The midnight bell rang and Raziel walked down the dark stone stairs to the East Basement alone.
He needed to do this without an audience.
He reached the door of the Inscription workshop and pushed it open.
The ancient runes of the Primordial Pantheon glowed with a warm light the moment he stepped inside.
The illumination offered a steady, patient presence.
Raziel walked to the center of the stone floor and sat cross-legged.
He pulled the heavy bronze plate from his tunic and set it down on the ground in front of him.
He did not channel his Umbral mana.
He did not draw a geometric command or demand answers from the foundation.
He spoke to the academy.
"My name is Raziel Celeste," he said. "I died… a couple of times now."
The silver runes pulsed on the walls. They listened.
Raziel confessed everything.
He kept these secrets locked inside his head for months and the weight crushed his mind.
He let the words spill out into the open air.
