Edwin Lunar Chapter 26: Descent Into Eclipse

Read chapter 26 of Edwin Lunar by MananTayal on NovelPedia.

Red warning lights flooded the academy. Students rushed through the upper halls of Lunar Dominion Academy while emergency drones crossed the skies above Noroel in every direction. Outside the dormitory towers, the massive crimson beam rising from beneath Sector Zero illuminated the clouds like a wound tearing through the moon itself. The academy was panicking. And for the first time since arriving at Noroel— Edwin felt true fear. The ring on his hand pulsed painfully now. Not warmth. Not guidance. Warning. Carl stared through the dormitory window in horror. "That light is definitely evil." Iris was already moving. "We need to go now." Carl turned instantly. "Absolutely not." Lucien grabbed his combat coat from the chair beside the door. "If the Eclipse Vault fully opens before the professors contain it—" "We die horribly," Carl interrupted. Lucien ignored him. "—then Groader's systems will reconnect to the Flame network beneath Noroel." Edwin understood what that meant immediately. The construct from the arena was only the beginning. More war machines. More Eidolon systems. Possibly worse. Outside the dormitory, academy alarms continued echoing through the towers. LOWER SECTOR EVACUATION ACTIVE Professor Raith's voice returned across the communication systems. "All students remain inside protected sectors until further notice." Carl pointed dramatically. "See? Official instructions. We should listen to authority for once." Then the entire academy shook violently. A distant explosion echoed upward from beneath the lower sectors. The lights flickered. And for one horrifying second— Every screen inside the dormitory displayed the silver eye symbol. Project Eidolon. Then one sentence appeared beneath it. THE HEIR WILL OPEN THE WAY The screens shut off instantly. Silence crashed across the room. Carl slowly looked toward Edwin. "…I really hate being your friend sometimes." Edwin stared at the dark screens. Because deep inside— He knew something terrible now. The vault wasn't opening randomly. It was reacting to him. Lucien activated a hidden academy map across the table. "The maintenance route enters through the old transit shafts beneath Sector Three." Iris zoomed into the underground pathways. "The professors sealed the primary entrances already." "Meaning?" Carl asked nervously. "We'll be entering through tunnels that probably haven't been used since the war." Carl closed his eyes briefly. "Wonderful." Edwin stepped toward the door. "We're going." Carl immediately looked betrayed again. "You said that way too confidently." Outside the dormitory halls, chaos filled the academy. Students crowded emergency corridors while professors directed evacuations toward the upper towers. Security drones hovered across intersections while academy guards armed themselves with advanced Flame weapons. No one stopped Orion Team as they moved deeper into the lower sectors. Mostly because everyone else was running the opposite direction. The deeper they descended— The older the academy became. Modern silver walls slowly transformed into ancient black stone corridors beneath the floating towers. The glowing academy lights dimmed while rusted Flame conduits lined the ceilings above them. Carl looked around uneasily. "This place feels haunted." "It probably is," Iris answered. "That response was deeply unhelpful." Lucien walked ahead silently, one hand resting near the weapon attached to his side. Edwin noticed something strange. The ring was guiding him again. Every time they reached a split corridor— He somehow knew which path to take. Like distant memories pulling him forward. Then they reached the transit shaft. A giant circular door stood hidden behind layers of old academy machinery while faded silver symbols covered its surface. Edwin stopped instantly. Because one symbol matched the ring perfectly. The moment he stepped closer— The ring glowed. The ancient door slowly opened. Cold air rushed from the darkness below. Carl immediately stepped ba