They reached the temple in the late afternoon of the following day. The residual wards recognized them at the outer gates and parted without challenge.
Aiden did not pause for rest or formal report. He carried the packet under one arm and the extracted access logs in a sealed case, and he walked straight through the secondary courts toward the inner security archive.
Selene matched his pace on the left. Elizabeth stayed half a step behind on the right. Kaelara had already peeled off to lock the outer perimeter with her own people; she would join them once the gates and the first ring of residual sensors were under her direct control.
The archive sat behind three layered wards and a physical door that required two independent residual keys. Aiden provided the first. Selene provided the second.
The door opened onto a narrow chamber lined with crystal stacks and a single interrogation table bolted to the floor. No windows. One shielded residual node for live cross-checks.
