The night hung silent.Stars were veiled beneath the protective magical mist surrounding Aerthalia Academy.
Down a rarely used eastern corridor, two figures moved swiftly and silently — weaving through the dark toward the Sealed Archive Room.
> “We’ve got less than two hours,” Myra whispered.“The crystal sentries sleep only two cycles. After that, the spiritual surveillance reactivates.”
Angeline nodded.She wore a loose black cloak, her feline ears hidden, her eyes faintly glowing in the dark.Her hand already gripped her katana, its aura suppressed.
🗝️ A Room Locked by Time
The main archive chamber was buried beneath the old library —sealed by magic that responded only to authorized identity.
But Myra pulled out a forged access crystal — stolen from her father before she chose to help Angeline.
> “Only one attempt. If it fails, alarms will sound.”
Click.Cracks of light spread across the door…It creaked open, slowly, heavy with age.
They slipped in — met by towering rows of scrolls, grimoires, and relics stretching for hundreds of meters.
📜 Searching for Ancient Tabaxi
The two girls split up.Their goal: find records tied to the Tabaxi race — their origin, original abilities, and why they were exiled from history.
Time ticked slowly.Many records were written in ancient tongues no longer taught.
But then Angeline found one — sealed in cracked golden wax, the dust itself humming with magic.
> Title: “Theory of Physical-Spatial Inheritance in the Felinae Race.”
> Felinae — the ancient name for Tabaxi.
She read it quickly. Only some parts were decipherable, but one passage shook her:
> "...experiments suggest that the Felinae possess a latent connection to the Fourth Spatial Layer (Void Layer).Under specific conditions, select individuals can access spatial fractures without verbal incantations...Due to this potential, the Magic Council decreed the deletion of all such data and reclassified Felinae as ‘purely physical beings.’”
Angeline froze.
> “So they erased it… they rewrote our history on purpose.”
🔔 Alarm… or Something Worse
Suddenly, the magical lights dimmed.Shelves trembled.A soft, rhythmic thud echoed in the distance.
Myra reappeared from another row, her face pale.
> “Someone... or something... is awake.”
They ran, but the shelves began shifting — forming a maze.
> “This isn’t just a security system. It’s… a guardian.”
From the shadows emerged a towering figure:an Archive Golem — its body made of parchment and hardened ink, with burning red crystal eyes.
> “INTRUDERS. ERASE. PURGE MEMORY.”
The creature attacked, swift and violent.Angeline activated wind magic in her legs, spinning along the wall.Myra conjured a crystalline shield just in time to block a crushing strike.
> “We can’t fight long! Grab the document — find an exit!”
💥 The Escape… and a Hidden Mark
After a tense, chaotic skirmish, they managed to trap the golem within a sealing ring crafted by Myra.Exhausted, they escaped through an old ventilation shaft behind the archive walls.
Bodies bruised, breaths heavy — but they made it.
Before returning to their dorm, Angeline examined the document again…and noticed something new.
> On the back page was a hidden seal:a cat’s eye enclosed in a ring of flames.
Myra stared in silence.
> “That symbol... it’s not just Felinae.It belongs to a forgotten clan — one believed to be extinct.”
🌘 End of Chapter
That night, the two girls collapsed into their beds — bodies weary, hearts heavy with questions.
> Truth was beginning to surface.But it proved one thing: the lies this world was built upon ran far deeper than they ever imagined.
And elsewhere in the academy, a figure from a secret organization gazed into a crystal screen.
> “They’ve found the first fragment.Deploy shadow units.Do not kill. Observe. Guide... if necessary.”
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