The door continued to open. Slowly. Far too slowly. Every movement of the metal produced a deep rumble that echoed throughout the underground chamber. Kael didn't move. His red eyes remained fixed on the narrow gap appearing between the two doors. Behind him, Darius still held his sword. Ethan kept the two prisoners under watch. Aldren and Lucian had just reached the bottom of the stairs. Aldren stopped dead when he saw the door. “It’s opening…” Kael turned his head slightly. “You knew it could do that?” “No.” For once, Aldren looked genuinely shaken. The door opened a little farther. A faint white light appeared behind it. It wasn't an aggressive magical light. It was something much older. And much colder. Darius narrowed his eyes. “I don't like this.” Ethan sighed. “For once, we agree.” Kael took a step forward. Darius immediately grabbed his arm. “Wait.” Kael looked at him. “Darius.” “No.” “It called me.” Darius fell silent. “Exactly.” Kael glanced down at Darius's hand. The piece of metal marked 18 was still glowing faintly. Darius finally let go. “I’m going first.” Kael nodded. Darius slowly moved forward. Then he crossed the threshold. Nothing happened. He looked around. “It's empty.” Kael entered behind him. The room beyond the door was enormous. Unlike the previous chambers, there were no symbols covering the walls. No statues. No chests. No weapons. Only a huge circular chamber. At the center stood a metallic structure. A black column rose from the floor all the way to the ceiling. Thin silver lines ran across its surface. Ethan stepped inside. “What is that?” Lucian studied the structure. “I don't know.” Aldren entered behind them. He stopped. His eyes settled on the column. Then his expression changed. “Your father told me about something like this.” Kael turned. “What?” Aldren ran a hand over his face. “Years ago, your father asked me if I'd ever heard of a room with no purpose.” Kael frowned. “And what did you tell him?” “That a room like that didn't exist.” “And him?” Aldren looked around. “He told me I was wrong.” Kael approached the column. A faint vibration passed through the floor. Darius raised his sword. “Kael.” “I know.” The column lit up. A silver line moved across its surface. Then another. Then another. Until they formed the same symbol. The V. Kael looked at the piece of metal in his hand. He understood. “It's a key.” Darius shook his head. “No.” Kael looked at him. Darius pointed toward the column. “A key opens something.” He looked around the chamber. “This looks more like a control system.” Lucian stepped closer. “Maybe it's both.” Kael studied the structure. Then a small opening appeared in the center. Exactly the size of the metal piece. Ethan let out a breath. “Well…” Darius looked at Kael. “Don't.” Kael stared at him. “You already know what I'm going to do.” “Yeah.” “Then why bother?” “Because I still have hope.” Kael almost smiled. Then he placed the metal piece into the opening. A deep click echoed through the chamber. The entire column lit up. And suddenly… Every light in the room turned on. Darius stepped back. Ethan raised an arm to shield his eyes. Hundreds of lines appeared across the walls. Not inscriptions. Maps. Blueprints. Dozens of different sectors. Kael moved closer. He immediately recognized some of them. “The Veyron estate…” One map showed their home. Another displayed the old V-12 through V-17 facilities. Then a third appeared. Kael froze. “Asteria.” Lucian quickly stepped closer. “That's impossible…” The map of the academy was far older than the current building. Some passages no longer existed. Others ran directly beneath the foundations. And at the center of the map… A red circle. Kael stared at it. “What is that?” Lucian remained silent. “Lucian?” “I don't know.” Kael turned toward him. “You're lying.” Lucian met his eyes. Then sighed. “I only know that your father was looking for something beneath Asteria.” Kael froze. “What?” “I don't know what.” Aldren spoke up. “He never told me either.” Kael looked back at the map. A new point appeared. Then another. Then another. They formed a line. From the Veyron estate… All the way to Asteria. Darius studied the map. “These points match the facilities.” Kael nodded slowly. “V-12.” One point lit up. “V-13.” A second. Then V-14. V-15. V-16. V-17. And finally… V-18. The last point was located beneath the Veyron estate. But another mark appeared beside it. A single letter. A. Kael frowned. “A.” Lucian stared at the mark. His expression changed slightly. “Alaric.” Kael immediately turned. “Daven?” Lucian nodded. “Maybe.” A violent noise suddenly came from behind them. Darius turned. One of the prisoners had gotten back to his feet. “Don't let them activate the system!” Ethan rushed toward him. But the second prisoner threw something onto the ground. Black smoke exploded through the room. “Ethan!” Darius turned. Too late. Both men disappeared into the smoke. Darius chased after them. “Stop!” One of the prisoners turned around. He threw a small blade. Darius dodged it. But when he looked up… Both men were gone. Darius returned to the others. “They wanted us to activate this.” Kael looked at the column. “Why?” He didn't get an answer. The map changed. The red circle beneath Asteria disappeared. In its place, a new message appeared. A single sentence. PROTOCOL V-18 — PHASE ONE COMPLETE. Ethan looked at Kael. “Phase one?” Kael's expression hardened. “Yeah.” Darius stared at the room. “And what's phase two?” A second sentence appeared. This time, it wasn't written in an ancient language. It was perfectly readable. RETURN THE HEIR TO THE ACADEMY. Silence filled the room. Kael read the sentence again. Then a third line appeared. THE GATE IS WAITING. Lucian went pale. Kael slowly turned toward him. “Which gate?” Lucian didn't answer. Kael took a step closer. “Lucian.” His uncle closed his eyes. Then whispered: “The one your father was searching for.” A deep rumble shook the chamber. The column went dark. The door behind them slammed shut. And somewhere, far beneath Asteria… Something had just awakened. Kael looked at Darius. “We're going back to the academy.” Darius nodded. “Tonight?” Kael stared at the map, now completely dark. “No.” He tightened his grip around the metal piece. “Right now.”

What Was Waiting Behind