vast yet hushed. A single crystal hung suspended in the center, its light bending to mimic a pale moon. The bed was draped in dark cloth threaded with silver, soft as mist. A writing desk stood by the wall, its surface engraved with faint constellations.

When the door closed behind him, the silence of the chamber folded around Ren like a cloak. He stood still, eyes half-lidded, until the quiet stirred.

A voice slid through the shadows of his mind, cool and familiar.

"So… you are finally going to find the keys."

Ren did not startle. His lips moved faintly.

"Nyxa."

From the corner where the crystal light dimmed, the outline of her presence unfurled. Not body, but essence, the Abyss clothed in faint shimmer. She leaned, unseen by mortal eyes, but clear to him. Her voice was both inside his head and brushing the air.

"You sat at their table. You let them see your silence, your restraint. But still… you carry everything alone."

Ren lowered himself to the edge of the bed, elbows resting on his knees. He exhaled once. "Not alone. You are here."

Nyxa's presence trembled faintly, like a smile made of smoke.

"I am here, yes. But remember, Ren… the calamities are not just trials. They are teeth. They devour. And I will not forgive you if you forget that."

His gaze lifted toward the suspended crystal, watching its light fracture into thin rays. "I don't forget. That's why I walk."

Nyxa's voice softened, almost like a whisper meant only for him.

"Then I will walk with you. Into storm, into shadow, into whatever this world still hides."

For a long moment, neither spoke. Only the faint hum of the crystal filled the room. Then Ren lay back, eyes on the carved ceiling, letting the weight of the day bleed out of him. Tomorrow, the Archive would still stand, the banquet hall would shine, Veylan would scheme and Kairn would guard. But his path had already turned outward.

And in the silence of that chamber, Qiyun's vastness seemed to breathe, waiting.

★★★

The crystal's glow dimmed into a softer pulse as night stretched deeper across the Archive. Ren lay still, listening to the low hum of enchantments through the walls, each thrum a reminder that this place was alive with secrets older than empires.

Nyxa's presence lingered faintly, as if woven into the silence. She did not speak again, but he felt her—quiet, watchful, the shadow of a blade sheathed inside him.

Ren closed his eyes only when he felt the weight of the day settle fully on his chest. Sleep came, not as peace, but as a corridor of drifting images: fragments of storms, the pull of unseen gates, a horizon cracked with light.

★★★

The morning began not with sunlight. There was none here but with the stirring of runes. Lines along the walls flared in slow rhythm, announcing the passage of time. A soft chime echoed through the stone, and doors opened one by one.

Ren rose, washed, and stepped out. The corridor stretched long, lined with pale stone that reflected a false dawn. At its far end, Ervin waited, robes already straightened, though his eyes carried the heaviness of little sleep.

"You are awake early," Ervin said, his voice hushed in the stillness.

Ren gave a faint nod. "The Archive doesn't let one rest too long."

Behind them, another door opened. Kairn emerged, cloak drawn, steps precise as though he had never allowed himself true rest at all. His gaze swept the corridor, cataloguing shadows before acknowledging the others.

Soon, attendants arrived. They bowed deeply and spoke with ritual calm.

"Lord Veylan requests your presence. The morning council will be brief."

★★★

The hall they entered was not the banquet chamber of last night but another smaller, circular, wall inscribed with maps of the four continents. At the center, a table of obsidian shimmered with faint constellations, as though the stars themselves had been pressed into the stone.

Veylan stood already at its head. He wore no robe of gold this time, only a dark garment traced with silver threads. His presence was no less commanding.

"Sit," he said, gesturing. "We have little time. Today, the first currents of your journey must be set."

Ren seated himself opposite, his eyes falling briefly on the etched map of Qiyun between them. Solara gleamed with sunburst lines, Ventara's isles floated like drifting sparks, Noctis brooded in deeper shade, and Terranox sprawled wild, its edges uncontained.

"This world," Veylan said, touching the map with a steady hand, "waits for no one. The cracks shift like storms, and if you delay, points may move where you must go. I will place resources in your hands, but the direction…" his gaze fixed on Ren."...must be yours."

The chamber quieted. Even the hum of the runes seemed to pause, listening.

Ren studied the continents, the faint glow of mana lines connecting them like veins. His answer would not only shape his path but the weight that all of them would carry.

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