An hour later, the Veyron estate had settled into an unusual calm. The last guests were beginning to leave, the servants had returned to their usual duties, and throughout the halls, the noise of the previous night's celebration already seemed like a distant memory. Yet outside, five riders were preparing to leave the estate. Kael adjusted the gloves he had put on for the expedition. Beside him, Darius was checking the equipment of the two other knights Aldren had selected. The first, Gareth Riven, was an experienced lieutenant of the Black Raven Order. The second, Silas Arden, captain of the Third Squad, kept a serious expression as he watched their surroundings. Both understood their role. They weren't there to ask questions. They were there to protect the patriarch. Aldren arrived a few moments later. — Everything is ready. Kael nodded. Ethan mounted his horse. — Twenty minutes, right? Aldren nodded. — If the path hasn't changed. Lucian smiled. — Considering the place has been abandoned for several decades, I wouldn't count on that. Darius mounted his horse. — That's exactly why we're going. Kael looked back at the estate one last time. Since arriving at Veyron, everything had felt familiar. The house. The gardens. The greenhouse. The corridors he had known since childhood. And yet, beneath that peaceful appearance, something had resurfaced. Something his father had deliberately left behind. Kael gave his horse a gentle nudge. The group left the estate. --- The path west crossed a less-maintained part of the Veyron lands. The trees gradually grew denser. After a few minutes, the paved road disappeared, replaced by an old dirt trail. Kael slowed slightly. He looked around. — I know this place. Ethan turned his head. — Really? — Not exactly. Kael studied an old stone wall half-covered in moss. — But I've been here before. Darius gave a faint smile. — You used to come to this part of the estate quite often when you were little. Kael looked at him. — With my father? — Sometimes. Ethan joined in. — I don't remember that. — You weren't around much back then, Darius replied. Ethan raised an eyebrow. — I must have been busy doing something important. Darius thought for a moment. — Sleeping. Ethan stared at him. — I take it back. Lucian let out a quiet laugh. Even Kael smiled. For a few seconds, the tension that had followed them since their discovery disappeared. Then the silence naturally returned. The farther they went, the more familiar the surroundings felt to Kael. A tree. A stone. An old metal fence. Fragments of memories began returning to him without any particular order. His father walking ahead of him. His voice. The sound of hooves. A hand resting on his shoulder. But whenever Kael tried to remember why they had come here, the memory blurred. He frowned slightly. Darius noticed. — Something coming back to you? — Maybe. — Don't force it. Kael glanced at him. — I know. Darius smiled. — Just making sure. They continued. After several minutes, Gareth suddenly raised a hand. Everyone slowed. — Something wrong? Darius scanned the surroundings. — Nothing visible. Gareth dismounted and approached the ground. — Tracks. Kael dismounted as well. He crouched down. Several marks were visible in the damp earth. Boot prints. Recent ones. Kael studied them. — How long ago? Gareth examined the tracks. — Hard to say. Silas crouched beside him. — But they definitely aren't old. Darius looked at Aldren. — Someone has been here. Aldren didn't seem surprised. — Keep moving. They mounted again. This time, no one joked. --- A few minutes later, the forest opened up. A vast stretch of land appeared before them. Or rather, what remained of it. Ruins of old buildings stood among the trees. Completely ruined training posts were still visible. An old watchtower leaned dangerously to one side. Farther away, a large stone platform had been almost entirely swallowed by vegetation. Kael dismounted. He stood still. He knew this place. Not as a clear memory. More as a feeling. He closed his eyes. A child's laughter. His own laughter. Then his father's. — Again, Kael. The memory was faint. But this time, it didn't disappear. He opened his eyes. His father stood before him, much younger. Kael had been six or seven. He held a small wooden sword. — I'm tired... His father smiled. — Then rest. — But you said I had to keep going. — I never said you had to fight without thinking. The memory blurred. Kael blinked. Darius was standing in front of him. — Kael? He returned completely to the present. — I'm fine. Darius watched him for a few seconds. Then stepped back. — All right. Aldren was staring at the ruins. His expression had become much more serious. — This is V-17. Kael looked around. — It really was a training ground. — Yes. Ethan approached one of the ruined buildings. — It looks more like an abandoned fortress. Aldren nodded. — That was intentional. Lucian looked at him. — Intentional? — The training that took place here was meant to remain unknown to the rest of the nobility. Darius frowned. — Why? Aldren looked toward the old stone platform. — Because the people who trained here weren't ordinary knights. Kael turned toward him. — Then what were they? Aldren didn't answer immediately. He pointed toward a half-collapsed building. — Search inside. The two knights immediately got to work. Kael followed Darius into the ruins. Inside, the walls were covered in dust. Several overturned shelves still occupied parts of the rooms. Half-buried beneath the dirt were several metal plates. Darius picked one up. He wiped it clean with his glove. An inscription appeared. Kael stepped closer. He immediately recognized the style. The same type of engraving as the small piece found inside the clock. — Darius. — I know. He turned the plate over. A number had been engraved on the back. 17-03. Kael fell silent. — V-17, he murmured. Lucian joined them. — What did you find? Kael showed him the plate. Lucian examined it. — It looks like a military designation. Aldren appeared behind them. The moment he saw the plate, his expression changed. — Put it down. Darius looked at him. — Why? — Because I know this series. Kael turned toward him. — What does it mean? Aldren took the plate. — These numbers identified the people assigned to this training ground. Ethan approached. — Soldiers? Aldren shook his head. — No. He looked at Kael. — Guards. Darius frowned. — Personal guards? — Not exactly. Aldren placed the plate on a stone table. — Their mission was different. Kael waited. Aldren continued. — They didn't just protect the family. He looked around the ruins. — They protected certain things belonging to House Veyron. An uneasy silence followed. Kael looked around. — What things? Aldren shook his head. — I don't know. Kael said nothing. Again. Part of an answer. Never the whole thing. He turned away and studied the ruins. Then he noticed something. A stone was sticking slightly out of the ground. He approached. Crouched down. Ran his fingers around it. The stone moved. Behind it was a small cavity. Empty. But not completely. Something had been placed there. Recently. A thin layer of dust covered the inside, except in the center. Kael ran his finger across the surface. A clean outline remained. The shape of a small rectangular object. He slowly stood. — Someone took something. Darius immediately approached. — Are you sure? Kael showed him the dust. — Yes. Aldren remained silent. Then he looked around the ruins. — Then we're not the first people to return here. Kael stared at the opening. A strange sensation passed through his mind. His father. He had been here before. And perhaps he had hidden something inside this cavity. Something someone else had found before them. Kael straightened. — We need to search everything. Aldren nodded. — Carefully. They began searching. For nearly an hour, they went through the ruins without finding another passage. No documents. No chest. No answers. Only the remains of a forgotten place. Then Silas called from outside. — Commander! Everyone turned. Silas was standing beside the old tower. In his hand was a piece of metal. He held it out to Aldren. The commander took it. His expression changed immediately. Kael approached. — What is it? Aldren slowly turned the object over. A very simple symbol was engraved on its surface. A vertical line. Two small marks on either side. And beneath it... A letter. V. Kael's gaze froze. He knew that mark. He had seen it before. Not in the archives of Asteria. Not on his father's documents. But somewhere in the house. Somewhere much older. The greenhouse. Kael suddenly looked up. Darius noticed. — What? Kael didn't answer immediately. He looked at the object. Then at the ruins. Then at Aldren. — I don't think this symbol is connected only to V-17. Aldren remained still. — What do you mean? Kael tightened his fingers slightly. — I've seen it at the estate before. This time, no one spoke. The wind moved through the trees. And somewhere behind the ruins, a branch snapped. Darius immediately turned around. But there was no one there. Only the forest. Kael looked at the symbol one last time. He had just realized something. The forgotten training ground might not be the beginning of the story. It might only be one of the places where the story had been hidden.

The Forgotten Grounds