Constantine did not know how long he remained by the canal.
Time, for him, had always been something measured by purpose.
But that night—
It passed without meaning.
The tears had stopped.
But something had changed.
Not outwardly.
His posture remained steady.
His breathing calm.
His expression neutral.
But internally—
The emptiness had gained weight.
It was no longer just absence.
It was something that pressed against him.
Constant.
Persistent.
And yet—
He stood.
Because he had to.
The canal water flowed quietly beneath the bridge as Constantine rose to his feet.
The sounds of the city returned gradually to his awareness.
Distant footsteps.
Faint conversations.
The creak of wooden signs in the wind.
And beneath all of it—
The building across the street.
The one he had been observing.
The voices inside had changed.
Lower now.
More cautious.
Fewer people.
A meeting nearing its end.
Constantine stepped closer.
Not directly toward the door.
Instead, he moved along the wall of the adjacent building.
Each step calculated.
Each movement silent.
His presence blended into the natural rhythm of the street.
Then—
He stopped.
A single word reached his ears from inside.
"…rune."
Constantine's focus sharpened instantly.
Another voice responded, hushed and tense.
"We should not even say that word aloud."
A third voice, older, calmer.
"Fear does not erase knowledge."
The first voice spoke again.
"It nearly erased an entire city."
Silence followed.
Then—
"…Eldoria."
Constantine remained motionless.
So they knew.
Or at least suspected.
The old voice spoke again.
"That incident was not a demon outbreak."
A pause.
"…it was something far worse."
Another voice, quieter.
"You believe the summoning succeeded?"
The old man exhaled slowly.
"I believe… something answered."
Constantine processed every word.
Carefully.
Precisely.
Inside the building, chairs shifted slightly.
Someone stood.
"We should not continue this here."
"Too many ears in this city."
The old man agreed.
"…then we move forward."
A pause.
Then the words Constantine had been waiting for.
"The archive beneath the eastern quarter."
"Tomorrow night."
"Bring only those who understand the risk."
Footsteps followed.
Chairs scraping.
Cloth rustling.
The meeting was ending.
Constantine stepped away from the wall immediately.
He crossed the street calmly.
Then continued walking as if he had never stopped.
Seconds later—
The door behind him opened.
Several people stepped out.
Their footsteps spread in different directions.
Dispersing.
Careful.
Disciplined.
Constantine did not turn.
But he listened.
One of them lingered for a moment longer than the others.
The older man.
His breathing was steady.
Measured.
Then he too walked away.
Constantine returned to his inn.
The room was as he had left it.
Simple.
Unremarkable.
He sat on the edge of the bed.
The system activated immediately.
[Information Recorded]
[Location Identified: Eastern Quarter – Subterranean Archive]
[Probability of Forbidden Knowledge Presence: High]
Constantine remained silent.
Then he spoke.
"Prepare all relevant knowledge on rune structures."
[Compiling…]
Fragments of information surfaced within his mind.
Ancient symbols.
Forbidden geometries.
Summoning arrays.
Incomplete.
Fragmented.
But useful.
Constantine analyzed them.
Then asked,
"Estimated survival probability if confrontation occurs."
The system responded without hesitation.
[Against Unknown Rune Practitioners: 68%]
[Against Fully Formed Nether Entity: <5%]
Constantine nodded slightly.
Expected.
If Veyrath appeared again—
Victory was unlikely.
But that was not the objective.
Information was.
The next day passed quietly.
Constantine moved through the city like any other merchant.
He visited markets.
Listened to conversations.
Tracked movements.
But his focus remained fixed.
Nightfall.
Eastern quarter.
Subterranean archive.
When the sun finally set—
Constantine was already moving.
The eastern quarter was quieter than the rest of Ardelion.
Less crowded.
Less prestigious.
Old buildings lined narrow streets.
Fewer lanterns.
More shadows.
Perfect for hidden gatherings.
Constantine followed the sounds.
A loose stone shifting beneath a boot.
A door opening too carefully.
A breath held too long.
Eventually—
He found it.
A structure older than the surrounding buildings.
Its foundation deeper.
Heavier.
And beneath it—
Faint echoes.
Voices.
Stone corridors.
A hidden space below ground.
Constantine stopped near the entrance.
There was no visible door.
But there was a pattern.
A hollow resonance beneath the floor.
A concealed access point.
He stepped forward.
Then paused.
Inside—
Someone spoke.
"…we begin once everyone arrives."
Another voice responded.
"They will come."
The old man again.
Constantine's target.
He had found them.
The scholars who walked the edge of forbidden knowledge.
The ones who spoke of runes.
The ones who knew of Eldoria.
Constantine stood silently above them.
Listening.
Calculating.
Waiting.
Then—
Slowly—
He moved toward the hidden entrance.
The next step would decide everything.
And beneath the quiet streets of Ardelion—
A door to forbidden knowledge waited to be opened.