The immense storage hall of the captured imperial watchtower was pitch-black at night. As rain relentlessly hammered the thick granite battlements above, the smell of damp barley, rusted iron, and dried parchment hung heavily in the air.
At the center of the room, illuminated by a single tallow candle, lay an open iron-bound manuscript taken from the caravan commander's corpse. Its pages were not made of paper, but tanned dragonhide; intricate, glowing silver veins pulsed across them like a sleeping heart.
Tair was hunched over the table, tracing the raised runes with his solid left hand. The eye patch over his right eye cast a long shadow across his sunken cheekbone, while his left eye, clouded by small red bursts of neural strain, remained fixed smoothly upon the text.
System Interface: ASTRA
UNKNOWN SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE DETECTED
ROOT SEAL: Imperial Astra-Core
COMPATIBILITY WITH CURRENT SPECTRUM: 0.00%