Hajin's forearm still throbbed with the dual burn lines when the senior keeper entered the vault.
The elderly keeper carried a curved tablet carved from ancient bark, pressing the artifact against his chest.
No ceremonial armor protected the official, for the living palace honored his administrative authority over the western archives.
Eirwen stepped smoothly between the keeper and the quartz basin, her twelve silver Shards humming with quiet alertness.
"This chamber remains sealed until the High Court investigates the rupture, and zero keepers carry uninspected tablets past my line!" she warned.
The senior keeper set the bark tablet upon an open stand, revealing a pulsing grey sigil beneath the resin seal.
"The Court can assess structural damage after it evaluates what the primordial root attempted to communicate," the elder replied.
His raspy voice echoed through the damp subterranean vault, carrying the weariness of a man who watched his civilization fracture.
