Chapter 37
[Velmora — Subsurface Vault Grid, Sector 4A]
The vaults beneath Velmora were a cold, forgotten place—buried behind false schematics, hidden even from most high command. Kiro moved through them silently, draped in the dead Kargal soldier's armor, eyes scanning for biometric triggers.
His Blood Core pulsed faintly in warning.Something was wrong here.
"System, trace last cryo-vault breach."
[Locating...][Subnode Path Located: Project Thaumacryon Archive #7C—Access Flagged by 'A.V.']
Kiro's breath caught.A.V.? Aurex Vellan.
He found the archive door cracked open. Inside, black frost had grown across the floor like veins. Terminals were dead. The air hummed with something unnatural—something not Viora, not tech.
It felt alive.
In the center of the room, an exposed console blinked erratically. He approached. Burned into its side was a line of scorched text: