The royal treasury was in ruins.

Its massive iron doors had been torn from their hinges, and shattered glass glittered across the stone floor. Guards stood in stunned silence as Lucien, Seraphina, Sir Elias, and Oracle Selene entered the chamber.

At the center of the room, an empty pedestal stood beneath a shaft of moonlight.

The Heart of Aether was gone.

Lucien knelt beside the pedestal.

"There wasn't a single sign of forced entry," Sir Elias reported. "The guards outside never saw anyone enter or leave."

Oracle Selene ran her fingers over the ancient runes carved into the floor.

"They didn't break in."

She looked up, her expression grave.

"They...