The path narrowed until it disappeared entirely, swallowed by a sheer cliff wall. Kael thought they must have reached a dead end, but Corren pressed his palm against a lichen-covered stone and whispered something inaudible.
A seam of light split the rock.
Stone groaned as the cliff face shifted, revealing a narrow passage cut cleanly into the mountain. Inside, the air was cooler, smoother, touched by something electric. The passage opened into a vaulted chamber carved from black rock, lit by crystalline lanterns embedded in the walls like veins of captured lightning.
It wasn't grand. It was clinical. Efficient. Designed by minds that trusted order more than beauty.
"This is Valis ground," Corren said as he stepped inside. "Old, but still sanctioned. You're under House protection, for now."
"Funny definition of protection," Lira muttered.
Two guards stood at the far end of the chamber, both wearing the sigil Kael had seen in his dream-spiral split by thorns. Neither of them spoke. They simply watched.
A thin woman in white robes approached. Her head was shaved completely, and silver tattoos laced her arms in tight geometric patterns. Her eyes didn't blink often.
"The retrieved asset," she said flatly, glancing at Kael. "Status?"
"Stable," Corren replied. "Partially awakened. He triggered a Vault fragment."
The woman turned to Kael. "Name?"
He hesitated. "Kael."
She looked to Corren, who gave the faintest shake of his head.
"Suspect designation?" she asked.
Corren paused, then said, "Rin."
The woman's eyes narrowed.
"Remove the companion," she said. "I'll question her separately."
Lira stepped forward. "I'm not leaving-"
"Go," Kael said quietly.
She stared at him for a long moment. Then nodded, jaw tight, and followed one of the guards through a side corridor.
Kael was left with Corren and the memory scribe.
The woman gestured for him to sit on a low, metal bench. When he did, she placed two fingers on his temple.
Light pulsed behind his eyes. The Vault seemed to stretch around him. He felt as if he were both sitting still and falling backward through water.
"Shallow scan," the scribe murmured.
Images surfaced. Flashes. A silver ring. A tower window. Someone crying. Then silence.
The scribe stepped back.
"Instability confirmed. Layers disrupted. Core memory fragments remain intact."
She turned to Corren.
"Warning: proximity to this subject poses significant emotional hazard. Your history with him is flagged."
Corren didn't flinch.
"Flag it all you want."
The scribe nodded once, then walked away, robes trailing behind her like whispering paper.
Kael looked up at Corren.
"Is that what I am to you? A hazard?"
Corren leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"You're a memory I thought I'd buried."
He didn't say it with anger.
Just regret.