The next day, Asteria seemed determined to make Kael forget that a mysterious stranger had left him a message. The academy was lively from early morning. Students crossed the corridors carrying stacks of books, groups gathered near the staircases, and out on the training grounds, apprentice knights had already begun their practice. A perfectly normal day. Almost. Kael was walking toward the classroom with Noah and Lysandra when a small group passed them. Two students whispered. Kael clearly heard his name. He didn't react. Noah, however, turned his head. “They're still talking about you.” “I know.” “Doesn't it annoy you?” “No.” Noah looked at him for a few seconds. “Not even a little?” Kael thought about it. “It would be different if they were saying something I didn't already know.” Noah remained silent. “That's a pretty depressing way of looking at things.” Lysandra smiled slightly. “He has a point.” “You're both against me today.” “Not at all,” Noah replied. “I'm simply here to remind you that you're a normal person.” Kael stared at him. “You're probably the last person who should talk about normality.” Lysandra burst out laughing. Noah placed a hand over his heart. “That hurts.” “Good.” They reached their classroom. Darius was standing a little farther away, accompanied by Gareth. As always, his attitude changed completely when he was on duty. Back straight. Attentive gaze. Hand close to his weapon. Not a single joke. Kael watched him for a few seconds. Darius noticed. He gave a slight nod. Kael answered with a brief movement of his head. Then they continued on their separate ways. Noah watched the exchange. “You two are really weird.” “Why?” “You didn't even speak.” “We had nothing to say.” “You communicate through looks now?” Kael entered the classroom. “Apparently.” --- The first class of the day passed without incident. Then the second. And the third. By lunchtime, Kael was almost beginning to believe that yesterday had been nothing more than a bad dream. Almost. When they arrived at the dining hall, several students were already seated. Noah immediately took a seat near the window. “Here.” Kael put his tray down. “Why here?” “Because I decided.” “Very convincing.” Lysandra sat across from them. A few seconds later, Darius appeared at the entrance. He didn't come over. He exchanged a few words with Gareth, then positioned himself near a pillar so he could watch over the room. Noah looked at Kael. “Do you think he ever eats?” “Probably.” “I've never seen him.” “Because you don't pay attention.” “I pay attention to a lot of things.” Kael raised an eyebrow. “Really?” Noah thought about it. “Okay, maybe not.” Lysandra smiled. “He probably eats when he's with the other knights.” Kael looked at Darius. “Yes.” A pause. “Well… I hope so.” Noah started laughing. “Even you're not sure.” Kael was about to answer when Darius suddenly turned toward the entrance. His expression changed. Kael noticed immediately. A few seconds later, a professor entered the dining hall and walked toward the center. “An announcement from the administration.” The conversations gradually died down. “Starting tomorrow, inter-class training sessions will exceptionally be opened to several sections of the academy. The administration wishes to organize a series of joint exercises to evaluate cooperation between the different disciplines.” Excited murmurs spread through the dining hall. Noah smiled. “Finally, something interesting.” Kael sighed. “You're mostly going to find a way to make yourself noticed.” “Absolutely.” Lysandra laughed. The professor continued. “The exercises will take place over several days. Students will be divided into mixed teams. Mages, knights, strategists, and students from specialized disciplines will have to work together.” Noah turned toward Kael. “If we're on the same team, you carry me.” “No.” “Why?” “Because you're heavy.” “I'm perfectly normal!” “That's not what I said.” Lysandra shook her head. For the first time in several days, Kael felt something almost normal. An academy day. Classes. Jokes. Training. He could have forgotten about everything else. Almost. --- After lunch, Kael went to the library. He hadn't planned to stay long. He only wanted to check something. He placed several documents concerning ancient Imperial symbols in front of him. The crown symbol. The passage symbol. The mark of the Keeper. Then he added the latest mark found on the wall to a sheet of paper. A crown. And underneath it: V. Kael stared at the letter. He began by searching through the old Imperial families. Nothing. The former Keepers. Nothing. Archivists who had worked at Asteria. A few results, but none matched. Then he changed his approach. He searched for ancient inscriptions associated with the crown. After several minutes, he found something. A very old page. The text was almost impossible to read. Kael leaned closer. One sentence had survived. “The Keeper does not serve the Crown. He watches over what the Crown must never reach.” Kael remained still. The sentence confirmed something. The Keeper might not have been a servant of the Empire. He might even have been someone tasked with protecting a secret from the Crown itself. Kael turned the page. Nothing. A second page. Passages had been erased. A third. Completely blank. He frowned. “Looking for something?” Kael looked up. Lysandra was standing in front of the table. “Yes.” She sat across from him. “The Keeper again?” “Among other things.” Kael showed her the sentence. Lysandra read it carefully. Her expression became more serious. “‘What the Crown must never reach’…” “Yes.” “Does that mean the Keeper was protecting something from the Empire?” “Maybe.” “And your father was looking for this Keeper.” “Yes.” Lysandra looked at the sheet. “Do you think the ‘V’ stands for Veyron?” Kael didn't answer immediately. “It's possible.” “But you're not convinced.” “No.” “Why?” Kael placed a finger on the letter. “Because whoever left that mark probably knew I'd immediately look for a connection to my family.” Lysandra thought about it. “So it could have been deliberately misleading.” “Or maybe they weren't trying to mislead me.” “You think they wanted you to see it?” Kael looked up. “Yes.” A silence settled between them. Then Lysandra asked: “Why?” Kael looked at the letter again. “So I'd search.” --- Several meters away, between two bookshelves, something moved. Kael suddenly raised his head. Lysandra noticed. “What?” He looked behind her. No one. “Nothing.” He stood up. “I'll be back.” “Kael—” But he was already gone. He quickly crossed the library. The sound of his footsteps echoed between the shelves. A silhouette had just disappeared behind a pillar. Kael quickened his pace. He reached the end of the corridor. Empty. He looked left. Then right. Nothing. Only an open window. Kael approached it. The wind made the curtains move slightly. Something on the windowsill caught his attention. A small piece of paper. He picked it up. There was only one sentence written on it. “Don't look for the one who carries the letter. Look for the one who left it.” Kael tightened his grip slightly around the paper. This time, no aura manifested. He remained perfectly calm. But his expression changed. Someone was communicating with him. Not directly. Not yet. But enough to know exactly what he was looking for. --- “You disappeared for four minutes.” Kael looked up. Darius was standing in front of him. “You counted?” “Yes.” “Why?” “Because you always disappear whenever something interesting happens.” Kael sighed. “I found this.” He handed him the paper. Darius read it. His expression hardened. “Where?” “Near a window in the library.” “Were you followed?” “I don't know.” Darius looked around. Gareth arrived a few seconds later. “Commander.” Darius handed him the paper. Gareth read it. “We'll search the library.” “Discreetly,” Darius replied. “Understood.” Gareth left. Kael looked at Darius. “You're not going to tell me to stop.” “No.” “Why?” Darius stared at him. “Because someone just did something different.” “What?” “Until now, they threatened you.” Darius pointed toward the paper. “Now they're giving you directions.” Kael remained silent. Darius continued: “That means they want you to move forward.” “Or they want to control the direction I take.” “Exactly.” Kael looked at the paper again. Don't look for the one who carries the letter. Look for the one who left it. The sentence came back to him. He thought about the symbol. The crown. The Keeper. Alaric Daven. His father. Then the letter. V. “Darius.” “Yes?” “Do you know anyone who uses a symbol with a crown and the letter V?” Darius thought. For a long moment. Then his expression changed slightly. “Maybe.” Kael turned toward him. “Who?” Darius hesitated. It was unusual enough for Kael to notice. “Darius.” The knight sighed. “There was an old branch of the Imperial knighthood.” “A branch?” “It disappeared several years ago.” “Why?” Darius looked around before answering. “Because officially, it no longer exists.” Kael frowned. “And its name?” Darius stared at the piece of paper in his hand. “The Crown Watchers.” Silence fell. Kael felt something vibrate in his pocket. The crystal. He took it out. This time, the light appeared immediately. The crown appeared. Then the letter. V. Darius stared at the crystal. “Kael…” A second inscription appeared beneath the first. A sentence. “The last Watcher knows the truth.” The light disappeared. Kael remained motionless. For the first time since the beginning of his investigation, a lead seemed to point toward someone who might still be alive. Someone who might have known his parents. Someone who knew Alaric Daven. And perhaps someone who knew exactly what had happened before their deaths. Darius placed a hand on his shoulder. “We're going to have to talk to Lucian about this.” Kael nodded. His eyes remained fixed on the crystal. “Yes.” Then, after a few seconds: “But this time…” He slowly put the crystal away. “…I want to find out who the last Watcher was before someone else gives us the answer.” At the other end of the library, a page fell from an old book. No one had touched it. On the yellowed page was a name. A name almost entirely erased. But enough remained to reveal three letters. VAL… Then the book closed by itself.

The Letter Beneath the Crown