Edwin Lunar Chapter 25: The Vault Beneath Sector Zero

Read chapter 25 of Edwin Lunar by MananTayal on NovelPedia.

Rain fell across the towers of Lunar Dominion Academy. Cold silver rain. The kind that covered the academy skies after large Flame disturbances. Students moved quietly through the halls now compared to the chaos from previous days. Repairs continued across damaged aerial bridges while academy drones rebuilt destroyed sections of the eastern towers. But beneath the calm surface— Fear had begun spreading. Not openly. Quietly. Rumors about Eclipse Protocol now existed everywhere. And Orion Team had become the center of those rumors. Edwin sat silently near the large dormitory window overlooking the floating city structures of Noroel. The conversation with Headmaster Humming still echoed inside his mind. Your father created the ring as a Flame Key. A key to Groader's prison. The silver ring rested in his palm now, glowing faintly beneath the dark room lights. He still couldn't fully believe it. Everything about his life had changed within days. A knock suddenly came from the dormitory door. Carl entered without waiting. Holding food. Again. "I brought emergency survival noodles." Edwin blinked. "…Why are they emergency noodles?" "Because emotional conversations require snacks." Edwin almost smiled slightly. Almost. Carl sat beside him near the window. For once, he looked serious. "You've been avoiding everyone." Edwin stared quietly at the rain outside. "Humming told me the truth about my parents." Carl's expression softened immediately. "…Oh." Silence filled the room briefly. Then Edwin quietly explained everything. Groader. Project Eidolon. The Flame Key. The hidden prison beneath Noroel. Carl listened without interrupting once. Which honestly felt stranger than anything else. When Edwin finally finished, rain echoed softly against the glass walls around them. Carl leaned back slowly. "So basically…" He pointed carefully at the ring. "…you're carrying the key to the most dangerous thing in existence." Edwin nodded once. Carl sighed dramatically. "Of course you are." Despite the situation, Edwin laughed quietly for the first time in days. Then another knock came. Iris entered first. Lucien followed behind her. Carl looked immediately offended. "Did nobody learn how doors work?" Iris ignored him. Her expression looked unusually focused. "We found something." Edwin straightened instantly. "What?" Lucien activated a holographic projection above the center table. A map of the academy appeared. Then the image zoomed downward. Beneath Sector Zero. Multiple hidden structures appeared underground. Far more than before. Edwin frowned. "These weren't on the old maps." "They were hidden," Iris replied quietly. "Until last night." Carl immediately looked nervous again. "That sentence feels dangerous." Lucien zoomed further inward. At the deepest point beneath the academy— A massive circular structure appeared. Ancient symbols surrounded it while giant Flame conduits connected through the walls around it. At the center of the structure glowed one label: ECLIPSE VAULT Silence filled the dormitory. Edwin stared at the image. "The prison…" Iris nodded slowly. "We think so." Carl pointed dramatically. "And naturally we are NOT going there." Nobody answered. Carl looked betrayed. "Oh no." Lucien crossed his arms. "The academy leadership already knows." "Humming?" "Yes." Edwin frowned slightly. "Then why hasn't he sealed the area?" Lucien's expression darkened. "Because the vault is already opening." The room became silent again. Iris activated another recording. Security footage appeared above the table. Dark underground corridors. Emergency lights. Then movement. Something large passed through the shadows. Not human. Mechanical. Ancient. Carl stared in horror. "No." The footage glitched violently. Then one sentence appeared across the screen. PHASE TWO ACTIVE The recording ended. Edwin slowly stood. "The construct we fought…" "It wasn't the only one," Iris finished quietly. Thunder echoed outside the academy towers. Lucien stepped closer to the h