Midnight Crown
She cursed, wiped sweat from her brow, and tried again.
A sharp click. The door slid open.
Inside, the room was cold—unnaturally cold. The air tasted of ozone and old paper. Dozens of metal drawers, scorched and blackened, lined the walls. On the center table: a sealed black box, obsidian sides slick with condensation. It pulsed faintly, a heartbeat no one wanted to claim.
Domenik approached it first. His hand hesitated over the surface, then pressed his ring to the lock. The box hissed open. Inside: a flash drive, a folded document bound with red string, and a small, antique revolver with a lion engraved on the grip.