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The Forgotten Ritual
In the deepest levels of the Gravemore ancestral manor—sealed beneath wards woven by forgotten tongues—there existed a chamber known only as the Root Vault.
No candles. No torches. Only silence and the faint, ever-humming pull of cursed energy.
Harvey stepped into it alone.
Above him, carved across the obsidian ceiling, were the names of the family's buried sins—etched in blood and bound in chains.
> "I need power that can't be traced," Harvey murmured.
His fingers brushed against a stone altar.
> "Not the kind the council fears. The kind they forgot to fear."
He pulled a small crystal from his coat—one he took from the first tomb back in Chapter 7. It pulsed when brought near the altar.
The vault responded.
Chains unraveled.
A voice—ancient, feminine, and broken—echoed.
> "Gravemore. Do you invoke the Pact of Shadows?"
Harvey didn't hesitate.
> "I do. I offer memory, pain, and promise."
The vault pulsed red.
His veins burned.
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The Price of Power
Flashbacks hit him like lightning:
His first execution.
His brother's betrayal.
The betrayal that got him erased.
The pact accepted it all, drinking in the pain.
> "You're not a mage," the voice whispered. "You are a Reclaimer."
A single rune seared itself onto his back.
The Rune of Silence.
The first key to unlocking the Gravemore Hex, a legendary curse-based art believed to be extinct.
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Meanwhile: The Sin-Eater Awakens
Lucien stood in the ruins of an ancient cathedral, surrounded by red-cloaked figures whispering hymns in reverse.
Before them stood the Sin-Eater—once a man, now a vessel of agony and rage.
> "Your target is a boy," Lucien said, voice like velvet. "But he's no longer just a boy. He's Gravemore's last sin."
The Sin-Eater said nothing, only raised a hand and formed a blade made of corrupted time.
His mask cracked slightly, revealing stitched lips underneath.
One of the red-cloaked figures stepped forward, trembling.
> "W-what should we do if he uses Chrono Art?"
Lucien smiled faintly.
> "Then let him. The moment he does… he'll trigger the echo. And we'll know."
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Sylvia's Doubt
Back at the academy, Sylvia sat alone on the rooftop.
Her core was more stable than ever, thanks to Harvey's interference—but her thoughts weren't.
> He's too calm. Too calculating. It's like… he's seen the end of this story already.
She remembered the look in his eyes when he dodged her spell.
Like he had done it a hundred times before.
Like he was tired of winning.
And yet… when he touched her wrist, when he cast that stabilizing rune—there was a flicker of warmth.
Not affection.
But recognition.
> Does he know me from before?
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Midnight Meeting
Harvey returned from the vault just before sunrise. His coat was singed. His eyes were colder.
Sylvia met him in the library.
> "You were gone all night," she said.
> "Needed to read."
> "There's ink on your collar and blood on your sleeve."
He glanced down. "Guess I need a better excuse."
She approached.
> "Tell me the truth, Harvey. Who are you really?"
He didn't answer right away.
Instead, he closed the distance, leaned close, and whispered—
> "The person who'll destroy this world if I have to."
Sylvia's breath caught.
He walked past her.
> "You should stay close, Elowen. The Sin-Eater's coming."
Her eyes widened.
> "How do you know?"
He didn't look back.
> "Because I saw him die. And I remember how he smelled."
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