By the time Eis stepped into the Guild Hall’s main chamber, late morning light had already filled the space. Gold and blue patterns spilled across polished stone from the stained-glass skylights above. Adventurers clustered around request boards, others carried steaming plates from the kitchen, and clerks shuffled between desks with stacks of parchment.

  Her armor had been cleaned and refitted. Her cloak and weapons were in order.

  Team Argent sat at their usual round table near the questing boards.

  Ronan spotted her first and gave a small nod.

  “Morning.”

  Lira lifted her head from a collection of reports and offered an easy smile.

  “Good, you’re here. We were just going over the new intel.”

  Kael rested his bow across his knees, giving Eis a sideways look.

  “You know, leaving alone at night tends to shorten the life expectancy of most adventurers. Just saying.”

  Eis held his gaze for a beat — the closest she came to a deadpan look.

  Kael smirked.

  “That’s not a no.”

  She took the open seat without a word.

  A map of Lumaire lay spread across the table, marked with red wax seals. Ronan tapped one.

  “The Guild hit five tunnel networks at dawn,” he said. “Most were cleared out. One turned violent. No high-ranking slavers captured. And Vauren? Still nowhere.”

  Lira added quietly,

  “Arin’s stable. Talking more. She keeps mentioning dreams — chains of light, and a being surrounded by light.”

  Kael leaned back.

  “She’s tied to something. That relic wasn't coincidence.”

  Eis studied the map, then asked, “Where is she?”

  “East infirmary,” Ronan replied. “Under wards. The Archmage Division wants to question her too… but they’re waiting for you to decide how involved you want them.”

  His tone shifted.

  “What’s our next move?”

  Eis answered without hesitation.

  “There are more captives. In side-cells. Two nights until the next transfer. Our only option is tonight.”

  That changed the table’s atmosphere instantly — all casual energy vanished, replaced with sharp intent.

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  Ronan straightened.

  “We move at dusk. I’ll coordinate with the guild.”

  Kael nodded.

  “I’ll secure escape routes and shut down their tunnel paths.”

  Lira gathered a small healer’s kit.

  “I’ll wait near the infirmary tunnels and pull out the injured.”

  Ronan looked at Eis.

  “You said you’ll handle the Archmages alone. Get whatever intel you can — on the relic, on Vauren, on the side-cells. Meet us under the western sluice at dusk.”

  Eis gave a single nod.

  That was enough.

  The Archmage Division was quiet, its stone corridors lined with runed lanterns and thick wooden doors. Eis walked behind an attendant who led her into a pale chamber ringed with shimmering containment glyphs.

  An archmage stood waiting — robes of indigo and silver, eyes sharp enough to read a lie long before it was spoken.

  “Eis,” the archmage greeted, inclining their head. “I’m Serin. Ronan’s report suggests you’ve been… productive. Can you show us the relic?”

  Eis placed the relic on the central table. Its runes pulsed faintly, Eis could feel the mana it produced even through the containment lattice.

  Serin’s fingers hovered above the surface.

  “This object resonates with mana more strongly than anything we’ve seen. Old magic. Possibly pre-Guild.”

  Eis gave the slightest nod.

  “What do you need from it?”

  “In the report it was mentioned there were mana enhanced guards,” Serin replied. “It is likely the relic is related to those enhancements, this relic can anchor a trace to where they are…or at the very least, have been.”

  They paused — studying Eis more closely.

  “But for that, Eis… we need it.”

  The relic pulsed on the table. Eis felt a heat inside her chest grow. She kept her expression neutral.

  Then, without hesitation, pushed the relic on the table toward Serin.

  “If this helps find Vauren, take it.”

  Serin froze, for a fraction of a second at the mention of that name, and lifted the relic with both hands. The containment runes flared, spinning into a lattice of pale gold. The relic floated inside, suspended weightlessly.

  “We will treat this with care,” Serin said quietly.

  Eis stepped back, watching the light play across the chamber walls. Her face remained unreadable, even as her body reacted faintly to the relic’s pulses.

  Serin murmured a string of runes. The relic’s light flared in response, then settled back into steady rhythm.

  “It’s self-sustaining,” Serin whispered. “Alive, in its way. Its resonance is almost… symbiotic.”

  The archmage scribbled notes into a crystalline slate, runes glowing blue beneath the quill.

  “You did the right thing bringing this to us, I’ll coordinate with Captain Darel immediately.” Serin continued. “We will find those prisoners.”

  Eis accepted the words without reaction.

  As she turned toward the door, Serin spoke once more.

  “Eis — when this is over, I would like to know how you found such an artifact in the first place.”

  Eis paused only long enough to answer:

  “So would I.”

  She left the room, closing the door behind her.

  Warm light spread across the long hall. Sun dipped low beyond the guild’s tall windows, tinting the banners with fading gold.

  Soon, Team Argent would be gathering under the western sluice.

  And tonight, they would free the captives still hidden in Vauren’s tunnels.