CHAPTER 66: THE HEART OF SILENCE

Constantine led his men through the winding corridors beneath the earth, moving deeper into a darkness untouched by sun or moon. The torches cast long, shifting shadows over walls that bore symbols far older than Rome. Valerius walked at his side, his sword drawn but lowered, scanning each alcove for threats. Marcus stayed close behind, the torch in his hand burning steady, the light reflected in his eyes. Every sound was magnified-their steps, the quiet drip of water, the distant hum that seemed to vibrate in the stone itself.

They entered a broad chamber. The air was colder here, dense with a sense of anticipation. A dais of rough stone stood at the far end, and atop it, a single figure waited. His robe was the color of faded leaves, and his beard, thick and gray, reached to his chest. His eyes caught the torchlight, steady and unblinking, their gaze fixed on the intruders.

Valerius tightened his grip, but Constantine motioned him to wait. He stepped forward, the fragment of the Cross cold against his chest, his voice calm. "We have come for knowledge," he said. "This is the place where the old sciences were hidden. We seek understanding, not plunder."

The figure did not move. When he spoke, his words were in a Greek so ancient that even Valentinus, lingering at the entrance, struggled to understand. "The mark you carry, and the wound in your house, have brought you to us. The world above changes, but the pattern remains. What do you offer to receive what you seek?"

Constantine answered, his tone measured. "I bring safety if you wish it. I offer the chance to survive what is coming. Hide, and the world will swallow your secrets forever. Stand with me, and you can shape what follows."

Other shapes moved at the edge of the room. Monks, scholars, men and women whose faces bore the marks of long years underground, emerged from the shadows. Their robes were rough, their eyes wary, but there was a hunger in the silence, a hope that cut through fear. They made no sound, but stood in a half-circle, waiting to see what the old master would decide.

The elder’s reply was quiet. "Every lesson costs something. Here, the memory of Aegis is guarded by a promise. Each keeper has given blood. Each secret has a price."

Constantine drew his dagger and nicked his palm. He let a drop of blood fall into the stone basin at the dais. The blood vanished into the dark water. For a moment, nothing happened.

Then faint lines of light crawled across the bowl’s edge, following the runes. The air filled with a low, harmonic note, a sound that resonated in their bones. The monks began to chant in unison, their voices deep and strong.

A vision took hold of Constantine. He saw cities built on hidden patterns, towers rising from the earth as if summoned, machines humming with impossible energy. He saw wars fought not with steel, but with words and symbols. He saw men and women wielding powers that twisted the rules of nature. Through it all, a lattice of connections-every secret tied to a cost, every act shaping the world in return.

He staggered as the vision ended, sweat cold on his skin. The old master caught his arm. "Now you have seen the truth beneath the world. Will you pay the cost that comes with it?"

Constantine nodded, steadying himself. "I will pay. The world I seek cannot be bought cheaply."

The monks parted, leading the Romans deeper into the sanctuary. The halls here were lined with artifacts: tablets of clay and lapis, sealed jars, broken devices of copper and glass. The air smelled of dust and oil. At the center of it all was a round room filled with diagrams-mathematical charts, drawings of patterns, formulas scribed into the very stone.

"This is where the pattern is preserved," the elder said. "You may learn, but you must accept the limits as well as the power."

For days, Constantine remained underground. He studied with the masters of the sanctuary, learning their system of mathematics and song, the secrets of harmony and resonance, the history of Aegis and its many losses. Each lesson left him exhausted, his mind stretched by new ideas and the effort of understanding.

He saw how the monks kept their order. Knowledge was never given freely; every student had to prove worth, to give something back to the whole. The pattern survived not because it was powerful, but because it was guarded with discipline.

Valerius and Marcus received their own instruction-watching repairs to the old machines, learning how the monks moved through the darkness, hearing tales of Rome’s persecutions and the sanctuary’s many narrow escapes. Even Valentinus, left near the entrance, listened to stories he would never repeat.

On the final day, the monks brought Constantine to the basin again. The elder stood before him. "You have learned the beginning," he said. "Now you must leave, but you carry the mark. Do not let pride blind you to the price."

Constantine pressed his hand into the water. The cold seeped into his bones. Light shimmered around him, and he felt the weight of new knowledge settle deep inside. He saw again the lattice of power, the thin thread of fate running through every choice.

Valerius and Marcus joined him. They bowed to the master, who raised his hand in farewell.

As they left the sanctuary, the world outside seemed brighter, sharper, but also more fragile. Constantine looked back only once. He thought of the warning: the pattern serves only those who serve it. The path ahead was uncertain, but he carried something now that no emperor before him had held.

When they reached the mouth of the cave, dawn was breaking over the hills. The road home waited. Constantine turned his face to the rising sun, feeling the burden and the promise of all he had gained.

He spoke quietly to his men. "We go forward. The world will change. But we change with it, on our own terms."

They mounted their horses in silence, riding back toward the city and the new future that awaited. The secrets of Aegis were theirs, but the price had only just begun to reveal itself.