The Inquisitorial Chamber was a stark contrast to the majestic Court of Divine Justice. There were no gold tapestries or soaring ceilings here. Instead, the room was small and circular, lined with cold basalt stone that seemed to swallow sound. At the center sat a single table carved from dark oak, illuminated by a solitary magic crystal that cast long, sharp shadows.
Cardinal Adrien sat on one side, his wire-rimmed spectacles glinting. Elijah stood opposite him, his posture straight despite the fatigue pulling at his muscles.
"Sit, Elijah," Adrien said, his voice as dry as parchment. "This is a debriefing, not a trial."
Elijah sat, the heavy wood of the chair creaking under his weight. "The reports I submitted were thorough, Eminence. The entity was indeed Prince Khronos. His presence in the heart of Rome is a grave security failure for our border mages."
"A Prince of Hell in a back alley," Adrien mused, tapping a rhythmic beat on the table. "He wasn't there for the Luminous Lyre. We know this because the Lyre was already in the possession of the thief, Lyon, at that time. So, tell me, why would a King of the Undead manifest personally for a high school student from the slums?"
Elijah met the Cardinal's piercing gaze. "Khronos does not seek artifacts, Eminence. He seeks harvest. The boy, Damian Keslore, possesses a soul of remarkable clarity. To a necromancer of that caliber, Damian was a prize for his undead legions. If I had arrived a moment later, the boy's essence would have been stripped bare."
Adrien leaned forward, the shadows stretching across his face. "And where is this boy now? Our records show he was never returned to the Valtanian embassy. In fact, Principal Rotswinkston is currently in the Court claiming his student was kidnapped by rivals."
"He is at my private Sanctum," Elijah replied. "The boy is terrified. He was beaten, his school's prize was snatched from his hands, and he knows his Principal will likely brand him a thief or a failure the moment he resurfaces. I granted him sanctuary until I could speak with His Holiness directly."
Adrien went silent for a long moment, the magic crystal flickering. "The Pope is aware of your penchant for strays, Elijah. However, the boy was the last person to hold the Lyre. He is a witness. If his soul was targeted by Khronos, we must ensure he hasn't been tainted by that contact."
Adrien stood up, the shadows in the room swirling around the hem of his red robes. "Bring the boy before the Court tomorrow morning. We must hear his account of the theft and the attack. Do not forget that while you are his protector, your first duty is to the Vatican."
While Elijah made his way back to the Sanctum, Archbishop Elwes was standing in the high-security research wing. He was staring at a velvet-lined case through a protective transparent barrier.
The Luminous Lyre rested inside, nestled in its bed of silver-threaded fabric. The case was closed, the celestial patterns on its lid glowing with a soft, steady gold. It looked utterly harmless.
"The Arcane Dominion risked everything for this," Elwes whispered to the two scribes behind him. "Blackwood was merely a mouthpiece for them. They have been blacklisted for centuries for dabbling in the forbidden, yet they still crawl out of the shadows for this specific silver frame."
One of the scribes adjusted his glasses. "The Dominion is growing, Your Grace. If they believe this Lyre is a key to the 'advancement' Blackwood screamed about, we must understand why."
Elwes walked around the pedestal, his eyes tracking the silver patterns. He was the head of the Magical Oversight Committee; it was his job to know every association, every rogue mage, and every forbidden art. The Arcane Dominion had once been a legitimate guild before they strayed into the dark, seeking to tear down the rules the Vatican had laid to protect reality.
"The Lyre stayed in their possession for hours after the theft," Elwes continued. "If they had the chance to open this case, we need to know if they tampered with the wards. The silver thread and angelica root are intact, but the Dominion is clever."
He reached out, his fingers hovering just inches from the case's lid. He could feel the warmth of the first ward. It was a 60-second safety window. If the case stayed open longer than a minute, the wards would break and the Lyre would fully awaken. He didn't dare touch it yet.
"Keep the stasis fields at maximum," Elwes commanded. "I want a full resonance test tomorrow. If the Dominion is using this to bypass our magical regulations, we will find the leak. The Vatican has failed to wipe them out before, but we will not let them hold the strings of a rift-weaver."
As the lights in the lab dimmed to a low blue, the Lyre sat in total silence. Inside the closed case, the crystalline strings remained still, waiting for the hand that would eventually dare to lift the lid.