Kael stepped onto the first stair. The blue light beneath the greenhouse flickered. Behind him, no one moved. Darius still had his sword in hand. Ethan stood a few steps away, ready to act at the slightest sign of danger. Aldren and Lucian watched the surroundings while several Black Raven knights surrounded the greenhouse. Kael went down another step. Then another. The staircase was narrow and ancient. The stones looked like they had been carved long before the greenhouse itself had been built. The light was coming from somewhere below. “Kael, wait.” It was Darius. Kael stopped. “What?” “We don’t know what’s down there.” Kael glanced over his shoulder. “That’s exactly why we need to find out.” Darius sighed. “I knew you were gonna say that.” Ethan stepped onto the stairs. “Then we’re going together.” Kael nodded. Darius moved in front of him. “I’m going first.” “Darius…” “No.” He gave him a serious look. “For once, let me do my job.” Kael stayed silent. Then he nodded. Darius went down. Ethan followed. Kael brought up the rear. After about ten steps, the staircase opened into a small underground room. The chamber was much older than anything they had discovered so far. The walls were made of dark stone. Some of them were covered in nearly faded markings. A stone table stood in the center. And on top of it... The black box. Kael slowly approached. It was small. Barely larger than his hand. There was no visible lock. No obvious symbol. And yet Kael recognized it immediately. “It’s this one.” Ethan looked at him. “You really recognize it?” Kael frowned. “I’ve seen it before.” “Where?” Kael stayed silent. An image flashed through his mind. A room lit by a fireplace. His father sitting at a table. Kael, much younger, standing beside him. The same box. Then his father’s voice. Not yet. The memory vanished. Kael brought a hand to his temple. Darius noticed. “Kael?” “I’m fine.” “You sure?” Kael looked up. “Yeah.” He moved closer to the table. The blue light seemed to be coming from underneath the box. Darius raised a hand. “Don’t touch it.” Kael stopped. “Why?” “Because everything we’ve found today is telling us not to.” Ethan looked around the walls. “He’s right. We don’t even know what it does.” Kael looked at the box. “My father knew.” Darius answered calmly. “Your father isn’t here to explain it to us.” Kael remained still. Then he slowly reached out. His fingers were only a few inches from the lid. The light grew brighter. A vibration suddenly ran through the room. Darius fully drew his sword. “Back up!” Kael didn't have time to answer. The box opened on its own. A sharp click echoed through the room. The lid lifted. Inside was a small circular metal piece. Kael recognized it immediately. It was made of the same metal as the piece they had found inside the clock. Ethan stared at it. “Another piece…” But that wasn't all. Beneath the metal piece was a folded sheet of paper. Old. Yellowed with age. Kael carefully picked it up. He unfolded it. A few words were written across the page. He read them. His expression changed. “What is it?” Darius asked. Kael didn't answer. Ethan stepped closer. “Kael?” Kael handed him the paper. Ethan read it. His expression immediately became serious. “That’s Dad’s handwriting.” Darius moved closer. “What does it say?” Kael looked at the sentence again. Then he answered: “If you’re reading this, it means the house has started opening its doors again.” A heavy silence followed. Aldren, who had just reached the bottom of the stairs, heard the sentence. His expression immediately changed. “No…” Kael turned toward him. “You know that sentence?” Aldren didn't answer. He was staring at the box. Then at the metal piece. “Aldren?” The old commander slowly descended the last few steps. “I’ve heard those words before.” Kael straightened. “When?” Aldren was silent for a few seconds. “Years ago.” “With my father?” “Yes.” Aldren’s voice had grown deeper. “He asked me never to speak about that conversation.” Kael tightened his grip on the paper. “Why?” “Because he believed someone was already watching the house.” Darius exchanged a glance with Ethan. “And you never told us?” Aldren shook his head. “I didn’t know things would start again.” A loud noise suddenly came from above. Everyone looked up. A crash. Then another. Darius immediately turned around. “Someone’s in the greenhouse.” Kael quickly put the paper away. “How many?” A knight shouted from the entrance: “Several figures!” Then the sound of breaking glass echoed through the greenhouse. Ethan drew his sword. “They’re back.” Darius looked at Kael. “Stay here.” Kael gave him a cold look. “Absolutely not.” Darius sighed. “I knew you were gonna say that.” They rushed back upstairs. The moment they reached the greenhouse, a figure moved between the flowers. Then another. The Black Raven knights immediately sprang into action. “Left!” A man suddenly appeared behind a row of plants. One of the knights blocked his attack. The clash of steel echoed throughout the greenhouse. Darius lunged forward. His sword slammed against the intruder’s. “You should’ve left.” The man stepped back. “We didn’t come for you.” Darius narrowed his eyes. “Then why are you here?” The intruder didn't answer. He threw something onto the ground. A thick cloud of smoke immediately spread through the greenhouse. “Watch out!” Kael stepped back. Their visibility almost completely disappeared. Footsteps echoed around them. Ethan shouted: “Kael!” “I’m here!” A figure emerged from the smoke. He rushed straight toward Kael. Darius intercepted him. The impact forced both of them backward. The intruder struck again. Darius blocked. Then Ethan came in from the side, forcing the man back. “You’re gonna have to do better than that.” The intruder looked at Ethan. “The eldest son…” Ethan froze. “What?” The man smiled. “You’re exactly like the files described.” Darius attacked. The intruder dodged and jumped backward. But Kael was already standing in front of him. Their eyes met. The man froze. One second. Two. Then his expression changed. “You…” Kael didn't move. “What?” The man took a small step back. “You shouldn’t be here.” Kael clenched his fingers. “This is my home.” A faint dark aura appeared around him. The intruder felt it. The smile disappeared from his face. “The Echo…” Kael raised his eyes. “You know my power?” The man didn't answer. He threw a small capsule onto the ground. Darius shouted: “Kael!” A burst of light exploded. Everyone closed their eyes. When the light disappeared, the intruder was gone. But something had been left behind. A piece of metal. Kael picked it up. The same symbol. The vertical line. The two marks. The V. But this time, something had been added beneath the symbol. A number. 18. Kael stared at the metal. Aldren arrived behind him. He went pale. “What?” Kael handed him the piece. Aldren looked at it. Then whispered: “V-18…” Kael slowly raised his eyes. “There’s a V-18?” Aldren remained silent. Darius stepped closer. “Aldren.” The old commander closed his eyes for a moment. “Yes.” Ethan frowned. “Then why does the register stop at V-17?” Aldren looked at the piece of metal. “Because V-18 was never supposed to exist.” Kael felt a chill run down his back. “What was it?” Aldren looked toward the greenhouse. Then toward the door leading underground. “I don't know.” He paused. “But your father did.” Kael said nothing. The piece of metal in his hand felt strangely warm. Then another vibration ran through the greenhouse. The underground door slammed shut. Kael turned. The black box, still sitting in the room below, had lit up again. And this time… A second light had appeared inside it. As if something had just answered. Kael stared at the entrance. Darius moved to his side. “We going back down there?” Kael looked at the box. Then at the piece marked 18. “Yeah.” He tightened his grip around the metal piece. “This time, we’re gonna find out what my father was trying to hide.”

The Black Box