Kael had spent most of the night thinking about the same sentence. The key is not in the lock. He had written it several times in his notebook, hoping that looking at the words from different angles would make their meaning clearer. It did not. The Crown Crypt was forbidden. His parents had searched for something connected to it. His father had mentioned the Keeper of the Crown. And now someone was leaving threatening messages to make sure Kael stopped looking. There were too many coincidences. Kael closed his notebook. He still did not intend to enter the Crown Crypt. Not yet. First, he needed to find its entrance. And more importantly, he needed to understand how someone could have sealed it. --- The morning classes passed normally enough. At least, they appeared normal. During aura control training, the students were paired together and instructed to synchronize their aura with their partner's. Kael stood opposite Lysandra. “Try to match my rhythm,” she said calmly. “I already am.” “You're thinking too much.” Kael raised an eyebrow. “That is usually difficult to avoid.” Lysandra smiled slightly. “Then try doing it without analyzing every movement.” Kael followed her instructions. For a few seconds, their auras synchronized perfectly. Then something changed. A thin darkness briefly spread through Kael's aura. It disappeared almost immediately. Lysandra noticed. “Kael, your aura just changed.” “It was a bad synchronization.” She looked at him for a moment. “That didn't look like a normal mistake.” Kael remained silent. He knew she was right. His power had been reacting more often recently. And he did not know why. --- After class, Kael went directly to the library. He had already searched the more recent historical records. This time, he needed something older. He walked through the archive section until he found a collection titled: Imperial Decrees of Asteria — First Century. The book was old enough that its pages had begun to yellow. Kael carefully opened it. He searched through the decrees until he found one concerning the lower foundations of Asteria. His eyes stopped on a particular paragraph. «“Access to the lower foundations is forbidden to anyone who does not belong to the Imperial Family or possess direct authorization from the Keeper of the Crown.”» Kael read it twice. The Keeper of the Crown. The same title his father had mentioned. He turned the page. Nothing. He searched the following pages. Still nothing. Then something caught his attention. A small handwritten note had been added in the margin. Kael leaned closer. “The key is not in the lock.” His expression hardened. Someone had written this long after the original decree. But who? And why? He carefully copied the sentence into his notebook. Then he felt it. Someone was watching him. Kael slowly looked toward the end of the library. A shadow disappeared behind one of the shelves. He immediately closed the book and followed. His footsteps were silent against the stone floor. He turned around the shelf. Nothing. Only rows of books. Kael searched the nearby aisles, but whoever had been there was already gone. On the floor, however, he noticed something. A small piece of black crystal. The same material as the strange crystal he had found near the training grounds. Kael picked it up. The symbol was there again. The same symbol. His parents' documents. The forbidden room. The crystal. The Crown Crypt. Everything seemed to lead back to the same mystery. --- When Kael left the library, he found Lysandra waiting outside. “You've been gone for a while,” she said. “I was searching the old archives.” “Did you find anything?” Kael hesitated before showing her the note. She read it carefully. “‘The key is not in the lock.’” “There was also someone watching me.” Lysandra's expression became more serious. “Kael, you should tell Lucian.” “I will.” “And don't go looking for the entrance alone.” Kael looked at her. “I won't.” She studied his expression. “You're already planning something.” “I am planning to investigate. That's different.” “Not by much.” A faint smile appeared on Kael's face. “You're becoming difficult to deceive.” “I think you've always been bad at deceiving me.” Kael said nothing. But this time, he did not disagree. --- That evening, Kael went to Lucian's office. His uncle was already waiting for him. “You found something,” Lucian said. Kael placed the old book's notes and the piece of black crystal on the desk. “I found this.” Lucian examined the crystal. His expression changed slightly. “You've seen this symbol before.” It was not a question. Kael nodded. “My father's documents carried it. I also found it near the forbidden section.” Lucian remained silent for a moment. Then he opened a drawer and took out an old folder. “I think it's time you saw this.” Kael opened it. Inside were several documents belonging to his father. At the top of one page was a date. Years before Kael had even been born. His father had written a request asking Lucian to investigate the Crown Crypt. Kael looked up. “You knew about this?” “I knew your father was searching for something beneath Asteria.” “But you never told me.” “I didn't know enough to tell you the truth.” Kael continued reading. Several lines had been damaged by time. Only fragments remained. “…the one who guards the key…” “…no longer trusts the Crown…” “…the door is not a door…” Kael stared at the last sentence. “The door is not a door.” Lucian nodded. “I never understood what your father meant.” “And the Keeper of the Crown?” Lucian took another document from the folder. “There was someone who might have known.” He placed an old record on the desk. Alaric Daven. “Former Keeper of the Imperial Archives,” Lucian explained. “He disappeared twelve years ago.” “Disappeared?” “No body was ever found. No official explanation was given.” Kael looked at the name. “Did my father know him?” “They had met several times. Your father trusted his knowledge of the oldest records of Asteria.” Kael turned another page. An old map unfolded across the desk. It showed the foundations beneath the academy. Several sections had been crossed out. One of them carried the same symbol Kael had seen on the black crystal. His eyes narrowed. “This is where my father was looking.” Lucian nodded slowly. “It's the last place his investigation led me to.” Kael studied the map. The answer was not in the lock. The door was not a door. And the Keeper of the Crown had disappeared. Everything pointed toward the same place. But there was still one question. Where was Alaric Daven? Kael folded the map carefully. “I'll find him.” Lucian looked at him seriously. “Kael, be careful. If someone is watching you, they may be waiting to see how far you'll go.” Kael's expression remained calm. “Then I'll make sure they don't know where I'm going.” Outside the window, the lights of Asteria illuminated the night. Somewhere beneath the academy, something had been hidden for decades. And now, for the first time, Kael had a name. Alaric Daven.

The Forgotten Key