Chapter 76: His Forbidden Library

Raziel walked through the empty halls of St. Celeste, the golden pass burning in his pocket.

’Forbidden Section – Level 3.’

He didn’t even know a third level existed.

’Thanks, Caelum, I guess.’

Raziel reached the library and the Brother Custodian looked up from his desk.

“Novice Celeste.”

Raziel showed him the pass.

The custodian turned pale. “I understand.”

He got up and opened a side door that Raziel had never seen before.

Behind it was a stone staircase going down.

The custodian didn’t say anything else, he just went back to his post.

Raziel went down.

The steps were ancient, worn down by centuries of use. Lit torches cast dancing shadows on the walls.

Raziel reached the bottom.

A massive iron door blocked the way, engraved with runes that glowed faintly.

Raziel placed the pass on the central symbol and the door opened with a deep creak.

Raziel went inside.

The Forbidden Section – Level 3 was huge.

Dark wood shelves stretched up to an invisible ceiling. Books bound in black leather, scrolls rolled up in bronze tubes, even stone tablets stacked in dusty corners.

[ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS: UPDATED]

[DETECTING: DIVINE MANA RESIDUE. ESTIMATED AGE: 800+ YEARS.]

[WARNING: SOME TEXTS CONTAIN ACTIVE SEALS. CAUTION RECOMMENDED.]

Raziel walked between the shelves, his fingers brushing against the spines of the books. ’Where to start…’

[SUGGESTION: SEARCH FOR REFERENCES TO THE HEART OF THE FORGE. PRIORITY: HIGH.]

Raziel nodded and started searching.

He spent an hour going through dusty indexes until finally, he found something.

A thick tome bound in red leather, the title engraved in gold: Relics of the Primordial Pantheon.

Raziel opened it carefully.

The pages crackled.

He ran his fingers down the index until he found it: Heart of the Forge – Page 247.

Raziel went straight to the page.

The illustration stopped him.

A golden metal relic, pulsing with divine light, surrounded by chains of fire and ice.

Below it, the text:

“The Heart of the Forge: The last relic forged by Zhalyr before his ascension. It is said to possess the power to reforge a person’s Gifts, transforming their spiritual essence into something completely new. Warning: The process is irreversible and extremely dangerous. Only those with an unbreakable will can survive the ritual.”

Raziel frowned. ’Reforge the Gifts…’

[ANALYSIS: UPDATED]

[NOTE: IF THE ARTIFACT CAN REFORGE GIFTS, IT COULD THEORETICALLY PURIFY YOUR CORRUPTED CORE.]

[WARNING: THE PROCESS COULD ELIMINATE YOUR CURRENT ABILITIES. RISK: HIGH.]

Raziel closed the book. ’Doesn’t matter, if I find that Heart, Caelum will use it for his plans.’

Raziel needed something else.

Something that would save him without relying on Caelum.

Raziel kept searching and two hours later, he found a scroll rolled up in a bronze tube, sealed with black wax.

The seal had a strange symbol: an eye surrounded by stars.

Raziel broke the seal.

The scroll unrolled.

The title was written in silver ink: The Cure for Soul Erosion.

Raziel read it quickly.

“Soul Erosion is a terminal condition caused by prolonged exposure to corrupted mana. There is no known cure… except one. The Ritual of Purification, developed by the Oracles of the First Era, can remove any spiritual contamination. Ingredients required: Blood of a living Oracle, three fragments of Pure Light Crystal, and the consent of the afflicted.”

Raziel froze. ’Blood of a living Oracle.’

[ANALYSIS: UPDATED]

[SIDE QUEST UNLOCKED: FIND A LIVING ORACLE.]

[REWARD: RITUAL OF PURIFICATION.]

[NOTE: THE ORACLES WERE HUNTED AND EXTERMINATED BY THE CHURCH 300 YEARS AGO. PROBABILITY OF FINDING ONE ALIVE: 0.02%.]

Raziel clenched his fists. ’Of course! Because nothing in this world can be easy.’

But then, a memory hit him.

Raziel had heard a rumor on the battlefront.

A wounded soldier had been healed by a mysterious healer at Saint Sophia’s Sanatorium. The healer could “see the future” of wounds, predicting exactly how they would heal.

The other soldiers called her “The Saint with Silver Eyes.”

Raziel gasped. ’It can’t be.’

[ANALYSIS: UPDATED]

[THEORY: THE LAST LIVING ORACLE IS HIDING IN SAINT SOPHIA’S SANATORIUM.]

[PROBABILITY: 67%.]

Raziel laughed without humor. ’Saint Sophia’s again?’

’First, Lara has to go there. Now it turns out I have to go too.’

[WARNING: SAINT SOPHIA’S SANATORIUM IS A TERRITORY CONTROLLED BY THE ENEMY FACTION.]

[PROBABILITY OF SUCCESSFUL INFILTRATION: 23%.]

Raziel closed the scroll. ’Doesn’t matter. I’ll have to try.’

Raziel tucked the scroll into his robe and left the Forbidden Section.

He went up the stairs, crossed the main library, and stepped out into the hallway.

The afternoon light streamed through the windows.

Raziel took a deep breath, trying to calm the chaos in his mind.

’Okay. Step one: figure out how to get to Saint Sophia’s without getting killed.’

“Raziel.”

Raziel turned around.

Lara was standing at the end of the hall, her hands clasped in front of her.

Her face was pale.

Raziel frowned. “Lara, what’s wrong?”

Lara walked toward him, her steps hesitant. “I have to tell you something.”

Her voice was trembling.

Raziel got closer. “What is it?”

Lara swallowed hard. “I was ordered to go to Saint Sophia’s.”

Raziel tensed up. “When?”

“In three days.” Lara looked down. “Sister Elena is back.”

Raziel felt a chill. “Elena? I thought Arawn had arrested her.”

Lara shook her head. “I don’t know how, but she came back this morning and she didn’t come alone.”

Raziel clenched his fists. “Who else came?”

Lara looked up, her eyes full of fear. “Three Sisters from Saint Sophia’s. All elite healers, all with dark auras.”

She paused.

“Raziel, I don’t know what’s happening, but I feel like something is wrong, very wrong.”

[INTENT ANALYSIS: UPDATED]

[SINCERITY LEVEL: 100%]

[NOTE: SUBJECT IS EXPERIENCING EXTREME FEAR. CAUSE: UNKNOWN.]

Raziel put a hand on Lara’s shoulder. “Listen to me. You’re not going alone.”

Lara blinked. “What?”

“Lucian and I are going with you.”

Lara shook her head. “You can’t. Elena said only selected novices can go and if you try to follow me, the guards will stop you.”

Raziel smiled coldly. “Then we’ll have to get creative.”

Lara looked at him, confused.

Raziel continued. “Trust me, Lara. I’m not leaving you alone in that place.”

Lara opened her mouth, but she didn’t say anything.

Finally, she nodded. “Okay.”

Raziel let go of her shoulder. “Go get ready. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Lara nodded again and walked away down the hall.

Raziel watched her go, his mind already calculating the next steps.

[EVENT UPDATED: THE TRAP AT SAINT SOPHIA’S]

[MAIN OBJECTIVE: INFILTRATE SAINT SOPHIA’S SANATORIUM.]

[SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: PROTECT LARA WHITECLIFF.]

[TERTIARY OBJECTIVE: FIND THE ORACLE AND OBTAIN HER BLOOD.]

[WARNING: PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS: 19%.]

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