The door had just opened. Kael remained motionless in front of the newly revealed entrance. Beyond it, a staircase descended deep into the depths of Asteria, gradually disappearing into darkness. Noah took a few steps closer, but stopped just before the first stair. “Well…” He stared down the staircase. “I suppose this is the part where someone says we should turn around.” Lysandra crossed her arms. “You can say it if you want.” “I could.” Noah looked at Kael. “But I already know he’s going down.” Kael didn't answer. His gaze remained fixed on the wall. Above the entrance, the symbol was carved into the stone. The incomplete circle. The three vertical lines. That shape that vaguely resembled an eye. And just beneath it was a sentence they hadn't taken the time to read yet. Kael stepped closer. He lightly ran his fingers over the ancient letters before deciphering them. “The chamber shall open only to the one who bears the Void.” Silence settled over them. Noah looked at Kael. “The Void…” Lysandra repeated quietly: “The Inheritance of the Void.” Kael said nothing. He read the sentence again. Then a third time. Something stirred inside his chest. A faint, familiar sensation. The same pressure he had felt during the entrance test. The same feeling that had appeared whenever his power reacted to the symbol. Kael placed a hand against his chest. “It’s happening again.” Noah immediately stepped closer. “Your power?” “I don’t know.” Lysandra studied the symbol. “Maybe this door is reacting to your presence.” Kael lowered his hand. “Possibly.” Noah looked down the staircase. “And if it opened because you’re here…” He pointed toward the steps. “That probably means whatever is down there has something to do with you.” Kael stepped onto the first stair. Noah sighed. “Of course.” Lysandra followed them. “You knew he was going to do that.” “Yes.” “Then why do you keep hoping?” “Because I’m optimistic.” Kael turned around. “No, you’re not.” “I know.” --- The staircase seemed to have been abandoned for decades. A thin layer of dust covered the stone, but some of the steps were strangely clean, as though someone had used them recently. Kael stopped. He looked down. A footprint was visible in the dust. Then another. Lysandra descended a few more steps. “Someone has been here.” Kael nodded. “Recently.” Noah frowned. “How can you tell?” Kael pointed toward the dust. “It hasn't settled back over the prints.” Noah examined the marks. “So someone knows about this place.” “Yes.” “And that person probably knows how to open the door.” Kael continued downward. “Possibly.” Noah sighed. “You could at least pretend to be worried.” Kael kept walking. “I am.” Noah was silent for a moment. “Oh.” Lysandra gave him an amused look. “You wanted a reaction. You got one.” “I almost regret it.” --- The farther they descended, the colder the air became. The walls changed as well. The rough stone gradually gave way to large, dark blocks covered in ancient carvings. Some depicted circles. Others appeared to show human figures surrounded by glowing lines. Kael stopped in front of one. A man stood at the center. On one side of his body, an energy resembling mana was represented by glowing strands. On the other, a different energy surrounded his arms and legs. Aura. The two forces were connected around the heart. Lysandra approached. “That’s strange.” “Why?” She studied the carving carefully. “Most ancient depictions show magic and aura as two separate forces.” Noah looked at the drawing. “But here, they’re connected.” Kael slowly moved his hand over the carving without touching it. “Maybe they weren't always separate.” Lysandra looked at him. “You think the separation between magic and aura didn't always exist?” Kael remained silent for a few seconds. “I don't know.” He continued walking. But the carving had added another question to all the others. --- The staircase eventually opened into a long corridor. Small blue lights appeared automatically as they moved forward. Noah looked up. “The enchantments still work.” Lysandra studied the crystals. “That shouldn't be possible.” “Why?” “The academy probably stopped maintaining this section a long time ago.” Kael looked at the nearest crystal. “They aren't connected to the current network.” Noah frowned. “Then what powers them?” Kael didn't answer. He had noticed something. The crystal was faintly vibrating. Very slightly. At the same rhythm as the sensation in his chest. Kael took a step back. The crystal's light dimmed. Then returned to normal. Kael stared at it. Lysandra understood. “It reacted to you again.” Kael nodded slowly. “Yes.” Noah looked down the corridor. “I really feel like this place was waiting for us.” No one answered. This time, even Noah wasn't joking. --- They continued until they reached a first room. The door was slightly open. Inside were several stone tables, shelves covered with old books, and instruments whose purpose none of them seemed to understand. Some crystals had been shattered. Sheets of paper were scattered across the floor. Kael entered. He approached one of the tables. An old glass container still sat there. Beside it, a metal plaque bore several words. “Study of the simultaneous circulation of mana and aura.” Lysandra looked around the room. “This was a laboratory.” Noah picked up a document from a shelf. “And not a small one.” He blew the dust away before reading. “Research project…” The rest had been torn off. He turned the paper over. Nothing. Kael approached another table. Several documents were stacked on top of one another. One sheet caught his attention. He picked it up. A date. Then a name. Elarion Vaelmont. Kael looked up. “Vaelmont.” Noah immediately came closer. “The same name from the archives.” Lysandra examined the page. “He must have been in charge of the research.” Kael read through the remaining lines. Most of them had been crossed out. But a few words were still legible. “Subject stable.” “Unusual reaction.” “Resistance to conventional techniques.” Then one final line. “Manifestation of the Void confirmed.” Kael froze. His fingers tightened slightly around the paper. His red eyes changed. Their usual dark shade became brighter, and a faint scarlet glow appeared behind his irises. Lysandra noticed. “Kael…” He slowly raised his eyes. “They were studying it.” Noah looked at the document. “The Void.” Kael nodded. “Yes.” Silence filled the room. For the first time, they had proof. Kael's power wasn't a legend invented after his parents' deaths. It had actually been studied. Decades ago. Perhaps even by several generations of researchers. --- Noah continued searching through the documents. “Wait.” He had found another sheet. “This one is more recent.” Kael moved closer. Noah checked the date. “It’s from around thirty years ago.” Lysandra frowned. “So the research continued until then.” Noah shook his head. “No.” He turned the page. “It was officially stopped.” Kael took the document. One sentence had been circled in black ink. “Following the incident in the lower sector, all research is suspended until further notice.” Below it was a signature. Elarion Vaelmont. Kael raised his eyes. “What incident?” Noah shook his head. “I don't know.” Lysandra quickly searched one of the shelves. “There has to be a report.” They searched for several minutes. Nothing. No report. No register. Not even a reference. It was as if someone had deliberately removed everything concerning the incident. Kael studied the shelves. “Someone cleaned this room.” Noah frowned. “Cleaned it?” Kael pointed toward the documents. “The most important books are gone.” “How do you know which ones were important?” “Because the spaces are still visible.” Lysandra looked at the shelves. Several books were indeed missing. Their outlines were still visible in the dust. Someone had removed them. Recently. Noah ran a hand through his hair. “So someone is still using this place.” Kael looked toward the doorway. “Yes.” --- A sound suddenly echoed through the corridor. All three froze. A footstep. Then another. Slow. Steady. Someone was approaching. Noah immediately drew one of his daggers. Lysandra summoned a faint magical light in her hand. Kael remained perfectly still. He listened. The footsteps stopped. Silence. Then a shadow quickly passed across the doorway. Noah rushed toward the entrance. “Hey!” He stepped into the corridor. Nobody. Kael and Lysandra joined him. The corridor was empty. Noah looked in both directions. “He was there.” Kael crouched down. A small sheet of paper had fallen onto the floor. He picked it up. The edges were torn. Only one sentence remained legible. “The subject must never reach the main chamber.” Kael stared at the words. His eyes became slightly brighter. “The subject…” Lysandra whispered: “Do you think they mean a bearer of the Void?” Kael clenched the paper. “Possibly.” Noah looked around. “Then someone doesn't want us to discover what's inside that chamber.” Kael raised his eyes toward the corridor. “And someone knows we're here.” --- They continued exploring, but with much greater caution. At the end of the corridor, they found several doors. Some were completely sealed. Others opened into empty rooms. The final door was different. It was black. Like the one they had seen at the end of the passage. A symbol was carved into it. But this time, it was accompanied by an inscription. Lysandra approached. “I can read this.” She slowly moved her fingers over the letters. “‘Conservation room…’” She stopped. “The rest is damaged.” Noah sighed. “Again.” Kael studied the door. Then he noticed something on the floor. A small red mark. He crouched down. It wasn't blood. It was wax. Someone had used a seal to lock the door. And the seal had been broken recently. Kael stood. “Someone entered this room.” Noah examined the lock. “And they left.” “Yes.” Lysandra frowned. “Then why leave the traces behind?” Kael stared at the door. “Maybe they wanted us to find them.” Silence. Noah looked at Kael. “Do you think this is a trap?” Kael thought for a moment. “I think we're not the first people looking for this chamber.” --- They eventually returned toward the staircase. They hadn't found the main chamber. But they had discovered enough to understand that the lower sector hid a history far older than their parents. The Void had been studied. Research had been conducted into its nature. An incident had caused the official suspension of the research. And someone had continued using these places after they were supposedly sealed. But as they climbed the stairs, Kael suddenly stopped. Noah turned around. “What?” Kael was looking at the wall. The symbol was carved into it. But something had changed. A thin red line now ran along one of the symbol's markings. The same light that had appeared in Kael's eyes moments earlier. Kael raised his hand. He didn't touch the stone. Yet the light grew stronger. Then a series of words slowly appeared beneath the symbol. Lysandra stepped closer. “What does it say?” Kael read it. His expression changed. “The first bearer opened the path.” Noah frowned. “The first bearer?” A second line appeared. “The last must finish what was begun.” The light disappeared. Kael remained silent. His eyes slowly returned to their usual color. Lysandra looked at him. “Kael…” He didn't answer. Noah stared at the symbol. “Do you think it's talking about you?” Kael continued looking at the inscription for several seconds. Then he answered: “I don't know.” He continued up the stairs. “But I'm going to find out.” --- When they reached the door leading back to the secret passage, Kael stopped. The door was still open. Yet something was different. A small mark had appeared in the stone beside the symbol. A single letter. V. Noah stared at it. “Veyron?” Kael slowly ran his fingers over the carving. “Maybe.” Lysandra studied the mark. “Or Vaelmont.” Kael pulled his hand away. Both possibilities remained suspended in the air. Then he looked back toward the staircase one last time. They hadn't found the chamber. But they had discovered something more important. Someone had left traces behind. Someone who knew about the Void. Someone who knew about the ancient bearers. And perhaps… someone who knew his family. Kael raised his eyes. One last time, the symbol seemed to glow in the darkness. Then the door slowly closed behind them. This time, none of them touched it. Noah turned toward Kael. “Did you see that?” Kael nodded. “Yes.” Lysandra looked at the now-closed door. “Do you think it'll open again?” Kael remained silent for a few seconds. Then he answered: “It opened once.” His gaze settled on the symbol. “It'll open again.” And somewhere in a forgotten part of Asteria, a page had just been turned. A page none of them had read yet. But one that already carried a name. Veyron.

The Forbidden Chamber