The forest had fallen silent. Too silent. Kael stood near the old stone wall, staring at the small hidden door beneath the tangled branches. The lock was new. That much was obvious. Someone had installed it recently. But who? And more importantly, what were they trying to hide? Darius crouched beside the entrance, examining the ground without touching anything. “There are footprints here,” he said. “Several sets.” Aldren approached slowly. “How recent?” “Recent enough.” Darius glanced toward the forest. “But they aren't all from the same person.” Kael's eyes narrowed. “So there was more than one.” “Most likely.” Ethan folded his arms. “And one of them knew exactly where this place was.” Kael remained silent. The attack on the estate had already been unsettling enough. Now they had discovered another hidden structure, apparently connected to the same mystery. Someone had been moving through Veyron territory. Someone who knew things they shouldn't have known. Darius suddenly stood. “Wait.” Everyone turned toward him. He was staring at the ground several meters away. “There.” A faint mark had been left in the mud. A boot print. Darius followed it with his eyes. “Someone left this way.” Aldren immediately understood. “Then what are we waiting for?” Darius looked at Kael. Kael gave a small nod. “Go.” Darius signaled to four Black Raven knights nearby. “You heard him. We're moving.” The knights followed him into the forest. Kael watched them disappear between the trees. Ethan sighed. “I don't like this.” “Neither do I,” Kael replied. Lucian looked at him. “You're staying here.” Kael turned toward him. “I'm not going to sit and wait.” “You're the patriarch of House Veyron.” “And that's precisely why I need to know what's happening on my territory.” Lucian frowned, but Aldren interrupted before the discussion could escalate. “He's right.” Lucian looked at the old commander. Aldren continued: “If someone has been using these passages without our knowledge, we need to know where they lead.” Ethan gave a reluctant nod. “Fine. But we don't split up.” Kael glanced toward the forest. “Agreed.” --- Several minutes passed. Then came the sound of steel. Kael immediately turned his head. A clash echoed through the trees. Ethan drew his sword. “That wasn't far.” Kael was already moving. Lucian followed. Aldren cursed under his breath before running after them. They reached a small clearing. Darius was fighting someone. The stranger wore dark clothing and kept his face hidden beneath a hood. He moved quickly, avoiding Darius's strikes with surprising precision. Darius stepped forward. The stranger blocked his sword. “You're faster than the last time.” Darius froze for half a second. “You know me?” The stranger smiled beneath his hood. “I know more than your name.” Darius's expression hardened. “Then you know who you're dealing with.” “I do.” The stranger pushed him back and immediately disappeared behind a cloud of smoke. Darius coughed and stepped away. “Damn it!” Kael reached the clearing just as the smoke began to dissipate. “Where is he?” “Gone.” Darius looked toward the trees. “He knew my name.” Kael's expression became colder. “What else did he say?” “That he knows the names of those protecting House Veyron.” Ethan's grip tightened around his sword. “So they have information on us.” “Apparently,” Darius answered. One of the knights approached. “We searched the area. Nothing.” Darius looked down. Something black was lying near the edge of the clearing. He picked it up. A small piece of torn fabric. On it was the same symbol they had discovered at V-17 and in the greenhouse. The vertical line. The two marks. And the V. Kael stared at it. “They're connected.” Aldren's face became serious. “Yes.” Darius folded the fabric and handed it to Kael. “There's something else.” He pointed toward the trees. Behind a thick group of branches stood an old stone wall. At first, it looked like nothing more than another ruined part of the estate's forgotten boundaries. But now that they were looking closely, they could see a small metal handle. Kael approached. He pushed the branches aside. A narrow door was built into the wall. Unlike the ruins around it, the door wasn't damaged. And the lock was almost new. Ethan stared at it. “Another one?” Kael didn't answer. Darius examined the lock. “This wasn't here by accident.” “Can you open it?” Ethan asked. Darius shook his head. “I could try.” Kael stopped him. “No.” Everyone looked at him. Kael's eyes remained fixed on the door. “Don't open it.” Darius frowned. “Kael—” “Whoever installed that lock wanted someone to use this door.” He looked at the fresh metal. “And I don't think they expected us to find it.” Aldren slowly nodded. “He's right.” Ethan stepped closer. “So what do we do?” Kael took one last look at the door. “We leave it.” Darius raised an eyebrow. “You're seriously suggesting we walk away from a hidden door on our own land?” “For now.” Kael turned around. “We need to understand what we're dealing with before we open anything else.” Darius didn't look convinced, but he respected the decision. “Understood.” They returned toward the estate. None of them noticed the faint movement behind the door. --- Back at Veyron, the archives had become the center of their investigation. The black register was still lying open on the table. V-17. The torn page. The old map. The greenhouse symbol. Everything seemed connected. But every answer only created another question. Kael stood over the map while Ethan, Lucian, Aldren and Darius gathered around him. “They knew about V-17,” Ethan said. “They knew about the greenhouse,” Lucian added. “And now they know about Darius.” Darius crossed his arms. “They probably know more than that.” Kael looked at the black fabric on the table. “They've been here before.” Aldren nodded. “And they may have been watching the estate for some time.” Silence filled the room. Then Noah's voice came from the doorway. “So... that's definitely not good.” Everyone turned. Noah stood there with Lysandra and Adrian. Adrian's eyes immediately went to the map. “What happened?” Kael explained briefly. Noah's expression became serious. “Someone broke into the estate, someone escaped, and now you found another secret door?” “Yes.” Noah stared at him. “You really know how to make a vacation complicated.” Despite everything, Ethan let out a quiet laugh. Kael almost smiled. Almost. Lysandra stepped closer to the table. “Did you find anything that tells you who they are?” “No,” Kael said. Adrian studied the map. “But they seem to know the old Veyron system.” Aldren looked at him. “That's what worries me.” Adrian pointed toward the V-17 marking. “If they know about these locations, they may have access to old records.” Kael's eyes narrowed. “The archives.” “Exactly.” The room became quiet again. Kael slowly looked toward the shelves. There were hundreds of documents in the Veyron archives. Thousands, perhaps. And somewhere among them could be the answer. Or another door. Another location. Another piece of his father's unfinished investigation. Kael closed the register. “We continue searching tomorrow.” Darius nodded. “And the door?” Kael looked toward him. “No one touches it.” Darius smiled faintly. “I thought you might say that.” Kael turned toward the window. Outside, the estate looked peaceful. The gardens were quiet. The greenhouse stood beneath the evening sky. Everything appeared normal. But Kael knew better now. Someone had returned to Veyron. Someone who knew the old secrets. Someone who knew Darius's name. And somewhere beyond the walls, the hidden door remained closed. For the moment. Kael's eyes narrowed. “The hunt has already begun.” Far away, behind the old stone wall, a faint light appeared beneath the hidden door. Then, just as quickly as it had appeared... It went out.

The Hunt Begins