The maintenance seam opened onto darkness a handspan wide.
The guide found it by following an old drain channel beneath the altered lock. She did not call it a passage until Juno had checked the energy flow at the frame. Eli kept the tools on the floor behind the crew, out of reach of anyone who might mistake a familiar handle for a reason to begin. The passive probe returned a small stable reading. The independent reference agreed within its stated uncertainty.
Juno asked the guide whether opening the seam would affect a local service.
“It should lead to the manual release,” she said. “I want to see the retaining mark first.”
They held the lamp lower. A scratched symbol lay under a layer of recent dust. The guide compared it with her own maintenance record, then pointed to the catch that could be released without forcing the new lock. Bram watched from a step behind her. His notebook had brought them to the door; it could not identify the change made since he last stood there.
The engineer checked the catch under no load. Juno repeated the flow comparison after the cover moved. Only then did they open the bypass far enough to reach the manual release. A short lever traveled reluctantly and stopped. The guide told them it had another retaining point inside. The independent crafter eased that free while Eli held the lamp exactly where requested.
