The next morning, Kael woke up before the Academy bell even rang. He remained still for a few seconds, staring at the ceiling. The night before, Lucian had told him they would go together. That alone should have reassured him. Yet he couldn't shake the strange feeling that had been following him for days. Someone knew. Someone knew he was searching. And worse… Someone seemed to want him to continue. Kael slowly sat up. The black crystal was lying on his desk. He had wrapped it in a piece of cloth before going to sleep. But when he pulled the cloth away, he immediately noticed something. The symbol engraved on the crystal had changed. Not completely. But a thin line of light now crossed its center. Kael frowned slightly. “That wasn't there yesterday.” He picked up the crystal. The light disappeared immediately. Kael turned it over between his fingers. Nothing. He placed it back down. The light returned. He picked it up again. It disappeared once more. He remained silent. Then he understood. The crystal wasn't simply reacting to his presence. It was reacting to something. Kael slowly brought his hand closer to the symbol. A faint vibration ran through the crystal. And for a fraction of a second, an image appeared in his mind. An ancient door. Huge. Made of dark stone, covered in almost-erased markings. A figure stood before it. Kael couldn't see their face. Only their posture. They were waiting. Then the image vanished. Kael almost dropped the crystal. He remained completely still. “Who are you…?” There was no answer. Only the silence of his room. --- A few hours later, Kael was walking through the Academy corridors with Noah. “You have that look again.” Kael glanced at him. “What look?” “The one where you're thinking about something so complicated that even I start getting a headache.” Kael gave him a faint smile. “You never need a complicated reason to get a headache.” Noah was silent for two seconds. “I almost regret asking.” “Almost?” “No. Not really.” Kael continued walking. Noah eventually spoke again, this time more seriously. “Did you find something last night?” Kael looked at him. Noah didn't push. He simply waited. That was probably what Kael appreciated most about him. He could be annoying, but he also knew when to stop joking. “The crystal showed me a place beneath the gardens,” Kael finally answered. Noah slowed down. “And you're planning to go there?” “Lucian will come with me.” “That doesn't really answer my question.” Kael sighed softly. “Yes.” Noah ran a hand through his hair. “Of course.” “You could at least pretend to be surprised.” “After everything that's happened since you arrived here? No.” Kael let out a quiet laugh. They reached the classroom. Before they went inside, Noah placed a hand on Kael's shoulder. “Kael.” His tone was serious now. “If something goes wrong, tell me.” Kael looked at him for a few seconds. “I will.” Noah nodded. “Good.” Then he smiled. “Now let's get to class before the professor decides our mysterious disappearance is part of the lesson.” --- The lesson was about ancient magical protection systems. Kael listened carefully. The professor had drawn several complex circles on the board. “Ancient protections don't all work like modern barriers,” he explained. “Some don't physically block a passage. They can recognize a person, an intention, or even a magical signature.” Kael slightly raised his eyes. “A magical signature?” “Yes. In some cases, a protection can be linked to a specific person.” The professor continued. “There are also systems capable of remaining inactive for several decades. They only awaken once a specific condition has been detected.” Kael discreetly glanced at the crystal inside his uniform pocket. A specific condition. The words echoed in his mind. He thought about the light. The door. The figure. And that disturbing feeling that he hadn't discovered the path. It had been shown to him. Beside him, Noah noticed the change in his expression. He said nothing. --- At the end of the lesson, Lysandra was waiting for Kael in the corridor. Her dark-blue hair fell over her shoulders as she watched the students leave the classroom. When she saw Kael, she approached him. “Noah told me you found something.” Kael gave Noah a look. Noah raised both hands. “I didn't tell her the details.” “I know.” Lysandra looked at Kael. “So?” Kael hesitated. Then he took out the crystal. He showed it to her without handing it over. “It showed me a door.” Lysandra studied the symbol. “A door beneath the gardens?” Kael nodded. “Lucian thinks my father knew about this place.” Her expression changed slightly. “And you're going there.” “Yes.” “When?” “Tonight.” Lysandra remained silent. “Kael…” “I won't be alone.” “I know.” She looked at the crystal. “But you still don't know what it wants.” Kael frowned slightly. “What it wants?” “The crystal.” She looked back at him. “You're assuming it's helping you. But if it's leading you somewhere, it could also be luring you there.” Kael didn't answer. Noah looked at Lysandra. “That is exactly what I told him.” “I never said you were wrong.” “That's probably the nicest thing you've said to me today.” Lysandra smiled slightly. Kael, however, was still looking at the crystal. She was right. He had thought of it as a key. But a key could open a door. And a trap could need a key too. --- At nightfall, Kael met Lucian. His uncle was waiting for him in a small room away from the main Academy halls. Several old documents were spread across the table. “You came,” Lucian said. “Did you find anything?” Lucian didn't answer immediately. Instead, he placed an old map in front of him. Kael stepped closer. It was a map of the gardens. But unlike the maps he had consulted before, this one also showed what lay beneath the surface. Corridors. Foundations. Sealed rooms. And, at the end of a narrow passage… A circle. The circular room. Kael's expression hardened. “This is it.” Lucian slowly nodded. “Yes.” “Why wasn't it on any of the other maps?” “Because this section was removed from the official archives.” Kael studied the document. “By whom?” “I don't know.” He didn't like that answer. Lucian noticed. “Kael, there's something else.” He took a second sheet of paper. It was much older. Only one sentence was still readable. “Anyone entering the chamber must be recognized by the seal.” Kael stared at the sentence. “What seal?” Lucian looked at the crystal. “That one.” Silence filled the room. Kael slowly lowered his eyes to the black crystal. “You knew?” “I suspected.” “Why didn't you tell me?” Lucian sighed. “Because I didn't want you immediately searching for this door.” Kael crossed his arms. “And now?” Lucian met his gaze. “Now, I think the door has already found you.” Kael remained silent. The words sent a cold sensation through him. “What do you mean?” Lucian stood. “Look.” He pointed toward the map. Kael moved closer. At the location of the circular chamber, a small mark was visible. A symbol. The same one as the crystal. But there was something else. An almost-erased annotation. Kael narrowed his eyes. He brought a lamp closer. The letters gradually became visible. “Do not open until the Keeper returns.” Kael looked up. “The Keeper…” Lucian nodded. “That is what your father was looking for.” “Alaric Daven?” “Perhaps.” Kael stared at the document. “Do you think he's still alive?” Lucian remained silent. Too long. “I don't know.” Kael immediately understood. Lucian knew something. But not enough. “You're afraid of what we'll find down there.” Lucian looked away slightly. “Yes.” It was the first time he had said it so clearly. Kael felt a cold tension run through him. “Why?” Lucian looked at the crystal. “Because your father was afraid too.” --- They eventually left the room. Night had settled over the Academy. The gardens were almost deserted. Kael and Lucian walked slowly between the trees. The closer they got to the center of the gardens, the warmer the crystal became. Kael could feel it through the fabric of his uniform. Lucian stopped. “It's reacting.” Kael took out the crystal. The light appeared. One line formed across its surface. Then another. The entire symbol lit up. The ground trembled slightly. Kael froze. “Did you feel that?” Lucian nodded. “Yes.” In front of them, between two trees, the ground began revealing a thin circular line. An ancient opening. Not a door. Not exactly. More like a mechanism hidden beneath the earth. Kael stepped closer. The crystal gave one final pulse. Then the line stopped. A small inscription appeared on the stone. He crouched down to read it. Three words. “He is waiting.” Lucian's expression froze. Kael slowly stood. “You know this phrase?” Lucian didn't answer. “Uncle Lucian?” He finally looked at Kael. “No.” His voice was quieter than usual. “But I know someone who used it.” Kael felt his heartbeat quicken. “Who?” Lucian looked around. The garden was silent. Too silent. Then he whispered: “Alaric Daven.” A sharp sound came from behind them. Kael immediately turned. Nothing. Only the trees. But the crystal in his hand had gone dark. And on the ground behind them… a second footprint had appeared in the damp earth. Someone had been standing there only moments ago. Kael stared at the footprint. Lucian placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don't move.” Kael said nothing. For the first time since he had begun his investigation, one thought became impossible to ignore. They might not have been the first to find this door. And perhaps someone really was waiting for them.

The Door Beneath the Gardens