Chapter 01

Through the torrential rain and the suffocating midnight heat, the silhouette of the former St. Peter’s Basilica loomed over the city. Now the impregnable headquarters of the Holy Academy, the colossal structure inspired an equal measure of terror, reverence, and profound pride in anyone who dared look at it. The ancient streets of Rome could never have imagined the breathtaking, hyper-modern monoliths that would rise alongside the old temples of a dead religion. But this wasn’t ancient Rome anymore. This was the Seventh Republic, and the Academy was our pride.

Yet, looking out the window at that magnificent dome, the only thing I felt was the crushing weight of my own cowardice.

After hours of agonizing deliberation, I had passed the sentence on myself: the choice I had made today wasn't just a mistake; it was a crime against everything I believed in.

FIELD SKETCH // REF: 1

I had surrendered. With my own hands, I had purged every piece of evidence I’d gathered, every file Poko had sent me. Data that blatantly contradicted Saint Isaac’s Universal Law of Gravitation. I had destroyed the truth, and I had done it because Cardinal Demetrius asked me to.

That was the part that was driving me mad. Demetrius wasn't just a shadow in the hierarchy; he was the man who had raised me. He was a titan of empirical science, a mind that had shaped the very foundation of the Republic. How could the Cardinal—a man who had taught me to worship facts above all else—turn a blind eye to the numbers? Why would a giant of his caliber demand I destroy a discovery that could change the world?

Instead of fighting him, instead of asking those questions out loud, I, Lucius Cornelius, had obediently crawled into the shadow of his dogma.

It was precisely in this pathetic moment of self-loathing that a stubborn, desperate knock echoed from my door. I have no idea why, but I opened it.

The sight on the threshold hit me harder than the storm outside. Clio stood there, drenched to the bone, her thin, rain-soaked dress clinging to her skin. Her tangled hair framed a face that was usually defined by an arrogant brilliance. But right now, her intensely intelligent green eyes didn't offer comfort or romance; they demanded answers. They demanded the rebellion I was too terrified to start.

...And now, she was asleep.

She lay motionless in my bed, exhausted from the storm and the silent war raging between us. Watching her sleep, I could physically feel the weight of her untamed spirit. Her mere presence in my room was a screaming reminder of my betrayal. I had to fix this.

I couldn't waste another second. I had to recover those deleted files, even if it meant defying the Cardinal himself.

I turned away from the bed and walked toward my heavy wooden desk. Blinded by the sudden rush of adrenaline, I reached out carelessly for my chair, expecting it to be empty.

It wasn't. Someone was already sitting there in the dark.