The tremor continued. It wasn't violent enough to damage the academy, but it was impossible to ignore. The floor beneath their feet vibrated every few seconds, sending a faint rumble through the ancient chamber. Kael stood before the massive door. The red lights beyond it had disappeared. Yet something was still there. Something was waiting. Darius remained beside him, one hand resting near the hilt of his sword. “You're not going in alone.” Kael glanced at him. “I never said I was.” “You were thinking about it.” Kael didn't answer. Darius gave him a knowing look. “That’s what I thought.” Noah let out a nervous breath. “For once, I completely agree with Darius.” Lysandra looked toward the door. “Whatever is behind it knows Kael. That's enough reason not to let him go in alone.” Adrian nodded. “And if this system was connected to his father, there's no telling what kind of security measures are still active.” Kael looked at the others. No one was backing down. A faint smile almost appeared on his face. “Fine.” He turned back toward the door. “We go together.” Lucian stepped closer. “Then let's see what your father left behind.” Kael raised the metal plate marked A-01. The instant it came close to the door, the entire chamber went silent. Then— Click. Something activated behind the stone. A thin line of pale light appeared across the door. Letters slowly formed above it. A-01 — INITIALIZATION Everyone froze. Another line appeared. PRESENCE RECOGNIZED. Kael's eyes narrowed. The system continued. IDENTIFYING… The light moved across Kael's body. He felt a strange sensation pass through him. It wasn't painful. It felt more like being examined. Then the system stopped. For several seconds, nothing happened. Finally, new words appeared. HEIR IDENTIFIED. Noah stared at the inscription. “Okay…” He looked at Kael. “That sounds extremely specific.” Kael ignored him. The system continued. GENETIC SIGNATURE — VERIFIED. HOUSE VEYRON — VERIFIED. Kael's expression remained calm, but his eyes hardened. Then another line appeared. SECONDARY ENERGY DETECTED. Adrian stepped closer. “Secondary energy?” The system began analyzing it. ANOMALOUS ENERGY SIGNATURE. A pause. Then— IDENTIFICATION IN PROGRESS. Kael felt the strange pressure in the air increase. His Echo reacted instinctively. A faint dark aura appeared around his hand. Darius immediately noticed. “Kael.” “I've got it.” The system continued. ENERGY SIGNATURE IDENTIFIED. The next words appeared slowly. ECHO OF THE VOID. Silence. Noah's expression changed. Lysandra stared at Kael. Adrian looked at the inscription with intense concentration. Even Lucian seemed unsettled. Kael himself didn't move. The system displayed another message. THREAT LEVEL: UNKNOWN. For the first time, Lucian's expression became serious. “Unknown…” Adrian frowned. “It doesn't know how dangerous the Echo is.” “Or,” Lucian said quietly, “it knows that its normal classifications aren't enough.” Kael looked at the door. Another line appeared. ACCESS AUTHORIZED. The massive door began to move. Stone groaned against stone. A deep mechanical sound echoed through the chamber. The entrance slowly opened. Beyond it was darkness. Then lights began appearing one after another. The group entered. The room on the other side was enormous. Black columns rose toward a ceiling they could barely see. Hundreds of thin metal plates floated in the air, arranged in perfect circles. Some were covered in ancient writing. Others carried symbols. Adrian moved closer to one of them. “A…” He looked around. “A-01.” Then another. “A-02.” And another. “A-03.” Kael's eyes moved across the chamber. Then he saw them. V-12. V-13. V-14. V-15. V-16. V-17. And finally— V-18. Kael stopped. “These aren't separate systems.” Adrian looked at him. “What?” Kael pointed toward the floating plates. “They're connected.” Adrian studied the arrangement. His eyes widened. “V-18…” He looked toward the center of the room. “A-01.” The realization slowly settled over his face. “V-18 wasn't the destination.” Kael understood. “It was a route.” Lucian nodded. “The Veyron system was an entrance.” Kael looked toward the enormous structure at the center of the chamber. “And Asteria was where it led.” A low hum suddenly filled the room. The central platform activated. A circular symbol appeared beneath it. Kael recognized it immediately. The same shape. The same design. The same system his father had been searching for. He reached into his coat and took out the metal piece marked 18. Darius looked at him. “You're sure?” “No.” Kael stepped forward anyway. He placed the metal piece onto the symbol. The chamber came alive. Light spread across the floor. The floating plates rotated. Then a figure appeared above the central platform. A projection. A man. Kael froze. His father's face. Younger than the last time Kael remembered seeing him. His expression was serious. Beside him stood another man. His face was hidden in shadow. Kael stared at the projection. “Dad…” The image remained silent. His father placed something on the table in front of him. The black box. The same box Kael had found beneath the greenhouse. Kael's eyes narrowed. Then the system spoke. LAST ACTIVATION: 16 YEARS AGO. Everyone went still. Kael's father had activated the system sixteen years ago. The same year Kael was born. Another message appeared. NEXT TRANSFER: HEIR. Kael's breathing slowed. Then— SCHEDULED DATE: TODAY. Noah stared at the words. “Today?” Lysandra looked at Kael. “Your father planned for you to come here.” Kael didn't answer. He couldn't. His father hadn't simply left clues behind. He had prepared something. Something specifically for him. The projection changed. His father's image disappeared. The shadowed man beside him remained. Then the figure turned toward them. A voice echoed through the chamber. “You finally made it.” Darius immediately stepped forward. “Who are you?” The man didn't answer. Instead, his gaze settled directly on Kael. “I was told never to seek you out.” Kael's eyes narrowed. “By my father?” “Yes.” The man paused. “He made me promise that if I ever came to you…” His expression became serious. “…it would mean something had gone wrong.” Kael stared at him. “What went wrong?” The man remained silent for several seconds. Then he said: “More than your father ever imagined.” The chamber went quiet again. A deep sound echoed somewhere beneath them. Another section of the ancient system activated. A second door appeared at the far end of the chamber. Words formed across its surface. ACCESS TO UPPER LEVEL Below them: AUTHORIZATION: KAEL VEYRON Everyone turned toward Kael. Darius slowly looked at him. “Upper level.” Kael stared at the door. He could feel the Echo stirring faintly inside him. Not violently. Almost as if it recognized something. Something waiting beyond that door. Kael took a step forward. Then another. He stopped in front of the entrance. His father's face returned to his mind. The black box. The hidden passages. The Veyron system. Asteria. Everything seemed to be connected. But one question remained. Why had his father waited until Kael was sixteen? And more importantly… What was supposed to happen now?

The Asteria System