Rae van Daleon – The Roots of the Storm
by Lea von Löwenstein
Chapter 5: The Dark Depths
The night was deep and silent, and the shadows of the Scola seemed more alive than ever. Tyren sat in a hidden alcove of the north corridor, the flickering light of his improvised device casting restless patterns across his face. Rae and Celestine stood nearby, their eyes watchful as they scanned the dim hallway.
“Something isn’t right down here,” Tyren whispered as he connected his device to an old data console, its surface coated in rust and dust. “This console isn’t registered in the official Scola network. It’s… old. Very old. And yet, it’s still active.”
Rae knelt beside him, watching as the device emitted a soft hum, decrypting data. “What have you found?” she asked.
Tyren hesitated, his fingers flying over the interface. Then, a holographic projection appeared, showing faint blueprints—maps of areas far below the known structure of the Scola. “This,” he said, pointing to the lower levels, “isn’t listed in any of the official plans.”
Celestine leaned in, her gaze critical. “Secret passages? Hidden areas? Why?”
“I’m trying to figure that out,” Tyren said quietly, his voice tense. “But there’s more. Look at this.”
He zoomed in on part of the map, revealing a room marked with strange symbols—symbols Rae didn’t recognize but that radiated an eerie, foreign energy. “These markings,” Tyren murmured, “aren’t standard Imperial codes. They’re… different.”
“What do you mean by ‘different’?” Rae asked, her voice calm but sharp.
“I don’t know,” Tyren admitted, his eyes fixed on the projection. “But I’ve found fragments of data mentioning experiments—something happening in these lower levels. And it’s not something we’re supposed to know about.”
A chill ran down Rae’s spine, and unease settled deep in her chest. “Why would they hide something like this? And why here?”
Celestine straightened, crossing her arms. “Maybe because they’re afraid of questions. Or maybe because the answers are dangerous.”
The Decision: Press On or Turn Back
Tyren glanced at them both, determination in his eyes. “I want to find out what’s happening down there. But I need your help. I can’t do this alone.”
Rae hesitated. She felt the danger in this endeavor, but the pull of the unknown was undeniable. “What’s the plan?” she asked at last.
“We follow these maps,” Tyren said. “The oldest access points seem to be in the northwest corner of the basement. From there, we can work our way further down.”
Celestine shook her head. “This is madness. If they catch us, we’re done for. And who knows what’s down there.”
“Maybe,” Tyren said, “but it might also give us the answers we need. Think, Celestine. If we understand this, we’ll have something no one else does—knowledge. Power.”
Rae nodded slowly. “We proceed carefully. No unnecessary risks. And if it gets too dangerous, we back out.”
Celestine hesitated, then sighed softly. “Fine. But if this goes wrong, no heroics from either of you.”
The Descent
Later that night, after the final bell tolled, they set out. The Scola’s basement was a labyrinth of corridors and storage rooms, dimly lit by flickering servitors that glided through the darkness like spectral figures.
Rae led the group, her steps silent and her senses alert. Tyren followed closely, the device in his hands projecting a holographic map to guide them through the hidden passages. Celestine brought up the rear, her sharp eyes scanning the shadows.
“Here,” Tyren whispered, pointing to a narrow, concealed door almost entirely hidden by a wall panel. Rae pressed against the edge, and the door slid open with a soft hiss. Beyond lay an old, dusty corridor, darker than anything they had encountered so far.
A faint smell of dampness and something unidentifiable greeted them—something that carried an ominous sense of danger.
“Stay close to me,” Rae said quietly, her voice steady.
The group moved cautiously, the shadows deepening with every step. The hum of Tyren’s device was the only sound breaking the oppressive silence.
Then, suddenly, Tyren stopped. “There,” he whispered, pointing to a heavy door made of dark metal, adorned with the same strange symbols they had seen on the map.
“Whatever’s behind this,” Celestine said softly, “this isn’t a normal part of the Scola.”
Rae stepped forward, resting her hand on the door’s surface. The symbols felt strange, almost warm under her fingers, as if they carried their own energy.
“We’re opening it,” she said finally.
The group took a deep breath as Rae searched for the mechanism to unlock it. But before she could act, a faint noise reached their ears—footsteps.
Someone had followed them.
