The next day, the Veyron estate gradually returned to its usual activity. After everything that had happened over the past few days, Kael might have expected everyone to still be talking about V-17 or the discovery of the symbol. Yet breakfast went almost normally. Ethan was discussing a matter concerning the eastern lands with Lucian. Aldren was reading a report sent by the knights. Darius, seated not far from Kael, was quietly observing the room. And Kael was eating calmly, a book resting beside his plate. Noah arrived a few minutes later. “How long have you all been awake?” Ethan looked up. “Long enough to notice that you're late again.” “I'm not late. I arrived at the exact moment my presence became necessary.” Lysandra entered behind him. “He mostly wanted to sleep longer.” “Betrayal.” Adrian arrived as well. “He did warn us that he was perfectly capable of waking up early.” Noah looked at him. “Thank you for your support.” Kael barely looked up from his book. “You never asked for support.” Noah placed a hand over his heart. “Even you?” A faint smile crossed Kael's face. The atmosphere was almost normal. And perhaps that was exactly what they needed. After breakfast, Kael joined Aldren, Lucian, Ethan, and Darius in an older section of the estate. The private archives of House Veyron were located beneath the eastern wing of the residence. The entrance was hidden behind a heavy wooden door. Aldren took out an old key. “It probably hasn't been opened in several years.” Ethan examined the lock. “Are you sure it still works?” Aldren turned the key. A click echoed through the corridor. “Yes.” The door opened. The smell of dust and old paper immediately reached them. Shelves covered the walls. Some were perfectly maintained. Others seemed untouched for decades. Kael stepped inside. His eyes moved across the countless boxes. “How are we supposed to find anything in here?” Lucian calmly replied: “By looking.” Ethan sighed. “Thank you, Lucian.” Darius walked toward a row of archives. “V-17 was a military classification. We should look for records from the old system.” Aldren nodded. “I'll handle the unit records.” Lucian headed in another direction. “I'll look for maps of the estate.” Ethan looked at Kael. “And us?” Kael picked up a stack of documents. “We look for anything concerning the old facilities.” “Very well.” For nearly an hour, they searched through the archives. Dozens of documents passed through their hands. Some concerned construction. Others farmland. Old contracts. Changes to territorial boundaries. Lists of knights. But nothing about V-17. Until Kael found a different register. The cover was black. There was no title. He opened it. The first pages were almost impossible to read. Then he saw a series of references. V-12. V-13. V-14. V-15. V-16. Then… V-17. Kael stopped. “I found something.” Darius immediately approached. Aldren and the others gathered around him. On the page, a few lines had survived. V-17 — Western Sector. Restricted Access. Assignment: Special Guard. Kael frowned. “Special Guard.” Aldren slowly nodded. “That is what I thought.” Kael turned the page. Part of it had been torn out. “Someone removed this page.” Darius examined the binding. “Not recently.” Lucian took the register. “No. Probably several decades ago.” Ethan looked at Kael. “So someone had already tried to hide V-17 before Dad was even born.” Kael said nothing. He turned another page. An old map of the estate was spread across two pages. V-17 was marked in the west. But something else caught his attention. A second location. Several kilometers away. A small mark identical to the one from the greenhouse. Kael placed his finger on it. “There.” Aldren leaned closer. His expression changed. “That area no longer exists on the current maps.” “What was there?” Aldren remained silent. Then he answered: “An old surveillance route.” Darius frowned. “Leading to what?” Aldren shook his head. “I don't know.” Suddenly— BOOM! The noise made the shelves tremble. Everyone turned. A second impact echoed. Closer this time. Kael immediately stood. Darius was already on his feet. “That came from outside.” A cry echoed through the corridor. Then another sound. Footsteps. Fast. Ethan moved toward the door. “Someone entered the eastern wing.” Kael closed the register. “Darius.” “I'm on it.” The knight left the room. Kael followed. Lucian and Aldren grabbed their weapons as well. They had barely gone ten meters when a Black Raven knight appeared at the end of the corridor. “Patriarch!” He stopped in front of them. “Several men have breached the outer wall!” Darius turned around. “How many?” “At least six.” Kael narrowed his eyes slightly. “Where?” “Near the gardens.” Kael immediately understood. The greenhouse. “They're looking for something.” Darius nodded. “Or someone.” Kael moved without waiting. Ethan followed. “Kael!” They crossed the corridor at full speed. When they reached the gardens, several Black Raven knights were already moving into position. Dark figures were running between the trees. One of them was heading straight toward the greenhouse. Kael stopped. His gaze turned cold. “There.” Darius drew his sword. “I'll handle it.” The knight disappeared into the gardens almost immediately. Kael moved forward. A man suddenly emerged from behind a tree. He threw a blade in Kael's direction. Kael raised his hand. A layer of aura surrounded his arm. CLANG! The blade was deflected. Kael lunged forward. The man tried to retreat. Too late. Kael struck his wrist. The weapon fell. A second blow forced him to his knees. But another opponent appeared behind Kael. Ethan intervened. His sword blocked the attack. “You could warn me when you're starting a fight!” Kael glanced at his brother. “You came anyway.” “Obviously.” They fought side by side. Ethan blocked one attack while Kael struck the opening. Their opponent stumbled backward. Then a powerful wave of aura swept across the garden. Darius. One of the intruders had attacked him with a weapon reinforced by aura. Darius blocked the strike. The ground beneath his feet cracked slightly. “Not bad,” he said. The man attacked again. Darius pivoted. His sword struck the side of the opponent's weapon. The man lost his balance. Darius immediately placed his blade against his neck. “Down.” The man obeyed. Farther away, two other intruders attempted to reach the greenhouse. The Black Raven knights intercepted them. The fight was brief. But one of the men still managed to slip through. Kael saw him. He was running toward the greenhouse. “Darius!” The knight turned. Kael was already moving. The man entered the greenhouse. Kael followed. The flowers were violently pushed aside as the intruder passed through them. The man headed straight toward the old structure bearing the symbol. Kael understood. “You knew.” The man turned. He did not answer. He drew a small blade. Kael stepped forward. “What are you looking for?” Silence. The man attacked. Kael dodged. He felt the blade pass close to his shoulder. He caught the man's wrist and slammed him against the structure. The wood shook. Part of the panel broke loose. The man looked behind Kael. His expression changed. He had seen something. Kael turned. A small cavity had appeared behind the panel. But before he could look inside, the man drove a knee into him and broke free. He ran toward the exit. Kael was about to pursue him when a voice sounded behind him. “Kael!” Darius had entered. The man threw something onto the ground. A thick cloud of smoke spread throughout the greenhouse. Kael stepped back. Darius raised his arm in front of him. “Don't breathe!” A few seconds later, the smoke began to clear. The man was gone. Kael looked toward the exit. Then at the cavity. “He wanted this.” Darius approached. Inside the cavity was a small metal box. Kael picked it up. It was empty. Darius examined the inside. “He took something.” Kael looked at the ground. A small piece of paper lay among the flowers. He picked it up. Only one sentence had been written on it. “You arrived too late.” Ethan entered the greenhouse. “Is everyone all right?” Kael showed him the paper. Ethan read it. His expression became serious. “They knew we were searching here.” Darius looked at the symbol carved into the wood. “And they knew exactly where to look.” Kael remained silent. A few minutes later, Aldren arrived with Lucian. Behind them, the knights had captured three of the intruders. The others had managed to escape. Aldren looked at the greenhouse. Then the cavity. Then the message. He remained silent. “Aldren?” Kael asked. The old commander raised his eyes. “Your father was right.” Kael froze. “About what?” Aldren looked at the symbol. “He knew someone would eventually return here.” A heavy silence settled over them. Kael tightened his grip slightly around the paper. “So now…” His gaze moved toward the forest beyond the gardens. “…they know we've found V-17.” Darius stepped beside him. “And we know they're looking for something.” Kael nodded. This was no longer simply about uncovering the past. Someone, somewhere, had just realized that the Veyrons had started searching again. And that person had decided not to wait.

The Veyron's Archives