The night was almost over when the last of the intruders was captured. The Veyron estate had finally grown quiet again. At least, on the surface. In the inner courtyard, several Black Raven knights escorted the prisoners toward a secured room. Their weapons had been taken from them. Magical restraints bound their wrists, preventing them from using their aura. Some were injured. None of them spoke. Kael stood in the middle of the courtyard, his dark coat resting over his shoulders. Darius arrived a few seconds later. — Six prisoners. Kael turned toward him. — All alive? — Yes. A few are injured, but nothing serious. Kael nodded. — And ours? — A few minor injuries. Nothing serious. Ethan joined them. His expression was far more serious than it had been a few hours earlier. — The greenhouse is secure. Kael looked at him. — And the compartment? Ethan hesitated. — Empty. Kael frowned slightly. — The box? — Gone. Darius looked at Ethan. — The key too. Kael remained silent. He had given the notebook to Darius before leaving to fight. But he hadn't thought about the key. Someone had taken it during the attack. Or perhaps before. Ethan crossed his arms. — They knew exactly where to look. Kael nodded. — And they knew there was something in the greenhouse. Darius added: — They didn't come here to attack the estate. Kael turned toward him. — No. — They came looking for something. Lucian appeared behind them. He was holding the black notebook. — And now we probably know what. Kael looked at the notebook. — The key? Lucian shook his head. — Not just that. He opened the notebook to the page they had discovered earlier. Then he handed it to Ethan. Ethan read silently. THE DOOR IS NOT AT ASTERIA. He stared at the sentence for several seconds. — We already knew that. Kael nodded. — But now we know why they came here. Ethan looked up. — They think the real door is somewhere on Veyron territory. Lucian gently corrected him. — Or that something here can lead them to it. Darius looked toward the prisoners. — Either way, they know something. Kael took the notebook. — I'm going to talk to them. Ethan frowned. — Now? — Now. Darius sighed. — You just came back from a battle. Kael looked at him. — I'm fine. — That's not the point. Kael remained silent. Darius eventually gave in. — Fine. But I'm staying with you. — I wasn't going to ask you to leave. Darius gave him a slight smile. — Good. --- The interrogation room was located in an isolated part of the estate. There was nothing impressive about it. A table. A few chairs. Protective runes carved into the walls. And a small window overlooking the courtyard. The six prisoners had been separated. Kael entered the room where the first one was being held. Darius remained by the door. Lucian accompanied him. The prisoner slowly raised his head. A cut ran across his eyebrow. His expression remained cold. Kael sat across from him. — Who sent you? No answer. Kael waited a few seconds. — Why did you come here? Still nothing. The prisoner finally smiled. — You really think we're going to talk? Kael didn't answer. He simply placed V-18 on the table. The prisoner's expression changed. Only slightly. But Kael noticed. — You recognize this. The prisoner looked away. Kael picked up the metal piece. — You came here looking for something. — We found nothing. — That's a lie. The prisoner said nothing. Kael placed V-18 in front of him. — You know what these objects are. The prisoner looked at the metal. — I don't know what you're talking about. Darius spoke from the doorway. — Yet you looked at that piece like you've seen it before. The prisoner remained silent. Kael stayed calm. — How many are there? Several seconds passed. Then the prisoner answered: — I don't know. Kael waited. — We were told there were several pieces. — How many? The prisoner hesitated. — At least eighteen. Kael exchanged a glance with Darius. They had already heard that number. The prisoners captured at Asteria had said the same thing. Kael continued. — And what are they for? — Opening passages. Lucian stepped slightly closer. — What passages? The prisoner shook his head. — I don't know. Kael stared at him. — You know more than that. The prisoner smiled. — Maybe. Kael remained silent. Then he slowly placed the notebook on the table. The prisoner went pale. This time, his reaction was impossible to miss. Kael watched him. — You know this notebook. — No. — You're lying. — I don't know what that is. Kael opened the notebook. His father's handwriting appeared on the page. The prisoner immediately looked away. Kael closed the notebook. — Why are you afraid of it? The prisoner didn't answer. — Is it connected to the Watcher? The prisoner froze. Darius straightened slightly. Lucian watched the man carefully. Kael didn't move. — The Watcher. The prisoner slowly lowered his eyes. — You know that name... — Yes. — You shouldn't. — Why? The prisoner remained silent. Kael waited. Finally, he whispered: — Because the Watcher doesn't want the heirs to understand too soon. Kael frowned slightly. — The heirs? The prisoner didn't answer. — How many are there? Silence. — How many heirs have used these pieces? The prisoner shook his head. — I don't know. Kael studied his face. This time, he didn't seem to be lying. — Then what do you know? The prisoner slowly inhaled. — We knew that one of the pieces had been activated. Kael's gaze hardened. — V-18. The prisoner nodded. — Yes. — Where? — Asteria. — How did you know? — The Watcher told us. Lucian stepped forward. — He sent you here? — Yes. — Why? The prisoner looked at Kael. — Because after the activation, something changed. Kael waited. — What? The prisoner lowered his voice. — The old structure began responding. A heavy silence filled the room. Kael immediately thought of A-03. — You knew about A-03? The prisoner hesitated. — That name... no. Kael frowned. — Then what did you know? — A room beneath A-02. Darius exchanged a glance with Kael. The prisoner continued. — We were told there was something beneath that room. — What? — We don't know. — And the Watcher? — He knew. Kael leaned forward slightly. — Then why didn't you ask him? The prisoner gave a short laugh. — You don't ask questions to the Watcher. — Why? This time, the prisoner looked directly at Kael. — Because no one knows who he is. --- Kael left the room a few minutes later. Darius closed the door behind him. Ethan was waiting in the hallway. — Well? Kael handed him the notebook. — They knew about V-18. Ethan looked at it. — And? — They were sent by the Watcher. Ethan remained silent. — Him again... Lucian nodded. — They confirmed that there are several pieces like V-18. — Eighteen? — At least. Ethan looked at the notebook. — And they think the real door is here? Kael shook his head. — Not exactly. He paused. — They think there's something here connected to the door. Ethan looked toward the gardens. — The greenhouse. Kael nodded. — Probably. Darius crossed his arms. — But why would your father hide it there? Kael looked at the notebook. — I don't know. Lucian answered quietly: — Maybe because no one would think to search the greenhouse. Kael thought for a moment. — Except someone did. Silence fell again. Ethan took a breath. — There's still one thing. Kael looked up. — What? He pointed at the notebook. — The inscription. He indicated the cover. — “The door is not at Asteria.” Kael nodded. — Yes. — If what they said is true, then Asteria was only a starting point. Lucian added: — And Veyron could be another access point. Kael looked toward the windows. The gardens were still covered in darkness. — Or something much more important. Darius remained silent. Kael opened the notebook again. He reread the two sentences written by his father. If you are reading this, then the door at Asteria has awakened. And if it has awakened, then they know you have returned. Kael slowly turned the page. Then he stopped. Part of the binding looked slightly different. He frowned. — Wait. Ethan moved closer. — What? Kael ran his finger along the inside edge of the notebook. — A page is missing. Lucian examined the binding. — Are you sure? — Yes. Darius carefully took the notebook. — It was removed. Kael nodded. — Someone tore it out. Ethan looked at his brother. — Your father? Kael remained silent. Then he shook his head. — I don't know. Lucian studied the notebook. — If that page contained something important, someone may have wanted to make sure it was never found. Kael looked at the inscription on the cover. FOR THE ONE WHO RETURNS. Then he thought about the intruders. The greenhouse. The missing key. The Watcher. And the strange certainty that his father had expected him to return. — We're going to search the estate. Darius raised his eyes. — The whole estate? — Not yet. Kael looked at Ethan. — Start with the old family archives. Ethan nodded. — And you? Kael turned toward the gardens. — I'm going back to the greenhouse. Darius sighed. — Of course you are. Kael gave him a slight smile. — You can come with me. — I was going to anyway. Lucian gently closed the notebook. — Then let's go. They began walking down the hallway. But Kael suddenly stopped. Something had come back to him. An image. A very small fragment of a childhood memory. The greenhouse. His father. A red light. And a sentence. He couldn't remember everything. Only a few words. “Never touch the blue flower.” Kael remained still. Ethan turned around. — Kael? He didn't answer immediately. His eyes were fixed toward the gardens. Then he whispered: — I think I remember something. Darius stepped closer. — What? Kael slowly raised his eyes. — My father told me never to touch one of the flowers in the greenhouse. Lucian frowned. — Which one? Kael didn't answer. He already knew. The dark-blue flower. The one his mother had loved. The one he had looked at the night before. And suddenly, that simple flower didn't seem quite so innocent anymore.

Those Who Came