Kael stepped through the doorway first. The moment his foot touched the first stone step, a faint blue light appeared beneath him. He stopped. The runes carved into the walls began to glow one after another. Darius immediately raised his hand. — Stay alert. Kael slowly looked around. The passage descended deeper beneath the old military pavilion. The air was cold. Not naturally cold. It carried the same strange sensation Kael had felt inside the hidden rooms beneath Veyron. Something was reacting to him. It recognizes me. The thought came almost instinctively. He didn't know how he knew. He simply did. Lysandra remained close behind him, while Nyxara moved silently along the other side of the passage. The Nocterys's red eyes scanned every corner. Darius noticed. — Even Nyxara doesn't like this place. Kael glanced at her. She had stopped. Her ears were pointed forward. Her gaze was fixed on the darkness ahead. — Neither do I. They continued. The staircase eventually opened into a large underground chamber. Kael stepped inside. His eyes widened slightly. Maps covered the walls. Hundreds of them. Some showed the Veyron territory. Others depicted parts of the Empire Kael had never seen. There were also several maps of Asteria. And one large map in the center. Kael approached it. Several locations had been marked with circles. Veyron. Asteria. And another region much farther west. Lorn. Kael stared at the name. So it really was connected. His father had not simply investigated three unrelated places. He had been following a path. A path that had apparently existed long before Kael was born. Darius approached the central map. — This room wasn't built recently. — No, Kael replied. He ran his fingers along the edge of the table. Dust covered the surface. But not everywhere. A few areas had been disturbed. Recently. Kael's expression hardened. — Someone has been here. Darius immediately drew his sword. Lysandra looked around. Nyxara lowered her body slightly. A sound came from the far end of the room. A quiet metallic click. Everyone turned. A shadow moved behind one of the pillars. Darius stepped forward. — Come out. Nothing happened. Then a man emerged. Kael immediately recognized him. The prisoner they had captured in the forest. His wrists were no longer bound. One of the knights who had been escorting him lay unconscious behind him. Darius's expression changed. — How did you— The man raised his hand. A dark sphere appeared in his palm. Smoke exploded across the room. Darius moved immediately. He struck through the smoke, but the stranger had already moved. Steel collided with steel. The sound echoed through the chamber. Kael stepped backward. He watched carefully. The man wasn't trying to kill them. He was trying to reach something. The console. Kael realized it at once. He's not here for us. He's here for the system. — Darius! Darius understood immediately. He changed direction and blocked the man's path. Their weapons clashed again. The stranger suddenly stepped back. — It isn't you they're afraid of. Darius frowned. — Who? The man smiled. — Those who know what's beneath this house. Kael felt a chill run through him. Beneath this house. The words echoed in his mind. His father's office. The greenhouse. V-17. The hidden passages. All of it seemed to lead somewhere deeper. The stranger looked at Darius. — You're still loyal. Darius's expression hardened. — I don't know what you're talking about. — You do. The man glanced toward Nyxara. His eyes widened. For the first time, genuine surprise crossed his face. — A Nocterys... Nyxara growled softly. The stranger took a step backward. — So it's true. Kael frowned. — What's true? The man looked at him. — Your father wasn't the last. Kael froze. For a brief moment, everything around him seemed to disappear. Wasn't the last... what? He wanted to ask. But the stranger turned sharply toward the console. Kael immediately understood. — He's going for the system! Darius moved. But the man was already touching the ancient mechanism. The entire chamber shook. Red light spread across the walls. The console activated. Ancient letters appeared. VEYRON ORIGIN — CONNECTION ESTABLISHED Kael stepped closer. Another line appeared. SECONDARY LOCATION DETECTED Then a designation appeared beneath it. L-03 Kael stared at it. L. Lorn. His heart tightened. So that's it. The third origin wasn't simply a category in his father's notes. It was a real location. Another door. Another place. Another piece of the same mystery. The stranger smiled. — Now you understand. Darius grabbed him by the arm. — Enough. The man didn't resist. Instead, he looked directly at Kael. — You shouldn't go there. Kael stared back. — Why? The man's smile disappeared. — Because your father did. Then he went silent. Before Kael could ask anything else, the system shut down. The lights vanished. The chamber fell into darkness. Only Nyxara's red eyes remained visible for a moment. Then Darius lit a small magical flame. — He's not going anywhere. The prisoner looked at him. — That's what you think. --- A few minutes later, Aldren arrived with several Black Raven knights. He entered the chamber and stopped immediately. His gaze traveled across the maps. Then to the ancient console. Finally, to Kael. — So you found it. Kael looked at him. — You knew this place existed? Aldren hesitated. — I knew there was an old connection room beneath the western lands. Darius frowned. — You never mentioned it. — Because I never thought it would matter again. Kael approached him. — My father knew about it. Aldren nodded. — Yes. — And he came here? — More than once. Kael looked toward the map. — What was he looking for? Aldren remained silent. Kael waited. This time, he didn't immediately press him. He could see the hesitation in the old commander's expression. There are still things they aren't telling me. The realization no longer surprised him. But it bothered him. Not because he expected everyone to know everything. Because every time someone refused to answer, another piece of his father's past seemed to disappear just beyond his reach. Aldren finally spoke. — Your father believed these places were connected. Kael looked at the three locations. Asteria. Veyron. Lorn. — He was right. Aldren didn't answer. He didn't need to. The activated console had already confirmed it. --- Later that evening, back at the estate, Ethan was waiting in the library. Several old documents were spread across the table. Kael entered with Darius and Lucian. Ethan immediately looked up. — You found something. Kael nodded. — L-03. Ethan frowned. — Lorn? — Probably. Ethan slowly exhaled. — I found something too. He pushed a document toward Kael. The seal was imperial. Kael picked it up. His eyes moved across the page. Then stopped. REQUEST FOR ACCESS TO WESTERN ARCHIVES — HOUSE ROVENHART Kael's expression changed slightly. Darius noticed. — Rovenhart? Kael nodded. — Duke Cassian Rovenhart. Lucian approached. — When was this? Ethan pointed toward the date. — Years ago. Kael read the document again. So Cassian had already been looking into the western archives. Another thought immediately followed. Adrian. Kael remembered the boy from Asteria. Their duel. The conversations afterward. Adrian Rovenhart wasn't his friend. They barely knew each other beyond the fact that they had once crossed blades. And yet Kael couldn't ignore the connection. He knew better than to assume Adrian was involved. He probably knows nothing. Kael folded the document. — I won't talk to Adrian. Ethan looked at him. — Why? — Because if he doesn't know anything, confronting him would accomplish nothing. Darius nodded. — Then who? Kael looked at the document. — His father. Lucian's expression became more serious. — Carefully. Kael nodded. — Obviously. --- The next morning, at the Imperial Academy of Asteria, Darian Valcroix stood in front of a classroom. He was explaining the structure of ancient magical systems. Several students were taking notes. Adrian Rovenhart sat near the middle of the room. He listened carefully. Darian drew a complicated diagram on the board. — Ancient magical structures were rarely designed as isolated mechanisms. Many were connected to larger networks. Adrian raised his hand. Darian looked toward him. — Yes? — If one part of the network were activated, would the others necessarily respond? Darian paused. Only for a fraction of a second. — Not necessarily. He continued drawing. — It would depend on the original purpose of the network. Adrian nodded. Something about the professor's answer bothered him. Not because it was incorrect. Because it felt incomplete. But Adrian had no proof of anything. And he wasn't interested in accusing a professor based on a feeling. Darian continued the lesson. — Ancient systems often had safeguards designed to prevent unauthorized activation. Adrian looked at the diagram. For a moment, he remembered the strange things that had happened around Kael. The old symbols. The academy incidents. The rumors. But he pushed the thoughts aside. Whatever was happening around Kael had nothing to do with him. At least, that was what he believed. When the class ended, the students began leaving. Adrian gathered his books. As he passed Darian's desk, he noticed a sheet of paper partially hidden beneath another document. A strange symbol was visible. An incomplete circle. A vertical line through its center. Adrian stopped for half a second. Darian noticed. — Something wrong, Rovenhart? Adrian looked at him. — No. He left. Darian waited until the classroom was empty. Then he pulled the sheet out. His expression changed. The same symbol. The same system. The same path. He whispered: — V-17 is awake. He folded the document and placed it inside his coat. There was still one thing he needed to do. Speak with Cassian Rovenhart. An upcoming gathering of several noble families would provide the perfect opportunity. Darian looked toward the window. Somewhere far away, Kael Veyron was probably already searching for answers. And he could not allow him to discover everything at once. Meanwhile, Adrian Rovenhart walked through the academy corridors without the slightest idea of what was happening around his family. He had no idea that his father was connected to a mystery buried beneath the Empire. And he certainly had no idea that Kael had already begun looking in his family's direction. For now, that ignorance protected him. But it would not last forever.

What Was Waiting Behind the Door