The entire Dominion Sanctum was quiet in the late night.

The sea winds brushed against the walls of the estate, carrying with them the faint scent of salt and flowers.

The moon was high, silver light spilling across the rooftops, casting shadows that stretched and swayed like dark sentinels.

------

Somewhere underground of the Dominion Sanctum, Arthur, with his hands in his pockets, was walking along a corridor that led to a private vault that loomed ahead.

Each of his footsteps reverberated loudly against the steel floor, echoing through the cold walls and ceiling.

As he continued to walk along the corridor, the lights overhead flickered on in sequence, casting an eerie pale glow.

The lights were the sterile brilliance of advanced luminance strips embedded in the ceiling,smooth, sleek, and almost clinical.

The light revealed seamless silver panels along the wall. The air was filled with a subtle scent of oil and sterilized steel.

Arthur looked at every detail as he ventured deeper into the vault. The entire place was silent; with each step forward, his shadow stretched longer across the polished floor, and his black coat swayed gently from time to time.

After a while he finally reached a wide platform where relics he took from the tomb are placed.

On the platform is the throne, a colossal seat carved from white marble streaked with gold veins. It exuded both regality and intimidation.

Precious gemstones embedded in its armrests caught the pale light and scattered glimmers throughout the chamber.

Behind it rose a high headboard adorned with intricate designs of crowns and swords.

Beside this majestic throne lay its crown.

atop a velvet cushion on a low pedestal.

Crafted from pure gold twisted into shapes resembling woven leaves, each tip sparkled with blood-red jewels that seemed almost alive.

Next to it leaned an elegant staff on its stand, long and slender with a crystal orb at its tip that refracted light into mesmerizing patterns.

Its polished surface reflected Arthur's face back at him.

Across from it stood an imposing sword mounted in steel, a long blade still sharp after countless centuries. Its fuller was etched with intricate designs.

And finally was the massive tome sealed in a glass case. The book was really massive; its spine was held together by strips of bronze and steel. Faint etchings covered its cover, symbols unrecognizable.

Arthur just stood there with his hands in his pockets as he gazed intensely at the Codex. He was quite captivated by the Codex; this thing might hold a lot of secrets and answers to questions he wants to get answers for.

After a while he approached the Codex; his gloved hand brushed against the Codex's rough leather cover, he took in a deep breath, and slowly opened the cover.

The pages groaned softly, fragile yet resilient. Symbols and writings sprawled across the sheets, dense with meaning but utterly foreign to him.

Arthur frowned, narrowing his sharp eyes in concentration.

Just then, a faint shimmer of blue light flickered at his side.

Evolon appeared silently beside him, its void-blue eyes locked onto the book. Without uttering a word, it extended one hand over the pages, scanning them with effortless precision. Holographic overlays danced above the Codex, translating the cryptic script into something Arthur could comprehend.

Arthur's eyes flashed with a sharp glint as his fingers traced the edges of the pages while he leaned in closer to read.

At first glance, the fragments seemed simple; the very first pages describe tales of early rulers, stories about founding settlements, and battles against tribes long forgotten. These pages were simply about the early founding and history of the Azurian Empire and how it went from a small tribe to becoming an empire.

But soon enough, unsettling cracks began to emerge.

One page recounted foreign rulers who reigned before this world was named Panterra. Kings and queens whose names were nowhere to be found in history books that Arthur himself had read.

Arthur's brow furrowed slightly; the timelines clashed and contradicted one another as they described civilizations that shouldn't have existed at all.

Another passage spoke of "a kingdom that rose and fell within a single season," its stone towers taller than mountains and its people vanishing overnight. No record of such a place existed anywhere else either!

As Arthur flipped to another page, his throat moved from time to time. Evolon continued translating silently for him, recording every word into its core, as if it sensed how deeply this was affecting him.

Then his eyes fell upon a line on one of the pages that made him freeze.

"A shadow crossed the sky, not born of Panterra. It carried no voice; yet all who beheld it felt dread in their marrow."

Arthur's grip on the page tightened slightly as he raised an eyebrow, looking at the line; he felt that something was really wrong with Panterra or, worse, Vaerion VII himself.

This thing is really giving him the creeps.

The vault was eerily quiet, save for the soft hum of overhead lights.

Arthur stood before the pedestal, his gloved fingers delicately resting on the Codex. He fell into deep thoughts as his blank gaze was locked on that line.

"A shadow that crossed the sky not born of Panterra...!" He muttered to himself, still in a daze.

Though his breathing was steady and his face calm, a storm brewed within him.

After a while he came back from his reverie and took in a deep breath as he continued to flip through the pages.

The pages crackled softly under his touch, their weight both tangible and ethereal. He flipped through them carefully, delving deeper than before.

Each line transformed into luminous overlays thanks to Evolon's silent translations.

Its void-blue gaze remained unwavering beside him.

Arthur's eyes darted over the text; though he maintained a rigid composure, tremors of disbelief continued to stir within him.

The passages described structures that seemed impossible for the timeline of the Azurian Empire.

"They raised pillars of steel that reached for the heavens, piercing the sky with their ambition. From these towers shone light brighter than the sun."

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