Chapter 6

Reeling from the failed ritual, Alex, Dawes, and Robbie stumble through smoke and sulfur in the Scroll and Key tomb. The temple is blackened and the legendary round table is split. Alex immediately coaches Dawes to stick to a cover story—this was only an inspection—despite both having heard Darlington’s desperate “Wait” as the portal slammed shut.

Amid angry Locksmiths and alumni, Anselm arrives offering Hiram’s Crucible to repair the damage. Back at Il Bastone, Alex and Dawes scrub away the stink. Dawes then reveals a security camera she secretly placed in Black Elm’s ballroom has triggered; the feed shows only a dark blur with shifting light, raising hope—and fear—that something crossed over.

Alex resolves to placate Lethe before investigating Black Elm. When Anselm presses for the truth, Alex lies, claiming she deliberately wrecked the table as retribution, disguising it as a botched stink-bomb casting. Anselm rejects the story, asserting she tried to open a hell portal to reach Darlington.

Alex deflects but insists Darlington isn’t dead. Anselm warns that even if something survived, it wouldn’t be the same Darlington, and that opening such doors risks catastrophe. He delivers an ultimatum: no more attempts, or both Alex and Dawes are out of Lethe.

Calculating the stakes—Dawes’s job, her own scholarship—Alex promises “no more trouble.” Despite the vow, she and Dawes plan to check Black Elm, driven by the camera alert and the haunting word they both heard: “Wait.”