Chapter 1 The Heist of Tasha Klein, Pt 2

Author’s Note: Please note I am releasing this story one scene at a time as I have time to write and relatively polish each portion.

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The air inside the Obelisk was thick with power. Not just the heavy incense typical of noble houses, but something deeper—an unseen force pressing against Vincent’s skin, like humidity before a storm. The entire structure hummed with residual magic, pulsing in slow, rhythmic waves from the thousands of runes woven into its foundation. Each rune, a musical note in an ominous symphony.

The lobby was a masterpiece of elegance, designed to remind every visitor that they were beneath the people who lived here. A marble atrium stretched impossibly high, its seamless curves sculpted from enchanted stone, gold and onyx inlays shifting like liquid under the light. The enchantment wasn’t just for decoration—to those who could see it, the patterns pulsed with layered runes, threading magic through the building’s very bones.

Above, arcane chandeliers floated midair, their flickering amethyst light casting soft halos over stained glass murals depicting Adonis’ greatest magical families. The nobles immortalized in those glass s had ruled the kingdom for generations, their bloodlines synonymous with power.

Vincent forced himself to match the rhythm of the room as he walked, his boots clicking against the mirror-polished marble. Mirror-like wasn’t an exaggeration—the reflection was so sharp he could almost see his own expression staring back at him. The sheer opulence of the place was suffocating, as if wealth alone could defy the Weave itself.

To his left, a group of young nobles in pristine uniforms lounged on velvet settees, heraldic badges woven neatly into their lapels. Enchanted servitors—automatons spun from shimmering golden thread—drifted between them, their movements smooth, almost human, their threads leading back to a master rune embedded in the ceiling.

Vincent didn’t slow his pace, but he caught the shift in their conversation. Michael Keeps. His name hung in the air, half-muttered, half-mocking. They were talking about his latest attempts to repair things with Tasha Klein. Vincent was willing to bet he wasn’t the first delivery agent Michael had sent here.

Was that part of Michael’s plan? Or had others been hired for the same job? The latter would explain the younger guard’s suspicion at the entrance.

He ignored the nagging unease in his gut and pressed on.

Ahead, a series of floating staircases spiraled upward, shifting and rearranging themselves like an ever-changing puzzle. The air shimmered faintly around them—protective wards, woven so seamlessly into the structure that even his trained eye had to search to spot them.

Some were likely keyed to specific students, allowing only those with the correct -runes or bloodline to ascend freely. Others were trapped with layers of enchantments, ranging from obvious alarm glyphs to more subtle defensive measures—barriers that would forcefully eject an intruder, or worse.

Vincent’s heart skipped a beat as he ed a pair of Gilded Sentinels—polished bronze constructs standing eerily still at the base of a stairwell.

He didn’t need to activate his Third Eye to know they were watching him.

One of those things alone could kill him if he was caught off guard.

He wasn’t walking into an apartment complex. He was infiltrating a fortress disguised as a series of luxury suites.

Adjusting his grip on the bouquet, Vincent turned toward the grand stairwell. He kept his movements relaxed, his expression carefully neutral.

A delivery boy had no reason to be tense.

He had a ring to steal and a noble to outmaneuver.

And this place wasn’t going to make it easy.