Seraphina locked down the Sector-7 containment node and led Elias, still buzzing with a mix of exhaustion and adrenaline, back to the main Guild Headquarters. The return journey through the arcane tunnels was silent, the speed of the Guild-Liner transport giving Elias no chance to settle his mind.
Back in the vast subterranean chamber, the atmosphere was fraught. The stabilization of Sector-7 was only temporary, and the massive purple Echo was barely held at bay. Guild agents hurried with tense, focused energy, but the constant flicker of red warning lights betrayed their anxiety.
Seraphina brought Elias to a small, private briefing room where a holographic projection of the Veridia Central Library still hung, but now overlaid with complex arcane measurements.
"The good news," Seraphina began, cleaning the blood from her cheek with a practiced hand, "is that you are a genuine Anchor. The Shard accepted you, and your mind didn't break. That buys us time." She gestured to the Shard, now safely locked in a heavy, magically warded case.
"The bad news is that our resources are stretched thinner than the Veil itself," she said, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "The Veil has been degrading for centuries, but for the last few years, our funding has been strangled."
Elias asked, "Funding? For magic security?"
"It takes immense arcane energy to keep the city's infrastructure from fraying, and that requires massive expenditures disguised as mundane utilities, subsidies, and grants," Seraphina explained bitterly. "We are supported by secret trusts and old families. But our biggest obstacle isn't the Echoes; it's the External Oversight Committee."
She pointed to a monitor that displayed a detailed organizational chart of financial institutions. Dominating the chart, written in bold, clean type, was one name: Thorne & Associates.
"Thorne & Associates is the global asset management firm that controls the majority of the old money that flows into our operation," Seraphina spat the words out like a curse. "The CEO is a man named Cassian Thorne. He's a corporate phantom, all smiles and suits. But every time we try to initiate a large-scale retrieval operation, he hits us with a political obstacle, a financial review, or a massive, unexplained debt call."
Elias looked at the serene, digital face of Cassian Thorne on the screen—a man in a $10,000 suit who looked exactly like the corporate sharks he used to serve lattes to. "He's just an accountant? Why would he care about the Guild?"
"He's more than an accountant. He's a political black hole," Seraphina said, crossing her arms. "And now, we've located the second Key fragment. The Sybil's divinations point to a place in the city's Financial District: The Argent Gallery."
She zoomed the holographic map to the location. The gallery was a dark, expensive building in a modern glass tower.
"Just yesterday," Seraphina continued, punching a key, "The Argent Gallery was bought out, its entire collection sealed, and the building put under indefinite renovation." The map displayed a digital deed, signed by the legal team of Thorne & Associates.
"It's no coincidence," Seraphina said, meeting his eyes. "Thorne knows what the fragments are. He's not trying to stop the Veil collapse; he's trying to hoard the pieces to control whatever happens when it falls. We're in a race against a man who can leverage the entire mundane economy against us."
She slammed her hand on the console. "We have to move tonight. Infiltrating a private art gallery is dangerous, but infiltrating a Thorne-owned asset is guaranteed to be a death trap. Get ready, Anchor. We're going into the corporate labyrinth."