Elliot de La Tour vanished like smoke,leaving only the chilling echo of"The Conclave is watching"hanging over the dead garden,an invisible shackle tightening around the team.The vampire's warning carried a weight far heavier than stone gargoyles.The Crimson Conclave's gaze,cold and piercing,was now fixed upon them.
"Pah!Posturing bloodsucker!"Fenrir spat towards the direction of the vampire's disappearance,claws retracting,but fury and wariness still blazing in his eyes."Their own nest got stung,so they try to pin the stink on us?Dream on!"
Lena's gaze remained icy.She swiftly scanned the surroundings,confirming no other threats."Half-truths.The thrall deaths and rose garden blight might be real,but the pressure and misdirection are the point.The Conclave isn't monolithic.This minor family's loss might be leverage for some."Her analysis was coldly precise."However,he revealed a key detail:the Withering can selectively target loci tied to Anima nodes.Meaning its effective range could be far more…surgical than we see."
Alan remained silent.The suppressor cuff cooled,but the residual agitation of his Harmonizer ability lingered.That sliver of the Withering's cold"thirst"he sensed on Elliot was a thorn in his mind.This vampire noble was more than an elegant messenger.He'd touched the Withering…or knew something.
"Simon,"Lena turned to the tech,her tone brooking no argument."Forensic sweep here is sufficient.Return to the safehouse maximum-security lab with samples immediately.I need the moss's origin and the Withering power's exact source and mechanics!Fenrir,escort Simon.Ensure sample and personnel integrity.Alan,with me.We sweep the perimeter for residual energy transfer traces."
Orders clear.Fenrir grunted,acknowledging the samples'importance despite his mood,his bulk becoming a moving fortress beside Simon.Simon clutched the container holding the dying moss and soil samples like a lifeline,hurrying after Fenrir towards the transport at the quarantine edge.
Lena led Alan back to the dry fountain basin,meticulously searching along the path of the degraded circle for overlooked energy trails or alchemical residue.The air still reeked of decay,every step on a grave of life.
Safehouse.Maximum Bio-Anima&Alchemical Analysis Lab.
The heavy lead-alloy door sealed shut behind them,muting the outside world.Air scrubbers hummed,maintaining sterile,controlled conditions.Under harsh fluorescent lights,arrays of sophisticated instruments glowed coldly:High-res energy mass spectrometers,multi-dimensional Anima field resonance scanners,molecular contaminant chromatography units…This was the Wardens'cutting-edge operating theater for dissecting the supernatural.
Simon was in his element.Back pain and arm burns suppressed by potent analgesics and med-gel,his eyes held only the fervor of research and the thrill of the unknown.He donned sterile gear,swiftly processing the samples.
First,the bone-white soil from the garden's heart.Particle beams scanned its microstructure;spectrometers analyzed elemental and Anima residue.
"Soil structure…collapsed!Organic content below 0.01%!Microbiome…extinct!Detecting high concentrations of inert Anima particulates…'ash'from forcibly stripped and disintegrated Life Anima!"Simon dictated rapidly,his voice echoing slightly in the sterile space."Residual energy spectrum…locked!Primary components:Highly concentrated'Decay'and'Entropy'affinity Anima!Purity extreme,toxicity severe!Like…like repeated acid washes,leaving only the vilest residue!"
Next,the dark red residue from the fountain circle.
"Substrate analysis:Blend of refined quicksilver,sulfur powder,obsidian micro-crystals,and…Blood of the Revenant?"Simon's voice rose in surprise."An exceedingly rare and dangerous alchemical catalyst!Typically reserved for highest-tier…life-form transmutation or energy deprivation rituals!"He placed the sample into the multi-dimensional Anima field resonance scanner.
The machine whined at a high pitch.Complex spectral graphs and data streams cascaded down the screen.Simon's eyes were glued,fingers flying over a virtual keyboard,running intricate algorithms.
"Residual energy structure parsed…Complete!Core sigil sequence cross-referencing…Database matching…"He pulled up data models:the"Entropy Gel"residue from the church trap and Bai Cao Tang assault site,plus intel on similar black-market contraband obtained while tracking The Mole.
On screen,three energy structure models appeared side-by-side,intricate patterns woven from countless light-points.The church trap and black-market models showed similar,but cruder,vine-like tangles.The garden circle residue model,however,revealed a structure of terrifying precision and complexity!Its core sigils were older,deeper,like profane runes carved into the fabric of energy itself!Myriad fine branches spread like capillaries,forming an appallingly efficient energy extraction and conversion network!
"My god…"Simon breathed,voice thick with awe."Similarity confirmed!Core energy deprivation principle consistent!But…the alchemical matrix in the garden sample…it's optimized!No…it's been…evolved!"His fingers highlighted key differences on screen.
"See here!Energy channeling efficiency increased by at least 300%!Life Anima stripping and decay conversion process…near flawless!Minimal waste!And…it incorporates atargeting filter!"Simon brought up spectral analysis."It specifically identifies and prioritizes'Anima Vitalis(Life Anima)',minimizing disruption to ambient background Anima!This explains the'clean'dead zones,leaving pure death!The church trap and Entropy Gel…they're like crude,brute-force prototypes of this!"
He whirled towards the moss sample in its stasis field,the faint grey glow confirming a terrible suspicion."And this!The targeting filter…The Epping Forest moss emits pure natural Life Anima!Placed at the circle's core or transfer nodes…not random!They are…'catalysts'?Or…'high-octane fuel'?"He fed the moss's weak energy signature into the comparison system.
The result was instantaneous!
"Match!The moss's unique natural Life Anima frequency…is perfectly keyed into the matrix's'targeting receiver'!The circle actively seeks and locks onto this frequency for hyper-efficient extraction!"Simon's voice held a tremor."It's like…like fitting the looting machine with precision'guidance systems'!"
Just then,Alan's voice came over the lab comms(he and Lena had returned to the safehouse periphery):"Simon,those moss samples…When I got close,my ability reacted strongly…Felt like they were…'thirsty'?Or…my ability instinctively wanted to'fix'their corrupted state?"Alan's perception offered crucial validation.
"Fix?Neutralize?"Simon's eyes lit up,seizing the key!"Exactly!Your Harmonizer calms chaotic energy;theoretically,it could neutralize this'Decay'pollution!Alan,you might be right!This explains your ability's agitation in the Withering zone—it instinctively fights this extreme'imbalance'!"
He excitedly cross-referenced Alan's medical scans and ability test data with the moss's contamination model."Look!Alan's ability frequency and the moss's'Decay'pollution exhibit…phase opposition?Like positive and negative charges!Neutralization is theoretically possible!This…this could be our key to countering this power!"
The excitement lasted mere seconds.When Simon ran the garden matrix's complex structure through deep-origin database cross-referencing,a stark entry flagged with a skull-and-crossbones warning flashed onto the screen,plunging the lab into an icy dread.
"Alchemical matrix core sigil sequence…Final origin match confirmed!"Simon's voice was flat,cold with certainty."Match:Forbidden Alchemical Legacy–'Necro-Alchemical Sect'.Active Period:Late Medieval to Early 17th Century.Signature:Focus on Life Energy Deprivation,Entropy Induction,Accelerated Material Decay…Ultimate Goal:Accessing the forbidden realm of'Loom of Life'."
On screen,a twisted emblem of bones and withered vines materialized–the unmistakable sigil of the Necro-Alchemical Sect!Below it,a line of crimson text read:"Historical Note:Sect's extremist branch eradicated by joint action of Arcanum&Warden precursors,17th Century.Remnant theories/practices classified Maximum Forbidden.Modern Activity:Nil.High Probability Association:Ouroboros(Ouroboros)."
"Necro-Alchemical Sect…Loom of Life…"Simon whispered,face pale.He finally understood the meaning behind"The Stitcher"Victor's fanatical cries about the"Source Prime Glyph"and"Loom of Life"in the underground forge!Ouroboros wasn't just collecting moss;they were excavating and refining a long-buried,lethally dangerous forbidden alchemical legacy!Their target was the legendary Prime Glyph capable of manipulating life itself!
"Lena!"Simon activated the encrypted comm,his tone grave beyond measure."Analysis complete!'Withering'core confirmed as a highly refined'Necro-Alchemical Sect'matrix!Efficiency,precision,lethality vastly superior!Epping Forest moss used as precision targeting fuel/catalyst!Alan's ability shows potential for neutralizing its pollution!All evidence conclusively points to one source:Ouroboros(Ouroboros)!They aren't just experimenting…they're field-testing a power verging on the forbidden edge of the'Loom of Life'!"
A pause on the comm.Lena's icy voice returned,forged with steel resolve:"Acknowledged.Collate all data for Director Thorne.Lock down the lab to Level One.No access without my or Thorne's direct authorization,internal personnel included.Well done,Simon.Now,focus entirely on the moss.Pinpoint its exact origin in Epping Forest.Alan's instinct was sound.The forest…is the next battleground.We find their nest before the serpent strikes."
The lab's alert lights shifted to a deep,warning crimson.Heavy locks engaged with a finalthunk.Simon looked at the moss,its grey light a dying ember in the stasis field,then at the twisted bone-and-vine sigil on the screen.He took a deep breath,adjusted his glasses,and the stubborn fire of the tech geek rekindled behind the lenses.
"Understood.Give me time…I'll find that damned'Heartwood'!"