No one spoke for several seconds. Kael kept his hand resting on the mechanism hidden behind the clock. The small metal piece was still in his other hand. In front of him, the hidden door now occupied part of the wall. It was not completely open. Only a few inches. Just enough to let a thin stream of cold air through. Ethan stared at the opening warily. — Are you really sure you want to open it now? Kael did not answer immediately. His eyes remained fixed on the door. — No. Ethan raised an eyebrow. — At least you're honest. Kael slowly removed his hand. The mechanism stopped vibrating. The door remained still. Lucian stepped closer. — Your father told you not to let someone else open it in your place. — Yes. — And you were still a child. — Apparently. Lucian examined the mechanism. — Then he probably expected you to come back here one day. Kael tightened his grip slightly around the metal piece. — That's what I think. Ethan crossed his arms. — And you're planning to go inside? Kael turned his head toward him. — Yes. — Of course. — You can stay here if you want. — Absolutely not. Ethan sighed. — I knew you were going to say that. A little tension left the atmosphere. Lucian smiled faintly. — You two haven't changed. Kael gave him a look. — You're coming too. — Obviously. They prepared to move forward. But just as Kael was about to push the door open, footsteps echoed through the corridor. All three turned around. Darius appeared at the end of the passage. He stopped when he saw the scene. His gaze moved from Kael to the hidden door. Then to the mechanism. — I see you've found something. Kael looked at him. — How did you know we were here? Darius pointed toward the corridor. — Ethan left the library in a hurry. Lucian followed him. Neither of you came back. He paused. — I assumed you had found trouble. Ethan raised his hands. — For once, it isn't us. Darius looked at the door. — I doubt that. Kael showed him the small metal piece. — My father hid it here. Darius stepped closer. He studied the object. His expression changed slightly. — I know this pattern. Kael immediately looked up. — What? Darius took a few seconds before answering. — Not this exact one. He pointed toward the engravings. — But I've seen something similar before. Lucian turned toward him. — Where? Darius thought. — In the old halls of the Black Raven Order. Kael frowned. — At Veyron? — Yes. — When? — Several years ago. Darius crossed his arms. — Your father asked me to inspect certain rooms after some renovations. There were old pieces of equipment, plaques, military chests… He looked at the piece again. — And several objects bearing very old engravings. Kael studied the pattern. — Are you sure it was the same? — No. Darius shook his head. — I said similar. Lucian interrupted. — It could simply be a coincidence. — Yes. Darius looked at the door. — But I don't particularly like coincidences. Kael gave a faint smile. — Good thing I don't either. He turned back toward the mechanism. Darius stepped closer. — Do you want me to go first? Kael shook his head. — No. Darius looked at him. — I said I was going first. Darius watched him for a few seconds. Then nodded. — All right. It was a simple answer. He did not argue. Kael placed the metal piece back into the mechanism. This time, it worked differently. He did not have to search. His fingers almost naturally knew where to place the object. He pushed it in. A click echoed through the room. The door slowly opened. A cold draft swept through the room. Behind it was a staircase. It descended. Not very deep. But deep enough that the light from the room could not reach the bottom. Ethan looked down. — Of course. Kael turned toward him. — What? — A secret door couldn't simply lead to a normal room. Lucian smiled faintly. — You have a very pessimistic view of things. — After Asteria? Yes. Darius stepped forward. Kael stopped him with a gesture. — I said I was going first. Darius looked at him. — I know. — Then stay behind me. A smile appeared on the knight's face. — Very well, Patriarch. Kael descended the first step. Then the second. Darius followed immediately. Ethan and Lucian brought up the rear. The staircase was narrow. The walls were made of old stone. In some places, traces of more recent repairs could be seen. Kael ran his hand along one of the walls. — This section was repaired. Lucian looked over. — Yes. — When? — I don't know. They continued. After around ten steps, the staircase opened into a small corridor. A single magical lamp was fixed to the wall. It lit up as they approached. Kael stopped. A room stood in front of them. The door was open. Inside, there was almost nothing. A large table. Two shelves. An old armchair. And several maps hanging on the walls. Kael entered. He studied the maps. Some showed the Veyron estate. Others showed the surrounding territories. But one immediately caught his attention. It depicted a part of the estate that no longer appeared on modern maps. Kael stepped closer. — This area… Ethan came beside him. — What about it? Kael placed a finger on the map. — The old training grounds. Darius looked at it. — They disappeared a long time ago. — Why? Darius shrugged. — Expansion of the estate. New buildings. Kael followed the map with his eyes. Then he noticed something. A circle had been drawn in black ink. Not in the center of the estate. Outside the main buildings. Near an old boundary with the forest. Kael frowned. — What was here? Lucian approached. He remained silent. Kael looked at him. — You know this place. Lucian took a few seconds before answering. — Yes. Ethan turned his head. — Lucian? — Your father went there several times. Kael felt his attention immediately sharpen. — Why? Lucian looked at the map. — I don't know exactly. — You just said he went there. — Yes. — Then you must know something. Lucian sighed. — I know he was looking for something. Kael waited. — But I don't know what. Silence fell again. Kael did not like that answer. But he knew Lucian wasn't lying. He knew that expression. His uncle wasn't hiding an answer. He was only hiding what he himself did not know. Kael turned back toward the map. A small inscription was written beneath the circle. Almost invisible. He moved the lamp closer. The letters gradually became visible. V-17. Nothing else. Kael frowned. — V-17. Darius stepped closer. He looked at the inscription. Then at the map. — That's not a name. — No. — A reference? Lucian nodded slightly. — Probably. Ethan looked toward the shelves. — Is there anything else here? Kael scanned the room. A few old files. Blank sheets. Maps. An open, empty chest. Nothing more. He approached one of the shelves. Then stopped. One book was slightly pulled out from the others. He grabbed it. The book barely moved. As if it were stuck. Kael pulled harder. Click. The shelf shook. Darius immediately placed a hand on his weapon. — Wait. But nothing happened. Kael looked behind the books. There was only a small dark gap. And something inside. A thin strip of fabric. He pulled it out. It was a piece of black ribbon. Kael stared at it. It did not look old. Darius stepped closer. — That's recent. Lucian looked at the fabric. — Yes. Ethan frowned. — How can something be recent in a room that hasn't been opened in years? No one answered. Kael gently closed his fingers around the ribbon. This time, he felt nothing. No magic. No memory. Only one certainty. Someone might have come here after his father. And that person had wanted no one to notice. Darius looked at Kael. — We should tell Aldren. Kael nodded. — Yes. He looked at the map one last time. Then at the door behind them. — But first… He returned toward the entrance of the room. — I want to see where V-17 leads. Ethan sighed. — Of course you do. Kael smiled faintly. — Are you coming? Ethan rolled his eyes. — Obviously. Darius stepped in front of them. — This time, I'm going first. Kael looked at him. — You just said you'd let me go first. — I changed my mind. — Traitor. Darius smiled. They left the room. Behind them, the magical lamp remained lit. And on the table, the map of Veyron remained open. The black circle seemed to be waiting. Beside it, the inscription V-17 was still visible. But no one noticed the small mark engraved in the lower corner of the map. A mark Kael had seen before. On his father's documents. And this time, it had nothing to do with Asteria.

The Door Behind the Wall