That evening, Marcus leads me through the deepest parts of the Underground Arena. Past the fighting rings, past the black market, past even the illegal enchanter workshops.
To a door that doesn't exist on any map.
"Took me three days to set this up properly," Marcus says, pressing his hand against what looks like solid stone. Enchantments flare in unlocking. The wall slides open. "But I think you'll be impressed."
We step into Ravenna's new workshop, and I stop.
"Marcus. This is incredible."
It's not large, maybe twenty feet by thirty but every inch is optimized. One wall holds shelves of books, magical texts that would get someone arrested if found in their dorm.
Another wall has alchemy equipment, beakers, burners, distillation apparatus, all enchanted for precision. The third wall is covered in magical diagrams and research notes. And the fourth....
"Is that a testing chamber?" I ask, pointing at the reinforced glass cube in the corner.
