The inner courtyard was deathly quiet, save for the low hum of the arc-lamps lining the grand colonnade. Marble pillars cast long, knife-like shadows across the stone floor, stretching all the way to the monumental bronze doors of the Great Hall.
Daniel led the group through the archway, his boots silent on the flagstones. Mary walked at his side, her twin rapiers unclasped from her belt and held low, her posture perfectly synced with his.
Right behind them, Noah kept an arrow nocked on his heavy recurve bow, his eyes scanning the vaulted balconies above.
"Too quiet," Finn muttered, trailing near Lily. "Arthur knows we crossed the high wall. He's not the type to sleep through an alarm."
"He isn't sleeping," Lily said, her hand resting on the hilt of her un-tethered blade. "He's waiting."
Before they reached the center of the courtyard, the heavy bronze doors at the top of the marble staircase creaked open. Warm, golden light spilled out onto the cold stone steps, illuminating the mist rising from the valley.
A single figure stepped out onto the landing.
It wasn't Arthur. It was Commander Vane, clad in full plate armor, flanked by a dozen elite Vanguard guards holding heavy steel shields and polearms.
"Daniel," Vane's voice echoed across the courtyard, deep and metallic. "You broke the tether. You destroyed the Heart. And yet you stand here with traitors and dead men."
"The only traitor here is Arthur," Daniel said, taking a step forward, his voice cutting clearly through the chill air. "He used the silver badges to chain us to the mountain. He sent us to die so he could keep his grip on the Academy."
Vane raised his gauntleted hand, and the Vanguard guards behind him locked their shields together, forming an impenetrable wall of steel across the top of the stairs.
"Arthur is the Covenant," Vane said cold-bloodedly. "Without the tether, there is only chaos. You will not pass these steps."
"We'll see about that," Mary said quietly, her rapiers catching the golden light.
Before Daniel could issue the command to charge, Felix stepped forward, placing his heavy hand on Daniel's shoulder.
"Take Mary, Lily, and Finn inside," Felix said, his voice a low, steady rumble. "Arthur is behind those doors. You need to end this at the source."
Daniel turned to look at Felix. "Felix, there are too many—"
"I brought a big shield for a reason," Felix interrupted with a faint, confident smirk. He unstrapped his massive broadsword from his back, the heavy iron base slamming against the courtyard stone with a thunderous crack.
Lucy stepped up right beside Felix, her twin obsidian daggers spinning effortlessly in her palms. She looked up at the shield wall on the stairs, then back at Felix.
"If you let one of those polearms scratch my boots, Sentinel," Lucy said softly, "I'm taking it out of your share."
"Just stay behind my shoulder, Phantom," Felix replied, his eyes narrowing as he locked his stance. "Noah, cover the upper balconies."
"Got it," Noah said, immediately drawing his bowstring back to his ear, targeting the archers lining the high ledges.
Daniel met Felix's eyes for a long second, seeing absolute determination. He nodded once. "Hold the line."
"Always," Felix roared, stepping out into the open courtyard and raising his massive blade into a defensive guard. "Go!"
Daniel, Mary, Lily, and Finn broke into a sprint, bolting straight past the courtyard flank toward the side entry leading into the Great Hall's inner sanctum.
Above them, the Vanguard guards charged down the marble steps. Felix let out a battle cry that shook the stone pillars, rushing forward to meet the steel wall head-on, with Lucy slipping into the shadow of his wake like a lethal phantom.
The final battle for the Academy had begun.