The Royal Grand Library was older than the Valerios Empire itself. Official records claimed it had been constructed during the empire's founding era, but the deeper one traveled into its lower vaults, the harder that story became to believe. The architecture changed subtly beneath the surface, and entire sections were built from black-gray stone that was no longer quarried anywhere within imperial territory. Standing among those ancient corridors felt less like entering a library and more like walking through the remains of a forgotten civilization.
Kylrus moved through the silent passageways alone. He had not brought guards, nor had he informed Selene, Cassian, or Aurielle about his destination. Only a single lantern illuminated his path as he descended deeper into the restricted archive vaults. Ever since the incident beneath the palace during the festival, a strange feeling had lingered at the edge of his thoughts, refusing to disappear no matter how many reports or political matters demanded his attention.
The fracture within his mana core pulsed faintly as he walked. It was deeper now than before, more temperamental and far less predictable. Yet that wasn't what had brought him here. A word had lodged itself in his mind after the foundation chamber incident, appearing without explanation and refusing to leave. He had never heard it before in either of his lives, and yet every instinct told him it carried meaning.
Skybreak.
The word felt familiar in a way he couldn't explain. It wasn't a memory, yet it felt connected to one. It wasn't knowledge, yet it carried the weight of something already known. The more he tried to dismiss it, the more persistent it became, until eventually curiosity had outweighed caution and led him into the deepest sections of the library.
Dust-covered shelves stretched endlessly through the darkness. Forgotten genealogies rested beside sealed tomes, while military records older than some kingdoms sat untouched beneath layers of age. Kylrus moved past ancient treaties and historical chronicles until something unusual caught his eye. Hidden behind a larger imperial volume was a thin black-spined book that lacked both catalog markings and archival seals, as though someone had intentionally removed it from official records.
He pulled the volume free and examined the faded title. Most of the lettering had worn away with time, but enough remained to identify it. The words read Fragments of the Southern Expanse. Kylrus frowned slightly as he stared at the cover. The southern ocean had been mapped for centuries, at least according to every record available within the empire, yet something about the title immediately drew his attention.
Opening the book carefully, he discovered pages that were damaged but still readable. The first surviving passage described sailors vanishing beyond something called the Southern Veil. According to the account, the sky itself appeared distorted beyond that boundary, stars no longer aligned correctly, and navigational instruments ceased functioning entirely. The descriptions were bizarre enough to be dismissed as mythology, yet something about them felt disturbingly genuine.
As he continued reading, another passage described survivors returning from beyond the veil. They spoke of cities constructed from impossible stone and of individuals who walked like kings among gods. The moment Kylrus finished reading those lines, he felt a familiar pulse echo through his body. This time it did not originate from the fracture in his core. It came from somewhere deeper, somewhere he could neither identify nor understand.