The night had fallen over the Imperial Academy of Asteria several hours ago. The corridors were silent. Most of the students had already returned to their dormitories, and only a few magical lights still illuminated the stone walls. In his room, Kael sat at his desk. Three things lay before him. His father's letter. The symbol he had discovered in the forbidden room. And a copy of an ancient document found in the archives. He had been staring at them for several minutes. The further he went with his investigation, the more he felt as though he was circling something enormous. But every time he thought he was getting close to the answer… Something was missing. A page. A name. A date. Someone had erased the traces. Methodically. Kael picked up his father's letter. “If they discover what we found, they will kill us.” Those words continued to echo in his mind. His parents had not simply discovered something important. They had discovered something that certain people were willing to kill to keep hidden. A faint chime suddenly sounded in the room. Kael raised his eyes. A small black stone lying on his desk began to glow. A thin blue light emerged from it before forming an image in the air. Ethan's face appeared. “Finally.” Kael raised an eyebrow slightly. “You're calling this late?” “I could ask you the same thing.” The magical image perfectly reproduced Ethan's movements, as if he were actually standing in front of Kael. It was a communication artifact used by certain noble families. It could not physically transport a person across a distance, but their image and voice could be projected through a magical link. Ethan looked at his brother. “So? How is your first year going?” “Interesting.” “That means disastrous when it comes to you.” Kael didn't answer. Ethan sighed. “I knew I should have come with you.” “You had responsibilities at the estate.” “And you have a tendency to look for trouble.” “Trouble tends to find me.” Ethan gave a small smile. Then his expression became more serious. His eyes fell on the documents behind Kael. “Wait.” Kael slightly turned the paper toward him. “Do you recognize something?” Ethan's expression immediately changed. “That symbol…” He fell silent. Kael noticed. “You've seen it before.” It wasn't a question. Ethan hesitated before answering. “Yes.” Kael straightened. “Where?” Ethan glanced around, as if someone could hear him despite the distance. “At our parents' home.” Silence settled between them. Kael stared at his brother's image. “When?” “Before they died.” Ethan ran a hand through his hair. “I didn't know what it was back then. I was still too young. But I remember seeing it on some of Father's documents.” Kael lowered his eyes toward the symbol. “Why didn't you ever tell me?” “Because I didn't think it was important.” He paused. “And after they died… I didn't want to think about it anymore.” Kael remained silent. Ethan continued. “But now that you're showing me this… I'm starting to think that symbol had something to do with their research.” Kael's red eyes settled on him. “And with their deaths.” Ethan didn't answer. His silence was enough. Suddenly, the magical stone emitted a faint crackling sound. Ethan's image flickered. “Kael?” “What?” “Did you hear that?” Kael turned around. A sound had come from the corridor. Footsteps. Slow ones. Then nothing. “Wait here.” Ethan let out a nervous laugh. “I'm several kilometers away from you, genius.” Kael opened the door. The corridor was empty. But something was lying in front of his room. A folded piece of paper. Kael picked it up. He returned to the room and closed the door. Ethan watched the paper through the magical projection. “What is it?” Kael unfolded it. There was only one sentence written on it. “Stop looking.” Ethan's face froze. “Kael…” “Someone is watching us.” “Or someone knows what you're looking for.” Kael slowly folded the message. His gaze became cold. “Then they also know I'm not going to stop.” The magical image of Ethan began to tremble. “Listen to me. Don't do anything alone.” Kael looked at him. “I'll call you tomorrow.” “Kael—” The light went out. Ethan's image disappeared. Kael remained alone in his room. He placed the message beside the symbol. Then his gaze shifted toward the window. Far away, in the darkness surrounding the academy, a faint light disappeared. Someone was there. Someone was watching him. Kael did not look away. This time, he was certain of one thing. His parents' past had not died with them. And somewhere, someone was afraid that he would uncover it.

Shadows of the Past