Chapter 23 – Inheritance of a Coward

Renn had never felt fear like this.

Not during the floggings. Not even the first time they fought a guard. But now—watching Kael unwrap the Black Codex and watching glyph-light spill across the sanctum walls like spilled blood—his fingers twitched with the urge to run.

But he didn't.

Because deep in his gut, just past the fear, something whispered:"You're already too close to turn back."

Kael was lost in the Codex, lips moving silently as glyphs floated and rearranged before his eyes. Brenn stood with arms folded, watching like a sentinel. Mira hummed beneath her breath, the faintest glint of violet dancing behind her gaze.

And Renn… Renn sat against the wall, staring at his hands.

They were still scarred. Still shaking.

But something had changed.

It started after Kael opened the first page. That's when Renn's Null Sigil—his personal silence glyph—twitched.

He'd always drawn it carefully.⇉⎋∴⟡A pattern of silence, interference, and control.

But now… it had grown.The corners extended. The ink pulled itself into a loop, ending in a strange mark he didn't remember carving.

⇉⎋∴⟡⫷

Renn blinked. "What the hell is this?"

The sigil responded.

It vibrated—no sound, but like air moving fast through stillness. The scroll Kael had left near him suddenly fluttered open. One of the stone fragments by the Codex slid across the floor, stopping inches from Renn's boot.

It was etched. Carefully. Skillfully.On it, a message:

"To the clever ones too afraid to die—take my patterns and survive."

Renn's heart skipped.

He picked up the fragment.

On the back, a glyph was burned in deep:

⍉⎋⟁⇋ – Halren's Web

Kael turned at the motion. His eyes narrowed.

"That's an inheritance glyph," he said.

Renn swallowed. "From who?"

Kael took the stone, turning it over. "Halren the Coward."

"Seriously?"

"He was one of the Vault's original thieves. Survived all seven levels without killing a single person. Laid traps. Rerouted glyphs. Turned walls into mirrors. Then vanished."

Renn frowned. "That's… kind of awesome."

Kael smiled faintly. "He never ascended. They say he could've, but refused. Said power made people predictable."

Renn stared at the glyph again. "What does it do?"

Kael traced the lines with his finger, eyes thoughtful. "It's not just a trap. It's a repeater. You cast a base glyph—like Null Sigil—then bind Halren's Web to it. The trap lies dormant until someone triggers it. Then it echoes the base glyph up to three times in pulses. Every enemy within the zone gets hit."

Renn blinked. "So I could silence a hallway. Or a squad."

Kael nodded. "Or us. If you're not careful."

Renn felt something shift in his chest. Not pride. Not power.

Responsibility.

He sat back down with the stone in his hands. The glyph didn't burn him. It pulsed like it had been waiting.

Waiting for someone like him.

Later that night, Kael was still at the Codex. Mira lay near the wall, her breathing soft, eyes darting behind shut lids. Dreaming again. Brenn had finally fallen asleep, arms crossed like a statue.

But Renn didn't sleep.

He worked.

He scavenged stone fragments. Wire. Bone nails. Old copper bands. Every piece had weight now. Every trap he set wasn't just a delay—it was a decision.

Fight smarter, not louder.

That was the way Halren thought.

That's how Renn had always survived.

Now, he had a name for it. A system. A path.

By dawn, he had carved two versions of his new signature glyph:

⇉⎋∴⟡⫷⍉ – Null Web.A silence trap that triggered three pulses.Time-delayed. Trigger-tied. Resettable.

Kael inspected it when he woke.

"Not bad," he said. "That's beyond clever."

"I'm not trying to be clever," Renn replied.

Kael raised an eyebrow.

"I'm trying to make sure you don't die," Renn added.

That afternoon, as they planned their next move, Kael unrolled part of the Codex again. Mira looked up from her notes. Brenn sharpened his bone-wrapped hammer stone.

"We need to move soon," Kael said. "Something's shifting in the lower levels. The Vault's not stable anymore."

"We're getting close to something," Mira added. "I can feel it every time I close my eyes."

Kael looked to Renn. "How many traps can you set?"

Renn smirked. "How many do you want?"